Chris Billam-Smith says timing blocked Jai Opetaia fight

Former cruiserweight champion says short training camp blocked 2024 unification

Chris Billam-Smith says the proposed 2024 fight with Jai Opetaia collapsed because of timing, not reluctance.

Billam-Smith says the long-discussed fight with Jai Opetaia failed to materialise in 2024 because of timing, not reluctance on his side. The former WBO cruiserweight champion pushed back on criticism from Opetaia, who has previously suggested the Briton avoided the matchup.

“We did try,” Billam-Smith said to Sky Sports. “I said I’d be ready to go in November. He wanted me to fight six weeks after a holiday. I respect him enough to know I need a full camp against him.

“I said, give me an extra month, and I’ll be ready, he said no. He boxed in October, I boxed ‘Zurdo’ in November.”

At the time, both fighters held world titles, and a unification fight between them had been discussed as one of the most attractive matchups in the cruiserweight division. Instead, their careers moved in different directions.

Billam-Smith (21-2, 13 KOs) lost his WBO title to Gilberto Ramirez in November 2024 but remains one of the division’s better-known names in Britain. Opetaia (30-0, 23 KOs) has since strengthened his standing near the top of the division.

Despite the earlier disagreement, Billam-Smith says a fight with the Australian is still one of the matchups he wants most as he prepares for the next phase of his career following a year out of the ring.

“I want the best fights out there,” Billam-Smith said. “The ones that are going to get me up for making a statement, and you can only make a statement against the biggest names.

“Like Opetaia, ‘Zurdo,’ Benavidez. They’re the fights we’ll be looking to have in the next one to two years.”

Billam-Smith believes getting back in the ring first will help determine where he stands before pursuing those matchups. The British cruiserweight says the break from competition has left him refreshed and eager to return against top opposition.