Gilberto Ramirez is now the unified cruiserweight champion after adding Chris Billam-Smith’s WBO belt to his own WBA title.
Ramirez won a rough and hard-fought 12-round decision at The Venue, Riyadh, as the bill-topper for Latino Night by scores of 116-112 (twice) and 116-113 and, frankly, Ramirez boxed superbly.
Billam-Smith never quit and never slowed despite shipping plenty of punishment, while southpaw Ramirez, who moved this way and that and was hard to hit and hard to stop in his tracks, now finds himself on the verge of another big fight, against IBF champion Jai Opetaia.
“I feel great, I’m a true champion and everyone saw,” said “Zurdo.” “I prepared for those guys, me and my team knew he was a tough fighter, it was an honor for me to fight him and get the belt. I want to unify with all the champions. That is the main goal for me.”
Billam-Smith started well, using his right hand against the southpaw, although Ramirez landed a right to the body as a warning shot. Billam-Smith tried to make the most of any opportunity to let his hands go but Ramirez scored with a good left before the bell to end the first round, although the Englishman managed to squeeze in a reply.
As expected, Ramirez’ experience and smoothness allowed him to find openings in the second. There was a fluidity to his combinations and a right-left-right hook kept the WBO champion occupied.
The second was better for Ramirez as Billam-Smith strayed away from what had done well for him in the opener.
Billam-Smith scored with some left hooks, but Ramirez started to dictate the space and forced Billam-Smith onto a heavy looking left hand.
It was a lively, heavy-hitting third round, and the Bournemouth man chugged down another left hand near the bell.
After a bright opening, Billam-Smith had started to swim upstream. Ramirez was aggressive and poured on some pressure in a big fourth round and Billam-Smith was cut by the left eye.
Trainer Shane McGuigan implored his man to keep Ramirez on the back foot, but Ramirez was accurate, busy and showing no signs of slowing.
Billam-Smith started to take Ramirez into the trenches in the fifth and he landed some jarring uppercuts and worked well on the inside, but Ramirez would punish him if he stayed in close too long or if he tried to help himself to too many punches.
Ramirez landed to the body and head to close out the round and the Mexican was looking impressive and capable.
A straight left in the sixth had Billam-Smith retreating and Ramirez was able to take whatever came his way and fire back with more panache. The Mexican wasn’t neglecting the body, either.
It was an exhausting battle and Billam-Smith’s eye was gushing as the bell sounded to end the round.
The doctor inspected the cut to start the seventh, allowing Billam-Smith to continue. He did so with spite and urgency in his punches and he temporarily managed to force Ramirez back. But what he couldn’t stop was Ramirez spinning off, changing directions and firing back. Ramirez made him miss with a huge right hand swing and they traded heavy shots to close the frame.
Billam-Smith stumbled off balance after an eighth-round right hook, and while he was still hitting Ramirez, the Mexican was hitting him far more. It was hard, rough and brutal, and Billam-Smith was falling well adrift on the scorecards and the cumulative effect of the punishment he had managed to absorb must have taken an uncomfortable toll.
Billam-Smith’s determination and willingness was unwavering and he landed a right underneath Ramirez’ left elbow, but it was only a momentary reprieve, although the 10th proved to be a better round for the Brit, so much so that Ramirez’ corner instructed him to “pick up the pace” going into the 11th.
Heads cracked together in the 11th and Billam-Smith winced and the left eye bled more. It was intense and gruelling.
Trainer McGuigan told him he needed to put his shots together. “No messing around, be ruthless,” McGuigan said.
“Don’t give this guy no chance,” Ramirez was instructed.
Billam-Smith tried to march through the fire, but Ramirez remained a box of tricks, fighting with an unpredictable brand of chaos and unpredictability that Billam-Smith couldn’t fathom.
Ramirez peppered his counterpart in the 12th, Billam-Smith stiffened his resolve and tried to clout the Mexican with everything he had. They were side by side and swinging in the trenches when the bell went to end the fight.
“All respect to him,” said a disconsolate Billam-Smith. “I’ve a huge amount of respect for him, always have done. No excuses. We will have to go back and assess and keep on improving.”
By Tris Dixon