Boxing
Billam-Smith is counting on the cruiserweight titles with Wilder
Published
3 months agoon
His focus remains on the cruiserweight titles that are familiar to him, even if not every significant fight is at 200 pounds.
One name that keeps coming up is Deontay Wilder.
Billam-Smith doesn’t present this as a change of department or a career turning point. He talks about it as a specific fight. He openly said that heavyweight as a category did not suit him and this view has not changed. Wilder, potentially at a bridge weight, is treated as the exception rather than the rule.
“I don’t think my style suits the heavyweight division,” Billam-Smith said on the show Toe2Toe Podcast. “But I would love this fight.”
He pointed to his past with punches and fighters who rely heavily on one gigantic shot. In his opinion, these fights often used his strengths instead of highlighting his weaknesses.
“When I punched with my gigantic right hand, I did well,” he said. “Stylistically, it would be good for me.”
He also made it clear that this thinking does not extend to the division as a whole. Billam-Smith only mentioned two scenarios that would take him out of the cruiserweight division.
The first is Lawrence Okolie. Billam-Smith remains the only man to have beaten him as a professional. If Okolie were to win the heavyweight title, this result would take on modern meaning and the rematch would have an obvious narrative.
The second one is Wilder. A known risk, a known name and a fight that continues to attract attention despite Wilder’s recent setbacks.
For now, Billam-Smith is focusing on the cruiserweight division, where Noel Mikaelian holds the WBC title. This is the lane he will now be aiming for and it will be a direct step back to the title picture.
However, the division may not remain plain for long.
David Benavidez is expected to move up from featherlight heavyweight and challenge Ramirez for the WBA and WBO titles. If this fight does happen, it will immediately reshape the top of the weight class and Billam-Smith will be watching it closely.
“We want him to beat Zurdo and we want to fight him,” Billam-Smith said. “This is my view. This is the team’s view.”
The rationale is practical. If Benavidez defeats Ramirez, he will become the champion, as well as the man who defeated the fighter who won Billam-Smith’s title. This connection still has significance in boxing, even if it has not been revealed.
Billam-Smith believes the fight is close.
“I think Zurdo is the favorite,” he said. “But he’s close. Very close. Benavidez has the style to beat him. Zurdo is very intelligent.”
He didn’t change clothes.
“What a name,” he said. “What a fight.”
The gigantic names are still critical to him, as are the stages that come with them. Las Vegas remains part of the ambition rather than a box already checked.
“If I can go to Vegas, it will be even better,” he said. “That dream still exists.”
First and foremost is Jai Opetaia, the IBF champion, and Billam-Smith has already figured out how he wants to achieve that.
First, Mikaelian. Then Benavidez. Then Opetaia. Three fights in succession, each leading to the next.
This path will give him titles, influence and control. This would put him in a fight with Opetaia where he could negotiate rather than just hope.
“In an ideal world, this would be the way to go,” he said.
He didn’t pretend that boxing usually allows for perfect routes. He knows plans change quickly. But the direction is clear. He chooses shots, knowing that the window doesn’t stay open forever.
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Boxing
Victor Ortiz was knocked out by Floyd Mayweather, but names an opponent who was ‘much better’
Published
1 hour agoon
April 25, 2026
Floyd Mayweather’s last knockout victory over a legal opponent came in 2011 against Victor Ortiz, but despite the stoppage loss, the fighter known as “Vicious” claims he once fought a much better opponent.
It was a highly controversial moment when Mayweather knocked out Ortiz for the WBC welterweight title more than a decade ago, and the fourth round of their fight turned out to be full of drama.
Ortiz threw combinations on the ropes against Mayweather, but then got reckless and led with his head, prompting the referee to deduct a point.
With Ortiz paying no attention to the resumption of the fight, Mayweather fired a tough shot that knocked down and then knocked out his opponent, proving the elderly adage to always protect yourself.
Mayweather is undoubtedly the biggest name Ortiz has ever adopted, but while the boxing legend can be considered one of the best of all time, Ortiz told TalkSport that Andre Berto was better.
“He (Mayweather) is not the best opponent I’ve faced. Without a doubt, not. The best opponent I’ve faced was Andre Berto; he was much better. Andre Berto is a top-shelf pound-for-pound king. He knocked me down, I knocked him down, he got up, he knocked me down again.”
