Opetaia said Billam-Smith selected a unique route when the chance for a unification fight was available.
“He thought it was going to be a neater fight. He wanted to gather a belt before he fought me,” Opetaia said to Sky Sports. “He thought it might be easier. But now look.”
Billam-Smith later fought Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez for the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles in November 2024 and lost that fight, leaving Ramirez because the unified champion within the division.
Opetaia said the situation looks different now that Billam-Smith now not holds a title.
“Don’t you think that it’s crazy how I used to be attempting to fight him for thus long when he had the belt,” Opetaia said. “Now he doesn’t have a belt, now he desires to fight.”
Opetaia said he was ready for a unification fight when each fighters were champions and would still accept the fight if it were offered again.
“We had the chance to have a unification fight. We were all the time talking about it. I used to be ready,” Opetaia said.
The Australian also rejected suggestions that he fastidiously selects opponents during his profession and said his approach has all the time been to simply accept the fights offered.
“I’ve never hand-picked a fight,” Opetaia said. “I legit just sit within the gym, train hard, they usually call up and say you’re fighting him here, and I say done.”
Opetaia’s immediate focus stays on his upcoming fight with American contender Brandon Glanton this Sunday, March eighth, as he continues his try to collect the remaining cruiserweight titles.