Skip to content
Menu

Chris Billam-Smith Defends WBO Cruiserweight Title, Eyes Unification Bout

British boxer triumphs over Masternak, sets sights on rematch with Riakporhe and cruiserweight belt unification.
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

BOURNEMOUTH, England — On Sunday, December 10th, at Bournemouth, UK, Chris “The Gentleman” Billam-Smith defended his WBO World Cruiserweight Championship. Chris Billam-Smith(19-1, 13 KO’s) from England defeated Mateusz Masternak (47-6, 31 KOs), a former European, IBF, and WBA Intercontinental Cruiserweight Champion who is presently ranked #5 in the world by the WBO and #9 by the WBC.

 

The bout was entertaining, as Masternak moved quickly and consistently outmatched the reigning champion. For a while, it appeared as though Billam-Smith would lose his crown. However, the 33-year-old persevered, and with his body approach, he made a significant breakthrough in round seven. Masternak was obviously feeling the shots to his belly, which is where he got the rib damage.

 

Without a doubt, some of his harsher critics would refer to Masternak as a “quitter,” yet fractured ribs must hurt unbearably. The only opponent to defeat Billam-Smith was Richard Riakporhe, and that victory came by a close decision back in July 2019. It appears that Smith will face Riakporhe again in their upcoming bout. Following their fight, both men discussed the likely upcoming rematch.

 

“We’ll see [if I call Riakporhe for the fight]. Christmas! I want to be undisputed. I would be very keen for that fight. I never shy away from a fight. Me and Rich have boxed before but that was a different me. It would be an amazing rematch. He might look at tonight and fancy his chances so bring it on,” said Billam-Smith in media reports.

 

“The shots he was being hit with by Masternak weren’t heavy shots but you could see it was hurting him,” said Riakporhe. 

“If I land one of those shots, how’s he going to react? How’s he going to react from a jab from me, or a right hand or a hook from me? It’s going to be very dangerous. I mean literally I’ve been dreaming of hurting him really bad. Really, really bad. And from what I’ve seen here, I know I can. I know I can,” he added.

 

One rematch that we might be able to anticipate seeing some time next year is this one. Billam-Smith stated he intends to attempt to unify the cruiserweight belts.

“What’s the latest with Florida Man?”

Get news, handpicked just for you, in your box.

Check out our free email newsletters