Gilberto Ramírez Unifies Titles After Chris Billam-Smith Brawl

Gilberto Ramírez (47-1, 30 KOs) is now a unified champion after a brawl against Chris Billam-Smith (20-2, 13 KOs).

Scores were 116-112 (x2) and 116-113. With the win, Ramírez adds the WBO cruiserweight title to his collection. He is also the WBA titlist, a belt he won following a unanimous decision win over Arsen Goulamirian earlier this year.

The fight headlined a co-promotion between Golden Boy Promotions and BOXXER at The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Boxing fans globally could catch the action live on DAZN, TrillerTV and the Golden Boy Promotions YouTube channel.

The Ramírez vs. Billam-Smith card (Latino Night) is part of Riyadh Season, a state-funded entertainment and sports festival. The Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority is responsible for its organization.

Gilberto Ramírez Unifies Titles After Chris Billam-Smith Brawl

Fight Recap

It was not long into the bout when Billam-Smith was able to hurt his opponent. The WBO champion had success early on landing straights and hooks. Ramírez’s success came when he closed the distance and landed on the inside, though it was not until round three that his punches appeared to start affecting Billam-Smith. Once the fight got out of the early rounds, however, it appeared that Ramírez had figured his opponent out.

Blood began to pour from a cut on the left eye of Billam-Smith from the sixth round onwards. Ramírez had by then taken over the fight. The Mexican was regularly landing to the head and body. When fighting on the inside, Ramírez was landing more. Whenever he fought on the outside, he outboxed the Brit.

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In the final third of the contest, Ramírez stuck to being on the back foot. Due to Billam-Smith’s inability to cut off the ring, the Mexican was able to move freely. There were times when both stood in front of each other and exchanged blows, particularly in the final round.

In the end, it was Ramírez’s footwork that allowed him to win comfortably. While he did get tagged on occasions, he was mostly able to avoid anything that would particularly hurt him, even when both were exchanging at close quarters. It was a bruising fight for both, but Ramírez was technically better, allowing him to become the unified champion.

What a fight by Zurdo and Chris Billam-Smith 👏#RiyadhSeason | #LatinoNight | LIVE and FREE on DAZN | @Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/G9ucyZGvAe

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) November 16, 2024

Post-fight Interviews

Gilberto Ramírez

“I feel great,” said Ramírez. “Not a small guy, what I did. I mean, I’m a two-belt champion. Everyone saw. Thank you, everyone. Shukran, habibi [thank you, my dear in Arabic]. Thank you.”

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“I prepare for those guys. Me and my team, we really prepare. We know that he was a tough fighter, he was a strong guy and he was champion. It’s an honour for me to fight him and get the belt. It’s just part of the sport. I’m just grateful to be here with everyone…”

Chris Billam-Smith

“I guess it was a bit of irony,” said Billam-Smith. “My initials are obviously CBS and I say consistency builds success and I think the consistency of Zurdo tonight was what won it for him. So all respect to him…It’s been a real honour to fight on Latino Night. Zurdo came out with the win and I have a huge amount of respect for him. Always have done.”