Chris Billam-Smith may set aside his pursuit of Jai Opetaia and look at other options himself. Billam-Smith has long wanted to box Australia's Opetaia, widely regarded as the best cruiserweight in the world.
Opetaia is expected to move up to heavyweight to fight former world champion Deontay Wilder on the Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua undercard, before a potential bout with the outstanding cruiserweight David Benavidez next year. "From what I gather he's going to fight Wilder and then Benavidez," Billam-Smith told Sky Sports. "I think he gets beat by Benavidez, before I get the chance to box him and beat him myself." If that happens, Billam-Smith would target Benavidez. "But that's a year away. I'm not going to wait around for a year," he said.
He cannot begrudge Opetaia fighting Wilder, Billam-Smith added, because he would do the same himself. "If Opetaia was to pull out of the Wilder fight, I could fight Wilder," the Bournemouth man said. "I can't look beyond Chev [Clarke on November 7] too much, there's that fear factor there."
Dana White, who promotes Opetaia, said the cruiserweight is "more than likely" going to be on the undercard. "The guy's willing to fight anybody," White said. "It's a very dangerous fight for him considering where he sits in his division right now."
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing