IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia has established his training camp in London for the final stages of preparation. Opetaia is scheduled to go up against England’s Jack Massey in Riyadh on October 12 and returned to London for the press conference last week. Instead of enduring another 30-hour journey back to Australia, Opetaia and his … Read more
IBF World cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia today (July 25) launched a scathing attack on WBO titlist Chris Billam-Smith. Opetaia was a guest on DAZN’s coverage of the Justis Huni-Troy Pilcher fight card from Fortitude Valley in Australia. The spiky 29-year-old was asked how bad he wanted the unification fight against the Brit. “I’m ready for … Read more
What’s next for Chris Billam-Smith? After beating Richard Riakporhe last weekend, he called out for a unification against WBA king Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez. Jai Opetaia holds the IBF title and Noel Mikalian is the WBC champion. The Bournemouth boxer keeps on proving the critics wrong. After defeating Lawrence Okolie for the WBO cruiserweight title in … Read more
THE career of Chris Billam-Smith is now reaching a stage of “making memories” according to the WBO cruiserweight champion. On Saturday night the 33-year-old retained his title to level the score at 1-1 in his rivalry with Richard Riakporhe five years on from their original encounter. Billam-Smith’s second defence was another big-time event outdoors at … Read more
For the second time in 13 months, Chris Billam-Smith finds himself in a familiar situation. He wears the expression of a frustrated boy on the playground who is irritated with a classmate who constantly picks up the football instead of kicking it. Despite being reminded that they are playing football and not rugby, the classmate … Read more
One unusual task I had to take on as a press officer for a world heavyweight champion was educating the boxer on Millwall FC’s starting 11 before an appearance on the now-defunct Sky Sports show Soccer AM around 2010. In addition to the starting 11, player names, and positions, I also provided the manager’s name, … Read more
RICHARD RIAKPORHE still believes that Chris Billam-Smith is displaying signs of decline leading up to their rematch on Saturday night (June 15). The two British fighters will face off at Selhurst Park, the home of Crystal Palace Football Club, with Billam-Smith’s WBO cruiserweight title at stake. Riakporhe had previously defeated Billam-Smith in a non-title bout … Read more
By Oscar Pick Success is perhaps the most ambiguous word in the English language. Whether driven by titles, money or fame, there are always contrasting interpretations of what it means to be successful. For Chris Billam-Smith, there is a desire to succeed in defining his legacy, quite simply by headlining shows at football stadiums and … Read more
Where Can I Watch Chris Billam-Smith vs. Richard Riakporhe on TV? You can catch every televised bout on Sky Sports (Action), while the preliminary bouts will be available on the Sky Sports Boxing YouTube channel. Where is the Venue for Chris Billam-Smith vs. Richard Riakporhe? The fight will take place at Selhurst Park Stadium, London … Read more
In a memorable May, Canelo Alvarez and Vasiliy Lomachenko proved they are far from finished. Naoya Inoue displayed another symphony of destruction, Lauren Price shined in her first world title win, Lawrence Okolie regained his mojo, Jack Catterall redeemed himself, and Oleksandr Usyk made heavyweight history. June kicks off with a veteran promoter looking to … Read more
