Chris Billam-Smith


Chris Billam-Smith is an English professional boxer. He held the World Boxing Organization cruiserweight title from 2023 to 2024. At regional level, he held the European, British, and Commonwealth cruiserweight titles between 2019 and 2022.
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Amateur career

After training on and off as a youngster, Smith began to take boxing seriously at the age of 16. During a career in which he compiled a record of 32–11 while representing Poole ABC, he fought in several ABA Championships, reaching the finals in 2013 and 2016; losing out to Jack Massey at 86 kg and Cheavon Clarke at 91 kg respectively.

Professional career

Early career

Billam-Smith made his professional debut on 16 September 2017 under the tutelage of Shane McGuigan, scoring a first-round technical knockout victory over Russ Henshaw at the O2 Academy in Bournemouth, Dorset.
After compiling a record of 9–0, he faced fellow undefeated British prospect Richard Riakporhe for the WBA Inter-Continental cruiserweight title on 20 July 2019 at the O2 Arena in London. The fight was televised live on Sky Sports Box Office as part of the undercard of Dillian Whyte vs. Oscar Rivas. Smith suffered his first professional defeat via split decision over ten rounds. Two judges scored the bout in favour of Riakporhe with 97–92 and 95–94, while the third scored it 96–93 to Smith.

Commonwealth cruiserweight champion

On 23 November 2019, he fought Craig Glover at the M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool, with the vacant Commonwealth cruiserweight title on the line. The fight was televised live on Sky Sports in the UK and streamed live on DAZN in the US as part of the undercard for Callum Smith's world title defence against John Ryder. The first-round saw both fighters engage at close-quarters, with Glover suffering a cut above his left eye in the first minute of the bout from an accidental clash of heads. In the second-round, Smith stayed at range behind the jab, landing hooks and straight right hands to bloody Glover's nose. Round three was much of the same, with Smith landing counter hooks as Glover tried to work on the inside. Glover had more success in the fourth, with both fighters landing solid jabs and hooks to the head. In the final 10 seconds of the round, Smith hurt Glover with a straight right hand and followed up with a four punch combination culminating with a left hook which dropped Glover to the canvas seconds before the bell sounding. Less than a minute into the fifth, Smith began to land a variety of heavy punches to the head of Glover, scoring a second knockdown with a powerful left hook to the jaw. Glover was able to get back to his feet before the referee's count of ten only to be met by more heavy shots from Smith, who landed two straight right hands to the side of Glover's head which promoted referee Mark Lyson to call a halt to the contest as Glover was knocked down for a third time, handing Billam-Smith the Commonwealth title via fifth-round TKO.
He made the first defence of his Commonwealth title on 7 August 2020, facing Nathan Thorley at the Matchroom Sport headquarters in Brentwood, Essex, live on Sky Sports as part of the undercard for Terri Harper's world title defence against Natasha Jonas. Following a fast start from Smith, he scored a knockdown at the end of the first round after three left hooks forced Thorley to go down on one knee. After trapping Thorley in a corner in the second round, Smith landed a series of right hands to send Thorley to the canvas for a second time. Smith scored a third knockdown with another right hand, with Thorley again making it back to his feet only to see referee Mark Lyson call a halt to the contest, handing Smith a second-round TKO victory to retain his Commonwealth title.

European, British & Commonwealth cruiserweight champion

On 31 July 2021, Billam-Smith faced Tommy McCarthy as part of Matchroom's Fight Camp in a bout where the British, European and Commonwealth cruiserweight titles were at stake. In a very competitive bout, Billam-Smith prevailed by split decision, with scores of 116–112 and 115–114 in his favour, and 115–114 in favour of McCarthy.
Billam-Smith made his first European title defense against Dylan Bregeon on 13 November 2021, at the Sheffield Arena in Sheffield, England. He won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 120–109, 119–109 and 119–109.
Billam-Smith fought a rematch with Tommy McCarthy on 16 April 2022, on the undercard of the Conor Benn and Chris van Heerden welterweight bout. He won the fight by an eight-round technical knockout, flooring McCarthy with a right cross.
Billiam-Smith defeated Isaac Chamberlain to retain his Commonwealth and European cruiserweight titles, winning on three scorecards of 117–111. Billiam-Smith vacated the EBU Cruiserweight title in July 2022.

