Gilberto Ramirez and Chris Billiam-Smith meet in the men’s event on Saturday, November 16, in a unification fight at a cruiserweight in Riyadh on Latino Night. 34-year-old WBO champion Billiam-Smith (20-1, 13 KOs) will face WBA champion Ramirez (46-1, 30 KOs) in a 12-round fight, with the winner likely to win the IBF -champion Jai Opetaia will compete. in a three-belt unification next.
(Credit Golden Boy / Cris Esqueda)
Huggers Battle In Main Event
Zurdo Ramirez and Billiam-Smith are under a lot of pressure to entertain, as neither is known for their entertaining style. The 34-year-old Billiam-Smith is a clincher and does not possess much power.
His recent fights have been very boring to watch, but not quite as bad as Zurdo’s in that regard. Both are what you call’Huggers,’ and it’s poison on the eyes for the average fan. I absolutely hate this fight with my whole being. I wish it away, send it to the center of Sagittarius A.
The undercard fights are excellent, but only the Ramirez-Billiam-Smith fight seems out of place. If I was the one calling the shots on Golden Boy, I’d bury it and focus on promoting the other fights.
The winner of the Ramirez vs Billiam-Smith battle is seen as the next victim for IBF champion Jai Opetaiawho is on a different level, talent-wise and power-wise, than either of these guys. What we’re basically seeing on Saturday night is the next victim for Opetaia being decided, and that takes away a lot of the interest.
Golden Boy put this fight in the main event because it was a unification, but it’s a match that didn’t attract much interest from American fans, who still remember Ramirez from his one-sided loss to Dmitry Bivol in 2022.
It would have been wiser to have Ramirez vs. Placing Billiam-Smith on the undercard under these fights:
- William Zepeda vs. Tevin Farmer
- Oscar Duarte vs. Botirzhon Akhmedov
- Jose Ramirez vs. Arnold Barboza Jr.
Although Ramirez, 33, has reinvented himself and won his last two contests, he has adopted a boring, likable hit-and-move style. Of course, Ramirez had no choice because he didn’t have the strength to stand and trade at cruiserweight like he did at 175 and 168.
Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya is trying to turn Ramirez into a starbut it probably won’t happen. He is a 15-year pro about to turn 34. If Ramirez hasn’t reached stardom at this point, he never will.
The southpaw Ramirez has won his last two fights, beating a very slow 36-year-old WBA cruiserweight champion Arsen Goulamirian by a 12-round unanimous decision on March 30 to become a two-division world champion and Joe Smith Jr.
Chris Billiam-Smith’s recent wins
Richard Riakporhe
Mateusz Masternak
Lawrence neighborhood
Isaac Chamberlain
“At the top of the bill, you have two of the top cruiserweights in the world currently fighting for two belts with the likelihood of facing the #1 cruiserweight in the world. It’s Jai Opetaia who will be watching that fight very closely,” said commentator Chris Mannix. DAZN Boxingtalks about Saturday’s fight between WBC champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez and WBO champion Chris Billiam-Smith in the main event.
“Zurdo has made a tremendous run in a short period of time, winning a world title in only his second fight in the weight class (against 36-year-old WBA cruiserweight champion Arsen Goulamirian on March 30, 2024).
Why Zurdo’s career didn’t blossom
– Poor CV
– Lack of power
– No charisma
– Failure to master the English language
– Boring fighting style
“Chris Billiam-Smith is a career-long cruiserweight who is just starting to make a name for himself (at 34). These two fighters are great. It’s going to be a big clash of styles,” Mannix said.