“This man showed everything: quality, heart, skill. Whatever, he’s got it. Someone like Floyd has what? Counter, running? That same year, I bought him some sprint shots at a press conference. My brother also bought him a box of tampons.
“But Andre Berto is special. I have the utmost respect for him. He has power in both hands; he is the total package. Someone with Floyd can’t compete with that.”
Ortiz defeated Berto to win the WBC welterweight title in a fight before facing Mayweather, which would be the first defeat of Berto’s professional career.
Berto’s final record was 32 wins and 6 losses, and during their meeting in September 2015, he suffered a one-sided defeat to Mayweather himself.
Mayweather competed just once again after the Berto fight, when he knocked out MMA fighter Conor McGregor in August 2017, although he is scheduled to return to fight former opponent Manny Pacquiao in September provided that the current problems can be solved.
Many fans on social media suspect that Miller is once again chasing Joshua just to secure a huge payday, which he threw away when failed drug tests canceled their 2019 fight.
Joshua wants a tune-up before he finally meets Tyson Fury. The plan is to shake off the rust and keep his record pristine before this huge event happens. This gap in the schedule gives other heavyweights a chance to make their voices heard, and Miller takes advantage of the moment.
Miller is still a controversial name, but he knows how to cause offense. Beating Pero would aid him prove that he still belongs in this conversation.
“Your whooping cough will come sooner or later. You can run, but you can’t hide,” Jarrell Miller said on Matchroom.
From a business perspective, Joshua’s team is focused on the Tyson Fury event. Facing an aggressive, volume hitter like Miller in a comeback fight would be risky. If Joshua wins, critics may view it as defeating a challenger who has spent years outside the elite mix. If he loses, Fury’s payout and his position will take damage.
Miller has built much of his reputation on noise and confrontation, but he’s still trying to fight his way into the majors. A victory over Pero won’t put him in a fight with Joshua right away, but it will keep him in the wider discussion.
Joshua’s team may still choose the safer and more controlled option of a return, especially if negotiations with Fury progress behind the scenes. Risking that payday against a hazardous or inconvenient opponent wouldn’t make much sense.
Still, Miller continues to cling to the story whenever Joshua’s name resurfaces in the headlines. Heavyweight boxing has a long memory, and some unfinished fights remain useful long after the first fall.
Olly Campbell is a boxing journalist covering this sport since 2014, providing reports from the ring and technical analyzes of the most vital fights. His work focuses on fighter tendencies, tactical adjustments and the details that shape high-level competition.
Boxing
Terence Crawford names one fight he would like to see against Gervonta Davis this year
Published
5 hours agoon
April 25, 2026
Terence Crawford has named an opponent he would “love to face” with Gervonta Davis in his expected return to the sport.
The former world champion hasn’t fought since March 2025, when many felt he was lucky to draw with Lamont Roach.
Nevertheless, “Tank” retained the WBA lightweight title and was scheduled to face Roach in an immediate rematch before negotiating an exhibition match with Jake Paul.
But instead of spending time with the YouTuber-turned-boxer, Davis was forced to deal with domestic violence allegations from his former partner, Courtney Rossel.
Since then The 31-year-old was recognized by the WBA as a “breaktime champion”.urged by No. 1 contender Floyd Schofield to book their fight or give him a free shot at the title.
Davis, however, has expressed greater interest in a rematch with Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz at 140 pounds, even though he passed the Mexican in 2021.
Meanwhile, Crawford has no desire to watch “Tank” fight Schofield or Cruz, but he would happily sit back and watch him clash with Shakur Stevenson.
I’m talking to Danielle Pirello“Bud” called the WBO super lightweight world champion the perfect opponent for Davis, believing their potential meeting would be one of the best fights that could be had.
“I’d like to see Shakur vs. ‘Tank’ Davis.”
Stevenson had previously called on Davis to sign a contract several times, perhaps making him increasingly doubtful whether the Baltimore player would ever sign.
Therefore, it is unrealistic to expect an immediate fight between “Tank” and Stevenson, especially after the latter’s dominant performance against Teofimo Lopez in January.
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Victor Ortiz was knocked out by Floyd Mayweather, but names an opponent who was ‘much better’
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