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Chris Billam-Smith closes out 2022 with the sort of fight that should be routine, but could end up causing headaches. He hopes to finish 2023 as a world champion.
Billam-Smith takes on Armend Xhoxhaj, a Germany-based Kosovan, at the Bournemouth International Centre in his home town on Saturday. If things go well, he could be back in Bournemouth in the early summer, probably at the town’s football ground, the Vitality Stadium, boxing for a world title. Jai Opetaia, the IBF cruiserweight champion from Australia, is the No 1 target.
“There have been many boxers in my position before, where they have a fight just before boxing for a world title and they take their eye off the ball. And even if they get the win, they don’t look too good and it all comes tumbling down after. So, it is important not just to win but to look good doing it,” Billam-Smith said.
“I’m looking to make a statement. My last fight went the distance and he was stopped by [Mateusz] Masternac, who is a world-level contender and has had more knockouts than I have had fights. So, for me, it’s about doing a better job than he did.”
Billam-Smith has recently vacated his European title, after being ordered to defend the title against France’s Dylan Bregeon, whom he beat by a near shut-out at the end of last year. But he is keen to stay busy and improve on his last display, when he beat Isaac Chamberlain after a short training camp, having become a father just weeks before the fight.
“The last camp was about five weeks. This has been a lot longer and more enjoyable,” he said.
“Without these fights, I’d just be inactive. We could have sat around and waited for Opetaia, because although he has an injury, I don’t think his mandatory is going to get called right away. But it’s about staying active and keep improving.
“There is an old saying that an active fighter is a happy fighter. There is no next fight if I don’t perform in this one. Every fight is an opportunity to get better. I am a long way from being the finished article.”
But Billam-Smith insists he is switched on and won’t let Xhoxhaj upset any of his plans.
“He can be dangerous if you’re not switched on,” Billam-Smith said. “He comes forward. He throws lots of shots. He’s got a really good right hand. So, it’s about staying switched on in this fight and performing really well and not giving anything away and controlling the fight from the very first moments.
“I’ve got to be able to adapt and adapt through the fight and do what’s right for me.”
Ron Lewis is a senior writer for BoxingScene. He was Boxing Correspondent for The Times, where he worked from 2001-2019 - covering four Olympic Games and numerous world title fights across the globe. He has written about boxing for a wide variety of publications worldwide since the 1980s.