Ten years of unfinished business lands at the Copper Box Arena on Saturday. Chris Billam-Smith, the former WBO cruiserweight world champion, headlines Zuffa Boxing 12 against Cheavon Clarke in a fight that is less a routine domestic matchup and more a long-delayed reckoning.
Clarke handed Billam-Smith two amateur defeats — including the 2016 national elite championship final that ended Billam-Smith’s tournament dream. Both men are now pros, both are coming off stoppages, and both carry enough power to make this genuinely dangerous. The professional scores are blank. The amateur ledger reads 2-0 to Clarke.
| Date | Saturday, 7 November 2026 |
| Venue | Copper Box Arena, London |
| Promotion | Zuffa Boxing |
| Division | Cruiserweight |
| Scheduled Rounds | 10 |
| Title | No title at stake |
| UK broadcast | Sky Sports — coverage from 7pm GMT |
| US broadcast | Paramount+ — approx. 2pm ET / 11am PT |
Preliminary bouts stream on Sky’s digital platforms from 5pm. Ringwalk times are estimated and subject to change.
Chris Billam-Smith (Bournemouth, England, born 2 August 1990) is 36 years old and carries a 22-2 (14 KOs) professional record. He stands 6’3” / 191cm with a 75” / 191cm reach and fights out of the orthodox stance.
Billam-Smith built his professional career the hard way — British, Commonwealth, and European titles before beating Lawrence Okolie on points in May 2023 to claim the WBO cruiserweight world championship. He defended the belt against Mateusz Masternak (TKO R8) and then against Richard Riakporhe in a rematch. He lost the title in November 2024 when unified champion Gilberto Ramírez, then WBA/WBO cruiserweight champion, outpointed him in a ferocious all-or-nothing unification bout in Riyadh.
Rather than drift, Billam-Smith came back in June 2026 and survived a brutal slugging match with the heavy-handed Canadian Ryan Rozicki, eventually stopping him in the seventh round. Fourteen of his 22 wins have ended inside the distance; he has never been stopped himself.
Cheavon Clarke (born 14 December 1990, Gravesend, England) is 35 years old with a 12-2 (9 KOs) professional record. He stands 6’0” / 182cm and fights orthodox.
Clarke came to the pros late — he turned professional in February 2022 after a decorated amateur career that included a silver medal at the 2017 European Championships, bronze at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and 2019 European Games, and a place at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
As a professional he has been relentlessly exciting if occasionally reckless. He ripped through his first 10 fights, won the British cruiserweight championship, and then ran into elite-level opposition back-to-back: a split decision loss to previously unbeaten Frenchman Leonardo Mosquea in December 2024, who took the vacant European title that night, and a unanimous decision defeat to Viddal Riley in April 2025. He returned in December 2025 with a TKO win over Anthony Hollaway, then took the biggest test of his career six months later on the same undercard as Billam-Smith’s Rozicki fight — knocked down twice in the fourth round against former world title contender Jack Massey — and then stopped Massey in the seventh.
That Massey fight told you everything about Clarke: he can be hurt, he can get up, and he can finish. Nine of his 12 wins have come by stoppage; he has never been stopped himself either.
| Chris Billam-Smith | Cheavon Clarke | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 22-2 (14 KOs) | 12-2 (9 KOs) |
| KO Rate | 64% of wins | 75% of wins |
| Age | 36 | 35 |
| Nationality | English | British |
| Height | 6’3” / 191cm | 6’0” / 182cm |
| Reach | 75” / 191cm | — |
| Stance | Orthodox | Orthodox |
| Total rounds | 171 | 93 |
Billam-Smith has nearly twice the professional mileage. Clarke’s career is shorter but his extensive amateur career narrows the overall competitive experience gap considerably.
Chris Billam-Smith — last 5 fights
| Date | Opponent | Result | Method | Rd |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2026 | Ryan Rozicki | W | TKO | 7/10 |
| Apr 2025 | Brandon Glanton | W | UD | 12 |
| Nov 2024 | Gilberto Ramírez | L | UD | 12 |
| Jun 2024 | Richard Riakporhe | W | UD | 12 |
| Dec 2023 | Mateusz Masternak | W | TKO | 8/12 |
Cheavon Clarke — last 5 fights
| Date | Opponent | Result | Method | Rd |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2026 | Jack Massey | W | TKO | 7/10 |
| Dec 2025 | Anthony Hollaway | W | TKO | 4 |
| Apr 2025 | Viddal Riley | L | UD | 12 |
| Dec 2024 | Leonardo Mosquea | L | SD | 12 |
| Aug 2024 | Efetobor Apochi | W | MD | 10 |
This is a fight between two natural finishers who both absorb damage before delivering it.
