The Struggle for Cruiserweight Glory: Ramirez and Billam-Smith Face Off for Unification.

Billam-Smith and Ramirez are expected to perform on Latino Night in Riyadh, and the victor will inevitably face IBF champion Jai Opetaia

Chris Billam-Smith is getting ready for a career-defining unification fight with the goal of securing a run at IBF champion Jai Opetaia in the main event of Riyadh's Latino Night / Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images.

By Miriam Onyango

On Saturday, November 16th, Chris Billam-Smith and Gilberto Ramirez square off in the man event at a cruiserweight in Riyadh on Latino Night. The winner of the 12-round bout between 34-year-old WBO champion Billam-Smith (20-1, 13 KOs) and WBA champion Ramirez (46-1, 30 KOs) is expected to face IBF champion Jai Opetaia in a three-belt unification.

Since neither Zurdo Ramirez nor Billiam-Smith are renowned for their amusing abilities, they are under a lot of pressure to entertain. Billam-Smith, 34, is a clincher who doesn't have much influence.

His recent bouts have been really dull to watch, though not nearly as dull as Zurdo's. Both are what you refer to as "Huggers," and for the typical fan, it's poison in the eyes. I detest this struggle with all of my heart. I send it to the center of Sagittarius A and wish it gone.

Only the Ramirez-Billam-Smith bout seems out of place, despite the fact that the undercard bouts are all really good. I would put it out of my mind and concentrate on advertising the other fights if I were in charge of Golden Boy.

IBF champion Jai Opetaia, who is more skilled and powerful than both of these men, is viewed as the next victim of the Ramirez vs. Billam-Smith bout. The main focus of Saturday night is essentially the selection of Opetaia's next victim, which detracts from the excitement.

Because it was a unification fight, Golden Boy placed it in the main event, but American fans haven't shown much interest in the bout because they still remember Ramirez from his crushing defeat to Dmitry Bivol in 2022.

Ramirez, 33, has rebranded himself and won his last two competitions, but his hit-and-move technique has become dull and appealing. Since he lacked the strength to stand and trade at cruiserweight like he had done at 175 and 168, Ramirez was obviously left with no other option. Oscar De La Hoya, the Golden Boy promoter, is attempting to make Ramirez a star, but it is unlikely to succeed. He is a 15-year veteran who will soon turn 34. Ramirez will never become famous if he hasn't already.

“At the top of the bill, you have two of the top cruiserweight in the world right now going at it for two belts with the likelihood of facing the #1 cruiserweight in the world. That’s Jai Opetaia that is going to be watching that fight very closely,” said commentator Chris Mannix in media reports.

“Zurdo has made a tremendous run over a short period of time, winning a world title in only his second fight in the weight class [against 36-year-old WBA cruiserweight champion Arsen Goulamirian on March 30, 2024],” added Mannix.

“Chris Billam-Smith is a career-long cruiserweight that is just now starting to make a name for himself [at 34]. These two fighters are great. It’s going to be a great clash of styles,” continued Mannix.