Billam-Smith has been chasing Jai Opetaia for a while now, and by the sound of it, 2027 is when that fight finally gets made. Whether both men get there is the question.

The Bournemouth man is clear-eyed about what needs to happen. He fights again before the end of the year — most likely November, in London or Bournemouth — gets through that, and then sets his sights on whoever comes out of Opetaia's fight with Noel Mikaelian on September 12 in Las Vegas. Given that bout sits on the undercard of Conor Benn versus Ryan Garcia, it'll get some eyeballs. Billam-Smith's money is firmly on Opetaia. "Mikaelian on his day is a good fighter but I pick Jai to beat him," he told Sky Sports, adding that Mikaelian has "slowed down a little bit and gone a little bit past it now."

That's not disrespect, that's just how CBS talks. Straight.

Still Improving at 36

What makes this more than just promotional noise is what Billam-Smith showed in June against Ryan Rozicki. That wasn't a man coasting on reputation — it was a 36-year-old former world champion going to war and coming out the other side still standing and still credible at the top level of the cruiserweight division.

He knows it, too. "I think if I'd taken my foot off the gas and was just sort of coasting I would definitely have been beat that night," he said. "I'm on it. And I'm still getting better." That's the kind of self-awareness that separates fighters who age well from those who don't. He lost his WBO belt to Gilberto Ramirez in 2024. He beat Brandon Glanton last year. The Rozicki performance was the statement that put him back in contention conversations.

The next fight is still unknown in terms of opponent — the champions are tied up elsewhere, with David Benavidez apparently targeting December in Vegas — and Zuffa keeps signing people, so who emerges as the option is genuinely open. On that front, [Britain's Kayla Allen has already signed with Zuffa](/getohedz/boxing/britains-allen-becomes-first-female-fighter-to-sign-with-zuffa), which shows the promotional outfit is actively expanding its British roster. Don't rule out someone unexpected landing on Billam-Smith's radar.

The Clarke Subplot

There's an interesting side thread here too. Cheavon Clarke knocked out Jack Massey on the Rozicki undercard, and Billam-Smith was watching with more than a passing interest. Both Clarke and Massey beat him in ABA finals as amateurs. He acknowledged Clarke's performance — "superb fight which I think was definitely going to win fight of the night — until our fight" — but made it plain he wants those amateur losses corrected in the professional arena. Two ABA final defeats to the same circuit of fighters is a bit of unfinished business that clearly still sits with him.

Our Take

The cruiserweight division is in an interesting place and Opetaia versus Billam-Smith would be the standout fight in it. If CBS performs in November and Opetaia beats Mikaelian, this should absolutely happen in 2027. We want to see it. The division needs it. And on the basis of Rozicki, Billam-Smith is still capable of making it a proper contest — not just a credible challenger getting a payday, but a genuine fifty-fifty. Get it made.