CBS: Undisputed dream still alive - but Badou Jack won't fight me!

Chris Billam-Smith hasn't given up on his dream of becoming undisputed world champion, and believes defeat has only ignited a new hunger to return to the top of boxing. 

'The Gentleman' saw an 11-fight winning streak come to an end last November when he suffered a unanimous decision defeat in his WBA and WBO unification clash with the impressive Gilberto Ramirez in Riyadh.

It served as a major bump in the road towards a prospective showdown with Jai Opetaia, but has not dented Billam-Smith's hopes of fighting the Australian.

A fight with Brandon Glanton on April 26 now looms as the next hurdle in his bid to re-climb the pecking order.

• Lauren Price dominates Natasha Jonas to unify three world titles at Royal Albert Hall
• Mayer vs Ryan 2 to be broadcast live on Sky Sports
• Download the Sky Sports app
• Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW

"Brandon Glanton is ranked No 5 by the WBC, I'm ranked No 4, while No 3, No 2 and No 1 are all meant to be fighting each other," Billam-Smith told Sky Sports. "For me it's about doing a good job on April 26 and then we'll see where we go from there.

"There's Badou Jack, I'd love to fight him, I genuinely don't think he wants to fight me. The way he has spoken in interviews and at the WBC convention when it was mentioned to him.

"That's a fight I'd love, I don't see who else he fights unless he were to fight one of the other champions which looks unlikely because I think Ramirez is going to fight Yuniel Dorticos and then fight Opetaia.

"I can't see who else there is for him to fight. If he's looking for a big money fight I think I'm one of if not the most relevant name in the division outside the champions so that would naturally be the route with the other champions tied up."

Billam-Smith's remarkable ascent had seen him take out Lawrence Okolie, Mateusz Masternak and Richard Riakporhe - owner of his only other career defeat - to assert himself among the division's elite, before running into an inspired Ramirez.

A date with Opetaia had loomed, only to instead be put on hold. The 29-year-old, the face of the current cruiserweight set-up, has meanwhile extended his perfect professional record to 27-0 after victories over Mairis Briedis, Jack Massey and, most recently, David Nyika since the start of 2024.

As far as Billam-Smith is concerned, Opetaia isn't out of the picture.

"He'd probably be the third fight away from fighting him," said Billam-Smith. "I beat Brandon Glanton, get my hands on the WBC belt (currently held by Badou Jack) and then him and Ramirez fight, if he comes through that and I do what I've got to do then that would be an undisputed fight, it would be a huge fight.

"But there's a lot of ifs, buts, maybes. There is talk of him moving up or Dmitry Bivol moving up to fight him, I'm very focused on the short term at the moment and that's the next few weeks for Brandon Glanton."

"Beat Brandon Glanton and I'm a couple of fights away from undisputed. That's the goal and still the motivation."

Billam-Smith found himself second-best to a worthy champion in Ramirez, who dazzled in Riyadh amid his own pursuit of the undisputed cruiserweight crown.

While defeat for some might dampen the motivation to come again, the 34-year-old instead feels renewed.

"If something were to go wrong I don't think it would end my career," Billam-Smith added. "My mindset isn't that, I'm not looking for a way out of boxing. I feel great if anything, reinvigorated and with a fresh mindset in this camp.

"It's not just working towards my strengths all the time, I'm learning still and it's that back to school mentality.

"I feel like that's a good place to be in. Every day in the gym I'm not just turning up for sessions, it's thinking outside the box and adding more and more to my game.

"I feel a completely different person. On the back of the loss I feel a different person as well, I'm very motivated and it's given me a real hunger I guess I lacked a little bit."

Glanton had seemingly made himself known around the time of Billam-Smith's fight with Okolie in May 2023. Now he gets his chance to back up those words.

"I don't remember him but my mate did," said Billam-Smith. "I knew he was in there with Lawrence shadow boxing, but I don't remember him shouting. I got told he was kicking off with Isaac Chamberlain there as well.

"He sounds like a trash-talking American. Somebody asked me what I thought of what he said and I actually haven't heard anything from him.

"Maybe he knew I'd beat Lawrence and wanted a shot at the title. From what I hear he is a trash-talking bully mentality guy, I like that sort of thing, nobody likes a bully!"