BOURNEMOUTH, England — On Sunday, December 10th, at Bournemouth, UK, Chris “The Gentleman” Billam-Smith will make the first defense of his WBO World Cruiserweight Championship. The Bournemouth International Centre will host a championship fight between Mateusz Masternak (47-5, 31 KOs), a former European, IBF, and WBA Intercontinental Cruiserweight Champion who is presently ranked #5 in the world by the WBO and #9 by the WBC and Chris Billam-Smith(18-1, 12 KO’s) a 33-year old boxer from England.
“Mateusz Masternak is a superb fighter, he’s proved that throughout his career. He’s got double the amount of fights that I have – he’s actually got more KO wins than I have fights – and his only losses are at the very top level. His style matches well with mine and I think it’s going to be a very exciting fight, I’m really looking forward to it,” said Billam-Smith in media reports.
Coming into the battle riding a six-fight winning streak, Masternak, 36, from Poland is making his first trip back to the UK since his European championship matchup with Tony Bellew in 2015. Three of those victories have come via knockout, with one coming via stoppage of Armend Xhoxhaj of Albania in the fourth round after they battled over five rounds last year.
This bout will mark Billam-Smith’s third appearance as the main attraction at Bournemouth’s largest indoor arena. It will be his first fight since May, when he defeated Lawrence Okolie in front of a packed Vitality Stadium.
“I think Chris Billam-Smith is a very good boxer. He showed his warrior soul in his last fight and proved that he deserves to be champion. I have a lot of respect for him in that way, but I believe more in my skills and my experience. I’ve been dreaming of the world championship since I started boxing,” said Masternak in media reports.
“My boxing journey has been like a movie, all the highs and lows. I hope in December we get the best scene. I’m looking forward to fighting in England again, the fans create a great atmosphere there,” said Masternak in media reports,” he added.
“We’re ending the year with a guaranteed Christmas cracker and I can’t wait,” said Ben Shalom BOXXER founder and CEO.
