Chris Billam-Smith On Sparring Groves & Haye, World Titles And Riakporhe

Chris Billam-Smith is looking to end 2022 with a bang. Headlining on home turf in Bournemouth again, the 32-year-old is seeking out his third victory of the year against world-ranked Armend Xhoxhaj. Having now vacated his European and Commonwealth championships, ‘The Gentleman’ is ready to focus on world titles.

The Sportsman caught up with Billam-Smith to chat about his dream 2023, renewing old rivalries and his charity work.

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What does it mean to you to be headlining at the Bournemouth International Centre again?

It's an honour for me because I've wanted a show down there for such a long time. After the last one, it was just an absolutely crazy night with an amazing atmosphere. A great fight. It brings back good memories and I'm fortunate enough to be back there. Obviously I've got Sky Sports and BOXXER to thank for that but also all my fans that came out and made such a great event of it last time.

That last fight at the venue was a thriller against Isaac Chamberlain. How was that fight for you?

It was mad. I didn't really know what to expect. I thought the atmosphere would be good, boxing back home. It was 10 times more than I ever thought it'd be. It was a really amazing experience and one that will live long in the memory for sure.

Going into that fight, Chamberlain was a fighter who you knew well and had seen a lot of. How is it different now when you’re preparing to face Armend Xhoxhaj?

I've seen a few of his fights on the internet, he looks really game. He's ranked (in the) top 15 in two of the governing bodies. He's going to be coming to shut the crowd up and to put on a good display to push himself up the world rankings. He's a come-forward fighter. He's got a good right hand. It's a dangerous fight. Even more so because people don't know much about him.

How has camp been going ahead of the fight?

It's been good. It has been a lot better than it was for the Isaac fight. I had five weeks training for that and a newborn just before. I've been in camp a lot longer this time, and had some good spars. 

I did two 12 round spars last week, they were good. I've had great sparring with Cheavon Clarke, Craig Richards, Josh Buatsi. So I've had some really good, high quality rounds. They're all really good fighters in their own right. So they've got me ready for this fight.

You vacated your European championship recently. Can you tell me about the reason for that decision?

I had a mandatory ordered against Dylan Bregeon, who I boxed last November. I beat him 120-109 on one card I think and then 119-109 on the other two cards. He got made mandatory, again for some reason. No promoters are going to pick that up. No TV broadcaster is going to pick that up when the first fight was so one-sided. 

It wasn't a huge fight the first time, it was just that (Fabio) Turchi, who was my mandatory at the time, wasn't ready for that date. So he gave up his mandatory position and Bregeon came in. It was unfortunate for me. I loved being European champion. But I'm pushing on to world level now. 

Is there any particular champion you’re targeting at this point?

Jai Opetaia has been mentioned to me, the IBF champion, I think he's looking most likely. But I think (WBC champion Ilunga) Makabu, most people in my position looking for a world title, would be looking at him towards the end of his career. 

At the end of the day, all world champions are dangerous fighters. But I think out of the champions. I think those two would be the favoured ones. They're obviously well known. So if it's Opetaia that's great because he's just beaten (Mairis) Briedis, who I sparred a few years ago. He was number one at the time. At the moment Opetaia is seen as the number one. So it's a great opportunity for me to go and take his belt.

You mentioned sparring Briedis, who has consistently been at the top of the cruiserweight scene for years now. What were those sessions like?

It was really good. It was perfect at that stage of my career. I think I’d just beaten Craig Glover for the Commonwealth title. So it was a really good experience for me at that stage. I've done rounds with Lawrence Okolie as well. 

(Briedis) was superb for me, just seeing the style of a world champion. He was in training for the (Yuniel) Dorticos fight before, the first one before it got postponed until later in the year. I was out there for two weeks. I learned a lot but also came away with a lot of confidence, knowing that the ability that I've got and that I was able to compete at that level.

Richard Riakporhe is another cruiserweight targeting world titles next year. He took a split decision over you in 2019. How do you reflect on that fight looking back at it?

I thought I won the fight, even watching it back. But with regards to my career, it's been great for me. Because everyone thought I was going to get flattened in a few rounds in that fight. Then online, a lot of people thought I won it. 

I still get people coming up to me now saying that I won that fight, but it doesn't bother me. It accelerated my career, which was the whole point of taking the fight, even in defeat. I got the opportunity to fight Craig Glover for the Commonwealth off the back of it. Then from there, it's been an upward trajectory. Here we are now on the fringe of world titles. So I'm grateful for that fight and that experience.

Is a Riakporhe rematch in your future plans?

