Former WBO cruiserweight champion Chris Billiam-Smith showed his face and injured right hand on X from his close 12-round unanimous decision loss to WBA champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez from last Saturday’s unification clash at Latino Night at The Venue in Riyadh.
(Credit: Golden Boy/Cris Esqueda)
34-year-old Billiam-Smith’s heavily bandaged right eye was still swollen shut, and his broken right thumb was covered in bandages. He also suffered a broken left hand, as well as injured ribs. One thing is certain.
Billiam-Smith cannot continue to be involved in punishing fights like we saw last Saturday because his career will be over in three or four more fights. He is already pushing the limit, almost 35, after grueling battles against Lawrence Okole and Isaac Chamberlain.
Should Billiam-Smith be pulled out?
It was a costly fight for Billiam-Smith (20-2, 13 KOs) as he took a beating, and many felt it was a lost cause by the eighth. He was exhausted, outmatched and took a beating from the better prepared ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez (47-1, 30 KOs). Billiam-Smith didn’t have the mobility or the stamina to pull off the win. No one would have criticized him if he had retired to his corner.
Scores
116-112
116-112
116-113
Here’s an exclusive look at how @ChrisBillam watch out for his brutal fight against Zurdo Ramirez on Saturday.
In total: Broken right thumb, broken left hand, stitches inside and outside his eye, damaged ribs. pic.twitter.com/8U5FiH9VMq
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) 18 November 2024
Final Punch Statistics
– Zurdo Ramirez connected on 223 of 786 punches for 28% accuracy
– Billam-Smith was 200 of 676 shots for 30%
Zurdo Ramirez was a winner, but not with the straight-ahead style that Billiam-Smith used. It was a fighting style that the Mexican Ramirez had always done well against during his 15-year professional career. The guy that Ramirez lost to, Dmitry Bivol, was a pure boxer who outboxed him with intelligence.
Billiam-Smith should have at least tried to follow Bivol’s blueprint rather than fight like his past conquered opponents, Arsen Goulamirian, Joe Smith, Yunieski Gonzalez and Jesse Hart.
Billiam-Smith’s recent fights
Richard Riakporhe
Mateusz Masternak
Lawrence neighborhood
Isaac Chamberlain
