Deontay Wilder is drawing interest from Chris Billam-Smith, a cruiserweight boxer with ambitions of climbing the divisions to face the American heavyweight champion.
Billam-Smith, who was crowned WBO world champion at 200lbs before losing his title to Zurdo Ramirez in 2024, has strong words for Wilder, saying that style-wise, they would be an intriguing matchup.
A move up from cruiserweight to bridgerweight, which falls between the two divisions, seems like Billam-Smith's preferred route to a fight with the former world champion.
Billam-Smith believes he can beat Ramirez, his next opponent in the division, and sets his sights on unifying titles by beating the current WBA and WBO champion before eventually facing IBF titleholder Jai Opetaia.
A three-fight plan involving Ramirez, Benavidez, and Opetaia seems to be Billam-Smith's strategy for becoming a unified cruiserweight champion. While there is no guarantee this will happen, it appears as if Billam-Smith is well-versed in the intricacies of the boxing business.
Billam-Smith has stated that he views Wilder as a huge name with many fans and believes beating Ramirez would earn him respect among fans as well.
The Bournemouth boxer acknowledges that there are no guarantees in the sport, but it seems that Billam-Smith is planning his path to a potential showdown with Wilder in order to maximize his opportunities for success.
Billam-Smith, who was crowned WBO world champion at 200lbs before losing his title to Zurdo Ramirez in 2024, has strong words for Wilder, saying that style-wise, they would be an intriguing matchup.
A move up from cruiserweight to bridgerweight, which falls between the two divisions, seems like Billam-Smith's preferred route to a fight with the former world champion.
Billam-Smith believes he can beat Ramirez, his next opponent in the division, and sets his sights on unifying titles by beating the current WBA and WBO champion before eventually facing IBF titleholder Jai Opetaia.
A three-fight plan involving Ramirez, Benavidez, and Opetaia seems to be Billam-Smith's strategy for becoming a unified cruiserweight champion. While there is no guarantee this will happen, it appears as if Billam-Smith is well-versed in the intricacies of the boxing business.
Billam-Smith has stated that he views Wilder as a huge name with many fans and believes beating Ramirez would earn him respect among fans as well.
The Bournemouth boxer acknowledges that there are no guarantees in the sport, but it seems that Billam-Smith is planning his path to a potential showdown with Wilder in order to maximize his opportunities for success.
I think Billam-Smith has a legit shot at beating Ramirez and then taking out Opetaia, it'd be huge for him to unify the cruiserweight division 
. And let's be real, beating Wilder would get him all the respect in the world from boxing fans - he's a big name with a huge following 
. Billam-Smith's got the brains and the brawn to make this happen, I'm keeping an eye on him 
i mean, we all know how wilder's career has been 
especially after that whole arum debacle 
and now he's gonna take on some cruiserweight who thinks beating ramirez is gonna get him a title shot with wilder? 
pls billam-smith needs to focus on getting his own stuff together before thinking about taking on the likes of wilder 
. Chris Billam-Smith wants to fight Deontay Wilder, but I think he's looking at the wrong side of the ring 
. First off, Wilder is a huge heavyweight champ, while Billam-Smith is still trying to establish himself in cruiserweight land 
. Even if Billam-Smith does beat Ramirez and gets his sights on the IBF title, I'm not convinced he could hang with Wilder for more than a few rounds 
. Maybe someone else should start building towards that fight instead of jumping straight into the deep end 
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It seems like a three-fight plan, which is always a good idea in boxing and politics - you gotta have a solid strategy before making your move. But what about Wilder's side of the story? Is he just sitting around waiting for someone to challenge him? 
This whole thing is a perfect example of how in the world of sports, everyone's trying to get ahead, just like politicians on the campaign trail. And we get to be the audience, enjoying all the drama and intrigue 
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. He's trying to climb the ranks by targeting a big-name fighter like Wilder, but what's his real motive? Is he just looking for a payday or does he genuinely think he can take down the champ? And with this three-fight plan, he's got a lot of variables to navigate – one wrong move and it all falls apart. I bet he's just trying to get his face in front of fans and sell more pay-per-views 
. Back to Billam-Smith, he seems like a smart guy to take on the whole title-unification thing 
!
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. It feels like Billam-Smith is playing a bit of politics here - trying to build up his resume with some key wins before making the jump to heavyweight. I'm not saying it won't work, but what if Wilder decides he's not interested after all? That's when we gotta ask ourselves, did Billam-Smith just want to be seen as a contender or actually go for the title? 
, let's see how it plays out first!
He thinks he can take down Ramirez first, then Benavidez, and finally Opetaia. That's a bold move, fam! 
And beating Wilder would be a huge step for him... 
. The three-fight plan sounds solid to me, it shows he's done his research and knows what he wants 
. And let's be real, beating Wilder would be a huge upset, but if anyone can do it, Billam-Smith is the man 
