Chris Billam-Smith: I’ve got a better resume than Jai Opetaia! | ‘I think it’s always been an inevitable fight’ | Boxing News

Chris Billam-Smith is convinced he will return to the top of the cruiserweight division, despite the threat of Ryan Rozicki.

Billam-Smith fights Rozicki at the Bournemouth International Centre on Saturday, live on Sky Sports.

For former WBO world champion Billam-Smith, elite cruiserweight Jai Opetaia remains a top target.

“I think it’s always been an inevitable fight,” Billam-Smith told Sky Sports. “I think it would have happened by now had I beaten ‘Zurdo’ [Gilberto Ramirez]. I think that would have been the next fight.

“But obviously things happen and I think I’ll be better prepared for it now. Having gone through the experience of the loss and I think I’ll be a better fighter for it and it [the Opetaia fight] is going to happen at some point.”

Opetaia is a celebrated unbeaten champion, but Billam-Smith maintains his own track record of success compares favourably with the Australian’s.

“I think if you go name for name, I’ve got a better resume than him. I don’t think you can argue with that,” he said of Opetaia.

“A lot of his wins have come by knockout even if he’s had a flatter performance and stuff like that. Obviously the [Mairis] Briedis fights he dogged it out, but he’s showed a lot. He’s showed he’d got knockout power. He’s shown he can be hurt and come back and win and I think that’s a key thing to have.

“He’s got a lot of skills, he’s a great fighter and that’s exactly why I want to get in the ring with him and see who comes out on top,” Billam-Smith continued.

“It’s about fighting the best so I can look back on my career and go: I’ve got no regrets. And I believe when that time comes, I will get the opportunity to fight him and take that opportunity with both hands.”

First he has an immediate threat to deal with. Rozicki is a dangerous man with a knockout ratio of over 95 per cent.

“Everyone’s got weaknesses. You have to stay concentrated with him because he can switch your lights out at any given time with his punch power. I think he’s got power in all his shots as well,” Billam-Smith said.

“He gets a lot of power in his left hook, [to] body and head, but also knocks people out with his right and right uppercut. He’s got more variety in his power so he’s more dangerous in that sense.

“Sometimes he’ll put his shots together and they’re all going to weighty. They might not be as quick as some people but they’re all going to carry power. So you can’t stand there and give him a target.

“He holds a lot of power and a lot of variety. I think that’s what makes him so dangerous.

“And how tough he is. He’s one of those where you hit him and he’ll want to hit you three times back.”

But if he does get hurt, Billam-Smith has vowed to fight through it. “If your hand’s broken, your elbow’s sore, your shoulder’s out the socket, you’ve got another arm. That’s the way I look at it,” he declared.

“Which is maybe the wrong way to look at it but I feel like that’s what you have to do as a fighter and as a warrior.”

He expects his higher level experience will carry him through. “It depends how you use it. I think for me it is beneficial,” Billam-Smith insisted.

“For me the pinnacle of achievement is still ahead of me. So that’s really important. I’m still on my way up and that’s how I see it. That’s really important to focus on.”

Watch Zuffa Boxing 07 this Saturday live on Sky Sports, with early coverage streamed from 5pm ahead of live action on Sky Sports Action, Sky Sports Main Event and Sky One from 7pm. Get Sky Sports or stream boxing with no contract.