We got offered it for this fight in December. We took it from my side, but I heard that he wouldn't fight me in Bournemouth. He was there at the last fight so maybe the atmosphere scared him a bit! 

I'm willing to take that fight whenever. I just want to be in good fights and be remembered for never avoiding people, which I think I've proven throughout my career. When boxing the first time, he'd obviously come off the back of stopping Tommy McCarthy in four rounds. I think I'd only ever done an eight-rounder at that point. I'm not scared to fight anyone. It'd be brilliant if we both won a world title and then could unify.

There’s you two plus Mikael Lawal, Jack Massey, Lawrence Okolie. Viddal Riley is on the rise as well. Why do you think Britain is producing so many top cruiserweights?

There was a lull a few years ago after David Haye moved up. There was not a huge amount of British cruiserweights. I think it happens in a lot of weight divisions, they sort of come and go in peaks and troughs. 

At the moment it’s a great time to be involved. All the names you mentioned there, you can chuck Chamberlain in there, you can chuck Tommy McCarthy in there as well. We’re lucky enough to be in an era where there are so many great domestic fights, because that's what the fans love. That's why I've had so many of them, because I love being involved and the fans get involved in them. 

Are there any fighters, either at cruiserweight or at other weights, who you have looked up to throughout your career?

When I was an amateur, I always looked up to George Groves. I became a sparring partner of his then joined the camp. We were always good friends. 

David Haye was an unbelievable cruiserweight. His power and his reflexes were superb. Watching him was always exciting. 

Then you've got the likes of Roy Jones, Andre Ward, Evander Holyfield, and other great cruiserweights as well. There's plenty of fighters I love watching. But also everyone that I've trained with, I take bits from all those as well and enjoy learning, being in a gym full of such talent.

You’ve talked about some of the world class fighters you’ve sparred with and what you’ve learned. Do you find younger fighters now come to you for advice and what’s it like playing that mentor role?

I sort of feel like the uncle of the gym, the older brother to a lot of them. They've all come up through the amateurs and they're so talented, a lot more talented than I was at their age. But there's experiences that they need to go through and they're learning from, so they're asking me questions.

I'm there to help where I can and be as honest as I can with them. I’m honoured to be in that position. Because they're all talented. I've had to work my way up to the status I'm at from not as good a pedigree as they've got. So they're in the right place, in the right hands with Shane (McGuigan) and the team.

You touched on your trainer, Shane McGuigan there. What’s he like to work with?

Shane has been monumental in my career. Me and him have gelled really well. I've just always been willing to learn and very coachable. He's a phenomenal coach. He adapts every fighter, there's not many fighters, if any, who have gone to him and haven't improved in one way, shape or form. 

I’m so very lucky to have got the opportunity originally, just off the back of sparring George Groves and David Haye. We're really good friends as well. We both recently became dads. We know what the struggles of that are. It's a really good relationship. Shane’s just so good at developing fighters and he knows what to do and when to do it.

Outside of the ring, you’ve started a Christmas charity campaign to raise money for Dorset Children’s Foundation. Can you tell us about that?

Dorset Children’s Foundation is a great charity, they work with children and families of children with different disabilities. I've been an ambassador of theirs for about three or four years now, raising money for them. 

All the families and the kids are great. A good friend of mine is now the chair of the charity, he asked me to come on board a few years ago. We're doing an auction every day, bidding for 12 different prizes. We've got a signed glove from myself, which will be from the fight. An AFC Bournemouth shirt, everyone in the stable is going to sign a glove. George Groves is going to have a gift as well. It’s an exciting time and it's an opportunity to help the charity, because they do such amazing work.

You’ve been very wise in getting your fight out of the way a week before Christmas, which means on the big day you can do whatever you want. What does Christmas look like in the Billam-Smith household?

This year we’re actually going away. My brother's partner is Estonian, so we're going to Estonia with her family and my nieces. Take my little man away as well with my Mum and Dad, my brother and his partner. I think from the 22nd to the 4th, it's an exciting time. 

I don't think many presents are involved this year, because we can't ship all that over. So that saves me a job in the lead up to the fight! But getting all my family together and spending two weeks together over Christmas will be something I’m really looking forward to.

Finally, if we do this interview again in a year, where do you think you’ll be?

World champion. Sitting here next year as world champion, having won the world title at Dean Court, would be the ultimate dream. If we can do that early on in the summer, and then who knows? Hopefully, we would have been to Vegas for a fight or something like that, depending where the belts are. That's it for me next year from a career standpoint and then maximising family time where I can.

To find out more about Chris’ charitable efforts and how you can help Dorset Children’s Foundation, click here.