# 10 years in the making – Billam-Smith’s revenge mission

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/10-years-in-the-making-billam-smiths-revenge-mission/
- Published: 2026-11-05T07:41:14+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-05T08:23:41+00:00
- Original publisher: BBC Sport (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/articles/c6wyrmmpm0pzo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
- Topics: Sport

## Key points

- Billam-Smith faces Clarke ten years after their amateur final.
- Clarke won their 2016 National Championships bout by decision.
- Billam-Smith still hopes to fight Jai Opetaia.

## Summary

Chris Billam-Smith will face Cheavon Clarke at London’s Copper Box on Saturday, ten years after Clarke beat him in the 2016 National Championships final. Billam-Smith says the chance to revisit that defeat is an added motivation, while the bout also gives him a chance to show how far he has progressed since their amateur meeting.

Clarke, now 35, went on to compete at the Commonwealth and Olympic Games, while Billam-Smith turned professional in 2017 and later won British, European and world cruiserweight titles. He has lost twice in 22 professional fights and held the WBO world title for 18 months before losing to Gilberto Ramirez in November 2024. After two wins in 2025, he joined Zuffa Boxing and says he still hopes to face Jai Opetaia, though Opetaia’s plans to fight Deontay Wilder or David Benavidez may make that harder to arrange.

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.