Billam-Smith’s style is defined by forward pressure, a high punch output, and an ability to grind opponents down over championship rounds. His record against quality opposition — Okolie, Riakporhe, Ramírez — shows he belongs at the elite level. The knock on him is that he gets hit: he took damage from Rozicki before landing the winning shots.
Clarke is a faster, more varied stylist with more explosive power per punch. His Tokyo Olympics pedigree and amateur polish show in his footwork and hand speed. The problem Clarke faces is durability over ten professional rounds against someone who has been through genuine championship warfare. His two professional losses both came on the scorecards against high-level opposition, and the Massey fight showed he can be dropped and still come back to win.
The three-inch height difference and extra experience round advantage belong to Billam-Smith. The speed and, arguably, the raw amateur rivalry edge belong to Clarke.
For Billam-Smith:
For Clarke:
Odds snapshot (Uncrowned/Yahoo Sports, 2 November 2026): Billam-Smith -400 (1/4 UK fractional); Clarke +280 (14/5 UK fractional). Source: Zuffa Boxing 12 full fight card, start time, ring walks, odds — Yahoo Sports.
Billam-Smith is the well-priced favourite, and the logic is sound. He has contested four world-title fights since May 2023; Clarke has not yet cleared the European championship hurdle. The experience and reach advantages are real.
But the amateur backstory is not nothing. Clarke has seen Billam-Smith up close and beaten him. If those instincts translate to the professional context — and Clarke’s finishing performances suggest his instincts are very good — this is genuinely live.
Prediction: Chris Billam-Smith by UD or late stoppage. His ring generalship over ten hard rounds should prove decisive, but Clarke makes this a fight before it’s finished.
UK: Sky Sports — main card coverage from 7pm GMT, ringwalk estimated around 10pm GMT
US: Paramount+ — approx. 2pm ET / 11am PT
Preliminary bouts stream on Sky’s digital platforms from 5pm GMT.
All times are subject to change.
Also on the main card at the Copper Box Arena:
Denzel Bentley vs Shane Mosley Jr — ten rounds at middleweight. London’s Bentley, a former WBO champion now signed with Zuffa Boxing, faces the son of Hall of Famer Shane Mosley. Mosley Jr. recently stopped Serhii Bohachuk in six rounds in Las Vegas. This fight is not contested for any world title.
Da’Mazion Vanhouter vs Ivan Balaz — eight rounds at heavyweight. Vanhouter, the unbeaten American, demolished Raphael Akpejiori in the first round on the Garcia vs Benn card in September.
Sam Hickey vs Troy Coleman — eight rounds at middleweight.
Lucas Roehrig vs Connal McDonald — eight rounds at cruiserweight.
On the Sky-streamed prelims: Zach Parker vs Umar Dzambekov at light heavyweight.
Is any world title on the line in the Billam-Smith vs Clarke fight? No. This is a 10-round cruiserweight contest with no belt at stake. Billam-Smith is working his way back into world title contention following his 2024 defeat to Gilberto Ramírez.
Where is Zuffa Boxing 12? The Copper Box Arena, London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park venue, hosts the card on Saturday 7 November 2026.
What is the amateur history between Billam-Smith and Clarke? Clarke won both amateur meetings between the pair, including the 2016 national elite championships final. It is a result Billam-Smith has cited as unfinished business.
Is Cheavon Clarke a former Olympian? Yes. Clarke represented Great Britain at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, reaching the round of 16 at heavyweight. He also won bronze at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the 2019 European Games.
Who has Billam-Smith beaten at world title level? Billam-Smith’s most notable wins at world title level include Lawrence Okolie (won the WBO belt, May 2023), Mateusz Masternak (WBO defence, December 2023), and Richard Riakporhe (WBO defence, June 2024). He lost the title to Gilberto Ramírez, then WBA/WBO cruiserweight champion, in a unification bout in November 2024.
Who is Denzel Bentley fighting? Bentley faces Shane Mosley Jr in a 10-round middleweight co-main event. The bout is not for the WBO title that Bentley held earlier this year.
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