{"id":365218,"date":"2026-07-12T18:12:30","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T12:42:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/?p=365218"},"modified":"2026-07-12T18:12:30","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T12:42:30","slug":"chris-billam-smith-sets-timeline-for-next-fight-as-jai-opetaia-bout-stays-uncertain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/2026\/07\/12\/chris-billam-smith-sets-timeline-for-next-fight-as-jai-opetaia-bout-stays-uncertain\/","title":{"rendered":"Chris Billam-Smith Sets Timeline For Next Fight As Jai Opetaia Bout Stays Uncertain"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u201cThe Opetaia fight, I don’t know what\u2019s happening with him, but that was one which we\u2019re up for. I\u2019m undecided what the plan is there. I haven\u2019t heard anything,\u201d said Billiam-Smith to Sky Sports Boxing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going to attend around. I would like to be out again this 12 months. Whether that\u2019s October, November, December time, they\u2019re the dates I\u2019m taking a look at.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Billam-Smith (22-2, 14 KOs) returned to winning form in June with a seventh-round stoppage of Ryan Rozicki after an action-packed contest that saw each men exchange heavy shots from the opening bell before Rozicki\u2019s corner halted the fight.<\/p>\n

Despite the punishment dished out within the bout, Billam-Smith said his recovery has gone easily and believes the competition looked more damaging than it actually was from the skin.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt was definitely so much less brutal for me. Plenty of the shots I used to be riding,\u201d said Billiam-Smith.<\/p>\n

\u201cI even have got some decent moves and head movement and defensive work, which was definitely needed in that fight. I feel if I didn\u2019t have that, it might have been a distinct final result.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Billam-Smith even joked that the cut he suffered has already healed, crediting himself with having \u201cWolverine skin.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking back on the fight, he also praised Rozicki\u2019s durability after the Canadian survived a heavy uppercut within the third round that appeared near ending the competition.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWithin the third round I hit him with that uppercut, and he looked like he was happening and in some way stayed up and 10 seconds later was throwing punches back,\u201d said Billiam-Smith.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believed in some unspecified time in the future in the subsequent few rounds I might get to him. There\u2019s only a lot a human can take.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

An Opetaia fight stays one in every of the largest fights available within the cruiserweight division, but Billam-Smith\u2019s comments clarify he’s unwilling to delay his own profession if negotiations fail to materialize. As an alternative, the 35-year-old intends to return before the tip of the 12 months while waiting for a possibility to challenge the division\u2019s leading champion.<\/p>\n

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Olly Campbell<\/strong> is a boxing journalist who has covered the game since 2014, providing ringside reporting and technical evaluation of major bouts. His work focuses on fighter tendencies, tactical adjustments, and the main points that shape high-level competition.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

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\u201cThe Opetaia fight, I don’t know what\u2019s happening with him, but that was one which we\u2019re up for. I\u2019m undecided what the plan is there. I haven\u2019t heard anything,\u201d said Billiam-Smith to Sky Sports Boxing. \u201cI\u2019m not going to attend around. I would like to be out again this 12 months. Whether that\u2019s October, November, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":365219,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[338],"tags":[47498,9226,1183,1253,7338,18844,10715,1358,907,13661],"class_list":["post-365218","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-billamsmith","tag-bout","tag-chris","tag-fight","tag-jai","tag-opetaia","tag-remains","tag-sets","tag-timeline","tag-uncertain"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t