Gilberto Ramirez vs Chris Billam-Smith Predictions: ‘The Gentleman’ can shock the world

Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez and Chris Billam-Smith square off this Saturday, November 16, for the WBA and WBO cruiserweight championship. The fight headlines ‘Latino Night’ at the definitively-titled The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. DAZN carry the card live on their platform.

Here are my Ramirez vs Billam-Smith predictions ahead of this cruiserweight unification.

A casual look over the boxing media this week would lead you to believe that Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul is the main course, paired with an under-represented side-plate of Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano. But for the discerning diner, Ramirez vs Billam-Smith is a bite to truly savour.

Riyadh Season supremo Turki Alalshikh is not used to playing second-fiddle. His strident financial dominance of the sport was extended this week when he purchased iconic boxing bible The Ring. But another of boxing’s historic institutions has dominated the headlines this week. Despite the greater quality and real-world significance of the Saudi card, the return of ‘Iron’ Mike has claimed most of the headlines.

But make no mistake, ‘Zurdo’ vs ‘The Gentleman’ is by far the best men’s fight of the weekend. Two worthy and genuine cruiserweight champions seek to consolidate their titles on the big stage. Ramirez is the first Mexican fighter ever to reign at the weight. Billam-Smith is a perennial underdog who has confounded expectations at every turn. This is a truly fascinating match-up between two fighters who deserve your attention.

Ramirez is campaigning up at cruiserweight having enjoyed brilliant success at super middleweight. ‘Zurdo’ reigned as WBO 168lb king, beating Arthur Abraham in 2016 and racking up five defences. A move up to light heavyweight followed, with an impressive run featuring a standout fourth-round knockout of Sullivan Barrera. 

Ramirez earned  a title shot against Dmitry Bivol but, like all men who have faced the dominant Russian, he came up short. Bivol retained the WBA title with a unanimous decision victory.

Undeterred, ‘Zurdo’ jumped up to cruiserweight and has never looked back. A win over former light heavyweight kingpin Joe Smith Jr. made for a fine debut. In his second bout at the weight, Ramirez outpointed longtime WBA cruiserweight boss Arsen Goulamirian to claim the strap. 

Now he puts that newly-won belt on the line against his WBO counterpart. Billam-Smith was never expected to reach this stage. A controversial 2019 points loss to Richard Riakphorhe threatened to put a cap on his potential, but ‘The Gentleman’ roared back in a big way.

Eight consecutive wins after that disappointment saw Billam-Smith land the British, Commonwealth and European titles. His electric form earned the Bournemouth stylist a shot at Lawrence Okolie’s WBO belt in a feisty all-English world title affair. 

Despite entering as the underdog, Billam-Smith’s dominance fully justified his world title ascension. The challenger had Okolie on the mat three times over the course of a rousing performance. An eighth-round stoppage of Mateusz Masternak followed in his first defence, before Billam-Smith got the chance to exorcise his final demon. ‘The Gentleman’ was anything but gentle as he outscored Riakporhe in their rematch in June, going to his opponent’s Selhurst Park backyard to get the job done. Once again, with the odds stacked against him, Billam-Smith prevailed. 

Once again, ‘CBS’ gets an underdog assignment. This might be his toughest yet, with ‘Zurdo’ battle-tested across years and weights. But if anyone can do it, it’s the man from Bournemouth.

Gilberto Ramirez vs Chris Billam-Smith Fight Odds

Ramirez is a 4/9 favourite in this one while ‘The Gentleman’ is priced at 2/1. The draw is available at 16/1.

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Gilberto Ramirez vs Chris Billam-Smith Prediction

‘Zurdo’ is yet to score a knockout at cruiserweight. Having started his professional career down at middleweight, his power perhaps peaked at light heavyweight. Ramirez knocked out every opponent he faced at 175lb except Bivol.

Billam-Smith is no stranger to a war. He also has an excellent engine. ‘Zurdo’ is more polished but the Brit is relentless. It is this durability, confidence and spirit than I can see winning the day. Without the power to end the night early, I can see Ramirez ending up narrowly outworked by Billam-Smith.

I’m going for the upset, picking a Billam-Smith victory at 2/1.

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