WBO cruiserweight champion

Billam-Smith vs. Okolie

On 27 May 2023 at the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, England, Billam-Smith defeated Lawrence Okolie by majority decision to become the new WBO cruiserweight champion.

Billam-Smith vs. Masternak

On 10 December 2023 at the Bournemouth International Centre, England, Billam-Smith was scheduled to make the first defense of his WBO cruiserweight title against Mateusz Masternak. Billam-Smith defeated Masternak by corner retirement.

Billam-Smith vs. Riakporhe II

Billam-Smith defeated Richard Riakporhe by unanimous decision at Selhurst Park in London, England, on 15 June 2024, to retain his world title and avenge his only previous loss as a professional five years earlier. The ringside judges scored the contest 116–111, 115–112, 115–112.

Billam-Smith vs. Ramirez

Billam-Smith put his WBO cruiserweight title on the line in a world championship unification bout against WBA champion Gilberto Ramírez in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on 16 November 2024. He lost by unanimous decision.

Post-title career

After his loss, Billam-Smith stayed focused on competing at the world level. He suffered a cut, rib damage, and injuries to both hands. He also mentioned experiencing severe pain, which necessitated a hospital visit. He expressed a desire for his next fight to be either for a world title or a title eliminator. He indicated that he had "a couple more years left."

Billam-Smith vs. Glanton

In January 2025, it was announced that Billam-Smith would compete on the undercard of Chris Eubank Jr vs. Conor Benn, which was noted as Ring Magazine's first UK card. The event was scheduled for 26 April at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. His opponent was Brandon Glanton, who was on a three-fight stoppage streak. During fight week, the atmosphere was lively, with Glanton making assertive remarks about causing damage to Billam-Smith. McGuigan commented on Glanton's promotional strategies, implying they were unwarranted and that the appeal of the fight was sufficient on its own. He noted that Billam-Smith would not be influenced by Glanton's behaviour. He was fairly confident that Billam-Smith would emerge victorious. During the media workouts, Glanton engaged with the fans and said, “I’m gonna break this boy's face on Saturday.” According to Glanton, the rivalry started when Billam-Smith declined to shake his hand. This incident occurred during Billam-Smith's victory over Lawrence Okolie, an event that Glanton attended to support his friend Okolie. Billam-Smith was confident in his training and preparation for the fight, stating Glanton would just "throw lots of shots and press forward", from the beginning.
In a closely contested fight that was marked by high-intensity exchanges, body shots, and multiple knockdown scares, Billam-Smith emerged victorious, defeating Glanton via unanimous decision. Both fighters started aggressively from the opening bell, exchanging hooks, uppercuts, and body shots. As the middle rounds progressed, Billam-Smith began to take control, delivering significant blows that staggered Glanton, who also slipped twice. No knockdowns were declared due to the potentially slippery ring canvas. Billam-Smith's output and tactical adjustments allowed him to regain authority in the fight. During the championship rounds, Billam-Smith maintained his control, while Glanton's attacks became less varied. In the final round, Glanton landed some harder punches as Billam-Smith appeared fatigued. The judges scored the fight 116–113, 116–112, and 116–112. Despite the pre-fight tensions, both boxers showed mutual respect and embraced each other. Billam-Smith landed 195 of 667 total punches, while Glanton landed 172 of 560 thrown.
In July 2025, Billam-Smith addressed the tension leading up to the fight. He was disturbed by threats of causing "brain damage", which led him to seek guidance from his breathwork coach for emotional management. Initially, he did not hear Glanton's remarks during the press conference but later reviewed the footage, prompting him to react. Billam-Smith considered withdrawing from the fight to deny Glanton his paycheck. After the fight, he confronted Glanton, seeking an apology that he felt was overdue.

