The prospect of a world title shot has been dangled in front of Chris Billam-Smith and Isaac Chamberlain as a further incentive ahead of their July 30 cruiserweight clash in Bournemouth, live on Sky Sports.
The Billam-Smith vs Chamberlain victor should get the chance to fight the new IBF cruiserweight world champion Jai Opetaia.
Australia’s Opetaia stunned Mairis Briedis to win the title earlier this month. Now his promoter Dean Lonergan has told Sky Sports that he is looking to match the new IBF titlist against the winner of Billam-Smith vs Chamberlain.
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“The answer is yes,” Lonergan told the Toe2Toe podcast. “We would 100% like to have a look at that. I’m not reaching out to have a chat, I’m reaching out to see if we can actually do some business.
“I’d like to start talking now with Ben Shalom because they’re all signed to him, I believe, and with Adam Smith and to have a serious conversation about us coming there or you guys coming to Australia and trying your hand at what is now the best cruiserweight in the world.”
The prospect richly appeals to Chamberlain. “It’s very motivational,” he said. “The winner of this fight gets a world title shot.
“[Opetaia] is athletic, he has good hand speed as well but he was facing an ageing Briedis, so it’s hard to really judge on that performance.”
The goal for both men is to fight their way to a title and Opetaia is firmly on Billam-Smith’s radar.
“He’s a really difficult fight for anyone in the division. He is the No 1 in the world at the moment, only because he’s beaten the No 1,” Billam-Smith said.
“I think there’s obviously flaws in everyone but he’s really well schooled, does the basics very well. There’s nothing amazing about him, he just does the basics very, very well.
Chris Billam-Smith vs Isaac Chamberlain is set for July 30 on Sky Sports
“The fights are always going to be hard when you’re fighting for a world title especially if you’re fighting a champion.”
Opetaia broke his jaw in two places over the course of winning his 12-round contest with Briedis so will have to fully recover before he can defend his championship. The tantalising prospect of challenging him down the line raises the stakes for both Billam-Smith and Chamberlain in their July 30 showdown at the Bournemouth International Centre.
Billam-Smith can’t conceive of losing in his hometown but London’s Chamberlain insists that he has changed as a fighter from 2018, when he lost in a flat performance to Lawrence Okolie. He promises that now this fight will be different.
“It’ll probably be the exact opposite from the Lawrence Okolie one. The Lawrence Okolie one there was a lot of emotion. I was very young as well, didn’t know how to deal with everything so much. But now, a lot of maturity here now. I’m different now,” Chamberlain said.
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He knows though that Billam-Smith has been getting better too. “We’ve both improved a whole lot in terms of our boxing skill, in terms of our athletic performance as well. So it’s going to be a great fight,” Chamberlain said.
“I respect Isaac,” Billam-Smith added. “We both want the same thing.
“I just know the work I’ve put in, since I started the sport really, I just know where I’m at and that’s why I’ll be coming out with the win.
“On fight night, all niceties will go out the window and I’ll be trying to take his head off. That’s the way the sport works.”
Chris Billam-Smith and Isaac Chamberlain came face to face on this week’s Toe2Toe podcast. Listen here