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10 years in the making – Billam-Smith’s revenge mission
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.
In short
- 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.
Explained simply
Chris Billam-Smith and Cheavon Clarke first met as amateur boxers, when Clarke beat Billam-Smith in the final of the 2016 National Championships. Amateur boxing is the competition pathway many fighters follow before turning professional.
Clarke later competed at the Commonwealth and Olympic Games, while Billam-Smith became a professional and won British, European and world cruiserweight titles. The cruiserweight division is a weight class in professional boxing.
Their earlier bout gives this meeting a personal history, while it also offers a measure of how their careers have developed since. Billam-Smith has held a world title and is seeking major fights, including a possible contest with Jai Opetaia.