Mexico’s Gilberto Ramirez beat Britain’s Chris Billam-Smith in Riyadh on Saturday to win the WBA and WBO cruiserweight championships. Gilberto Ramirez once again demonstrated his agility and toughness in facing his opponent, and thus the fight was called in his favor by majority decision with scores of 116-112, 116-112, and 116-113.
The triumph contributes to building up Ramirez’s impressive record. The Mexican is now 47-1, with the sole defeat occurring in a fight against former light-heavyweight unified champion Dmitry Bivol. This victory made an amazing mark on his career and added another milestone to his iconic record. Let’s dive into the story to understand the story.
Billam-Smith’s Brave Effort
The fight lasted for 12 rounds, and Billam-Smith, although bloodied and forced into a defensive role, never stopped trying. Despite getting knocked down several times, the British fighter, who was known to be a tough contender, stayed on his feet until the last round. Gilberto Ramirez never allowed Billam-Smith to dictate the pace of the fight; instead, he pumped out continuous attacks, which often did not allow the latter to breathe. This was the second professional loss for Billam-Smith in his career. The first one was back in 2019 to Londoner Riakporhe.
Though the effort he made in Riyadh was appreciated, it was quite evident that Ramirez worked in a different way. Gilberto Ramirez performed exceptionally well in his fight against the champion, thus claiming the cruiserweight division for the second time in only two bouts for this division. Ramirez has recently moved up from light heavyweight, so his success in the new division also speaks volumes about how much of a skilled and conditioned fighter he is. He laid down a high-volume output and relentless work rate that was unambiguous in its articulation of his dominance in the squared circle.
Career Path After the Fight For Both Combats
As for Gilberto Ramirez, the mission is now to continue with the process of consolidating the cruiserweight category. He plans to engage other current titleholders to make his records more profound and unshakable. While Billam-Smith stated he will take some time off to recover from the loss and may think about his future more carefully. Still, this reduces the prospect of the Bournemouth fighter as a serious contender, but recognition remains high, and new attempts will be expected from him.
The fight in Saudi Arabia was regarding the Riyadh Season, which is still on and hosts several sporting events. Both Gilberto Ramirez and Billam-Smith gave fight fans a quality show of magnificent resilience and power that contributes to the story and sport of boxing. It seems that Gilberto Ramirez believes that this win is just a preparation for a bigger success in the future and that Billam-Smith’s endurance will make him a fighter to be followed in the future.
Conclusion
For Gilberto Ramirez, the victory over Chris Billam-Smith in Riyadh was another highlight of his professional career. He has extended his record to 55-3 by outpointing the British challenger for the unified WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles. That is precisely why Gilberto Ramirez performed so well, as he transitioned from a lower weight class and proved dominant while doing so at a new weight class.
More so, the speed, energy, and accurate punches of Ramirez were a major letdown to Billam-Smith, who fought gallantly though lost the match. This success puts Ramirez on the right track in his mission of bringing further consolidation into the division and officially making him one of the best pugilists in boxing. Along with Billam-Smith’s fighting spirit this makes him a serious threat in the ring going forward.
