Bournemouth's Chris Billam-Smith preparing for title fight
It's his first fight since winning the WBO Cruiserweight title in May
Chris Billam-Smith will defend his WBO Cruiserweight title for the first time against Mateusz Masternak at the Bournemouth International Centre this evening.
Billam-Smith, otherwise known as ‘The Gentleman’, won the title by defeating Lawrence Okolie at the Vitality in May, by majority decision.
Few gave ‘The Gentleman’ a chance against Okolie but he soon proved the doubters wrong, knocking the former champion down three times before claiming his 18th career win from just 19 fights.
His only loss came back in 2019 against Richard Riakporhe by split decision but since then he's been dominant, going a perfect 9-0.
But tonight’s challenger boasts an impressive resume with 47 wins, 31 by knockout, and only 5 losses.
Described by pundits as “a guy you want to avoid fighting,” Mateusz Masternak has only ever been stopped once and took Tony ‘The Bomber’ Bellew the distance in 2015.
Masternak stands at 6ft1ins and has sparred with the likes of Dillian Whyte and other boxers in the weight division above because “he’s strong, tough and determined,” Johnny Nelson told Sky.
But Billam-Smith will have the height advantage, less wear and tear and the support of his home crowd.