Chris Billam-Smith Scores Devastating KO

British Cruiserweight Contender Chris Billam-Smith was looking for an impressive, if not emphatic, win Saturday night to help his standing for a world title shot. And, in the fifth round he got it with a devastating uppercut KO.

Smith dispatched Armend Xhoxhaj halfway through round number five with a barrage of punches culminating with the right uppercut which flattened his Kosovan opponent and caused the referee to waive the bout off immediately. The fight headlined the Boxxer Promotions Sky Sports card in Bournemouth, England Saturday night.

A devastating 𝙤𝙣𝙚-𝙥𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙝 KO! 🤯@ChrisBillam detonates a massive right hook to lay out Armend Xhoxhaj! 💣#FightNightBournemouth2 | 17.12.22 | BIC | @SkySportsBoxing pic.twitter.com/zTN3MCCfCk

— BOXXER (@boxxer) December 17, 2022

Billam-Smith now 17 – 1, 12 KOs, came in to the bout ranked number two by the WBO, but had some trouble early with Xhoxhaj . This, as the fighter who had won nine of his previous 10 fights primarily fighting in Germany where he now lives, rocked Billam-Smith with an overhand right that wobbled him briefly.

Xhoxhaj scored a couple of more solid punches before Billam Smith could tie him up and eventually survivef the second round. Billam-Smith picked up the pace with combinations in round three and it looked as those Xhoxhaj was beginning to tire.

The end came quick

Finally. in the fifth the big combination ended things with the ringside doctor and personnel rushing to aid Xhoxhaj immediately after the fight was stopped. He stayed down for a couple of minutes before finally being well enough to sit up, stand up and eventually, walk out of the ring after things were over.

Billam Smith was obviously thrilled to get the knockout win in front of his home area fans in the coastal town two and half hours drive from Southwest from London.

“We’ve been working on connecting the elbows, and I literally did that just before I threw the last barrage of punches,” Billam-Smith said to Sky Sports post-fight. “Obviously, the finish I was very well connected and it was obviously a great finish.”

Billam-Smith has worked his way into the top five not only of the WBO but also the IBF and the WBC. And, post-fight his promoter Ben Shalom of Boxxer said that want to make a title fight with new IBF champ Jai Opetaia back in the same locale’,

“Opetaia wants this fight, Chris Billam-Smith wants this fight…Chris Billam-Smith is going to fight for a world title in Bournemouth and it is going to be unbelievable,” Shalom told Sky Sports.

The 27 year old, unbeaten Opetaia scored an upset decision win over Mairis Briedis to win the IBF belt in his home country of Australia back in July. There has been belief that those two would rematch first, as well.