Next fight

In August 2025, the WBO decided to create an interim title, whilst Ramírez was recovering from injury. The next contender in line was German boxer Roman Fress. Billam-Smith was in favour of the fight, as he viewed it as a crucial step towards regaining a shot at the world title. Both teams were given a 20-day negotiation period. Billam-Smith planned on returning to full training by the end of September, after the birth of his second son. He saw Fress as a tough opponent. He made it clear that he was still under contract with Boxxer. With no negotiations, a purse bid was held on 3 October, however with the minimum bid being $300,000, there was no bids received. The WBO decided to explore options, with one of them being, lowering the minimum bid. A second purse bid was held on 16 October, with the minimum bid reduced to $150,000. SES Promotions won the right, bidding $156,921. With Billam-Smith entitled to 60%, this would see him take home a $94,152.60 purse. Ulf Steinforth of SES Boxing, planned to host the fight in Germany in January 2026. For Fress, this would have been his toughest fight to date, and he was on a seven-fight win streak. Billam-Smith was given deadline of 20 October to notify the WBO about his intentions. He missed the deadline to notify the WBO and president Gustavo Olivieri stated they would move on to the next contender, Umar Salamov. After opting out of the fight against Fress, Billam-Smith was looking to return in February 2026.

Personal life

Billam-Smith is a supporter of AFC Bournemouth. Billam-Smith is married to his wife Mia and they have a son together.

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
23Win21–2Brandon GlantonUD1226 Apr 2025Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, England
22Loss20–2Gilberto RamírezUD1216 Nov 2024The Venue Riyadh Season, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaLost WBO cruiserweight title;
For WBA (Super) cruiserweight title
21Win20–1Richard RiakporheUD1215 Jun 2024Selhurst Park, London, EnglandRetained WBO cruiserweight title
20Win19–1Mateusz MasternakRTD8, 0:0210 Dec 2023Bournemouth International Centre, Bournemouth, EnglandRetained WBO cruiserweight title
19Win18–1Lawrence Okolie1227 May 2023Dean Court, Bournemouth, EnglandWon WBO cruiserweight title
18Win17–1Armend XhoxhajKO5, 1:5217 Dec 2022Bournemouth International Centre, Bournemouth, England
17Win16–1Isaac ChamberlainUD1230 Jul 2022Bournemouth International Centre, Bournemouth, EnglandRetained European and Commonwealth cruiserweight titles
16Win15–1Tommy McCarthyTKO8, 1:2816 April 2022Manchester Arena, Manchester, EnglandRetained European and Commonwealth cruiserweight titles
15Win14–1Dylan BregeonUD1213 Nov 2021Sheffield Arena, Sheffield, EnglandRetained European cruiserweight title
14Win13–1Tommy McCarthySD1231 Jul 2021Matchroom Headquarters, Brentwood, EnglandRetained Commonwealth cruiserweight title;
Won European and vacant British cruiserweight titles
13Win12–1Vasil Ducar1020 Mar 2021Wembley Arena, London, EnglandWon vacant WBA Continental cruiserweight title
12Win11–1Nathan ThorleyTKO2, 2:057 Aug 2020Matchroom Headquarters, Brentwood, EnglandRetained Commonwealth cruiserweight title
11Win10–1Craig GloverTKO5, 1:4523 Nov 2019Liverpool Arena, Liverpool, EnglandWon vacant Commonwealth cruiserweight title
10Loss9–1Richard Riakporhe1020 Jul 2019The O2 Arena, London, EnglandFor WBA Inter-Continental cruiserweight title
9Win9–0Yassine HabachiRTD3, 3:0010 May 2019Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham, England
8Win8–0Kent KauppinenTKO6, 0:4515 Dec 2018O2 Academy, Bournemouth, England
7Win7–0Robin DupreRTD5, 3:0013 Oct 2018York Hall, London, England
6Win6–0Michal Pleanik816 Jun 2018O2 Academy, Bournemouth, England
5Win5–0Gheorghe Danut5, 3:009 Mar 2018O2 Academy, Bournemouth, England
4Win4–0Laszlo IvanyiKO1, 2:172 Dec 2017Leicester Arena, Leicester, England
3Win3–0Jan Hrazdira2, 0:0611 Nov 2017Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland
2Win2–0Alexandar TodorovicTKO1, 2:4314 Oct 2017Wembley Arena, London, England
1Win1–0Russ Henshaw1, 2:0116 Sep 2017O2 Academy, Bournemouth, England