Deontay Wilder: Chris Billam-Smith would move up in weight to target the former world champion
Former WBO world champion Chris Billam-Smith reveals the fights that would tempt him to move up in weight and explains why he'd welcome a clash with huge-punching Deontay Wilder in the new bridgerweight division; He outlines a three-fight plan that he hopes would lead to Jai Opetaia
Friday 23 January 2026 17:57, UK
Chris Billam-Smith has plans for cruiserweight title fights, but would move up a division for a clash with huge-punching veteran Deontay Wilder.
Billam-Smith was the WBO world champion at 200lbs but lost his title in a unification clash with Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez in 2024.
The Bournemouth fighter came back with a strong win over Brandon Glanton last year and, while he has goals at cruiserweight, he acknowledges he could be tempted to move up out of the division.
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"I don't think my style suits heavyweight," Billam-Smith told the Toe2Toe podcast.
"The only fights I'd move up in weight for, that kind of make sense to me is, one, if Lawrence [Okolie] got his hands on a world title. I'd be the only man who's beaten him and he's heavyweight world champion. And Deontay Wilder at bridgerweight.
"I'd love that fight," Billam-Smith explained. "That would be an interesting one. You look at when I've boxed punchers with a big right hand, I've done alright.
"I definitely think stylistically that would be really good for me."
His immediate target though is a WBC cruiserweight title challenge against Noel Mikaelian, who secured that belt when he beat Badou Jack in December.
Light-heavyweight world champion David Benavidez moving up to cruiser and straight into a bout with unified WBA and WBO world champion "Zurdo" Ramirez could complicate Billam-Smith's plans.
But he will be a keen observer of that all-Mexican clash.
"We want him to beat 'Zurdo' and we want to fight him. That's my view. That's the team's view," Billam-Smith said.
"He's a big name, a huge name. He'd have beaten the guy who's beaten me, if that was the case."
He added: "I make Zurdo the favourite in the fight, but I'm talking 51-49. I do think he's got the style to beat Zurdo but Zurdo's very, very clever. But what a name, what a fight stylistically.
"You're in the sport for the biggest names and he's a huge name.
"If I can go to Vegas, even better, because there's still that dream."
Billam-Smith would like to put himself on a path that ultimately leads to a showdown with Jai Opetaia, the IBF belt-holder who's widely acknowledged as the best cruiserweight on the planet.
"All the hype around Jai and understanding how the business works I think an ideal route would be probably Benavidez beating Zurdo, me fighting Mikaelian and my next three fights being Mikaelian, Benavidez, Opetaia. Because then that builds it into a massive fight. Also then I go into that fight as the A-side," the Bournemouth man said.
"In an ideal world I think that would be the route. But that doesn't always happen in boxing."
