Former world champion Chris Billam-Smith will fight fellow British cruiserweight Cheavon Clarke in the main event of Zuffa Boxing 12 at the Copper Box Arena in London on Saturday, November 7.
The domestic cruiserweight clash headlines a Saturday night bill broadcast live on Sky Sports, with main card coverage starting at 7pm UK time after preliminary bouts stream from 5pm.
Billam-Smith enters the ring seeking a return to the top of the 200-pound division while aiming to avenge a painful defeat to Clarke in the final of the 2016 national elite amateur championships. Clarke, a former British titleholder from Gravesend in Kent, is looking to take his professional career to a new level against a former world champion.
Both fighters return to action following seventh-round stoppage victories on the same card in June, where Billam-Smith halted Ryan Rozicki and Clarke recovered from two knockdowns to stop Jack Massey.
Fight date, start time and Sky Sports broadcast details
Zuffa Boxing 12 takes place on Saturday, November 7, at the Copper Box Arena in East London. Built inside Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park for the 2012 Summer Olympics, the multi-sport arena regularly stages major domestic and international boxing cards.
Preliminary bouts begin at 5pm and will stream live on Sky's digital platforms. Live television coverage of the main bill starts at 7pm on Sky Sports, with non-contract streaming also available through the NOW platform. Tickets for the London event are available through Ticketmaster.
Recent cruiserweight form and June stoppage wins
Billam-Smith and Clarke both produced thrilling stoppage wins during their most recent appearances on the same bill in June. Those victories set up Saturday's 200-pound headline contest in the capital.
Billam-Smith came through a bruising battle with Canadian cruiserweight Ryan Rozicki on that June card. Rozicki was pulled out of the fight after the seventh round following a punishing contest with the former world champion.
On the same night, Clarke overcame heavy adversity against former European champion and previous world title challenger Jack Massey. Clarke was knocked down twice in the fourth round before rallying to stop Massey in the seventh round.
Before turning professional and winning the British cruiserweight title in just nine fights, Clarke built an extensive international amateur pedigree. Born in Montego Bay, Jamaica, and based in Gravesend, he represented Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Amateur rivalry and professional career records
Saturday's contest renews a rivalry that started in the amateur ranks more than ten years ago. Clarke handed Billam-Smith a defeat in the final of the 2016 national elite championships, leaving the Bournemouth boxer eager to settle the score in the professional ring.
Billam-Smith holds a professional record of 22 wins and two defeats, with 14 knockouts. Nicknamed "The Gentleman", he previously captured the World Boxing Organization cruiserweight world title by defeating Lawrence Okolie in May 2023.
His only two professional losses came against domestic rival Richard Riakporhe and World Boxing Association cruiserweight champion Gilberto Ramirez. Billam-Smith later avenged his defeat to Riakporhe and has also beaten Lawrence Okolie, Brandon Glanton and Ryan Rozicki.
Clarke carries a professional record of 12 wins and two losses, with nine knockouts. A former British champion and European title challenger, he enters the headline bout on the back of his comeback stoppage of Massey.
Pre-fight quotes from Billam-Smith and Clarke
Speaking ahead of the bout, Billam-Smith pointed to Clarke's hand speed, combination punching and recovery powers as major threats. Having shared sparring rounds with Clarke in addition to their 2016 amateur final, the former world champion expects a demanding night.
"He still carries his power, is fast, got power in all his shots," Billam-Smith said. "Cheavon isn't as intense as Rozicki - I'm not sure that anyone is - in terms of the way he fights. But he carries much more speed, which adds more danger."
"He puts his shots together well, so that makes him threatening for sure," Billam-Smith added. "I've sparred him as well. He's no mug. He knows what he's doing in there, he's always super-fit. He's been hurt in the past, he comes back, looks the part. Never been stopped, he might have been dropped but never been stopped. It's a hard night's work, I've got to be 100 per cent for it."
Clarke credited his opponent's championship pedigree while backing his own natural ability to prevail on Saturday night.
"The bull's always driven - but they get tamed," Clarke said. "He'll come out with his tactics and everyone has a plan until they get in the ring. On the night we'll see. He's a former world champion so you have to give credit where it's due. But regardless I know what my ability is, I've been given a gift. It's wrong for me not to fulfil that gift. So come November 7 we will see."
Zuffa Boxing 12 undercard and preliminary bouts
In the chief support bout on the undercard, London middleweight Denzel Bentley meets American contender Shane Mosley Jr, the son of former three-weight world champion Shane Mosley. Bentley is a former two-time British middleweight champion and previous world title challenger.
American heavyweight Da'Mazion Vanhouter faces Ivan Balaz after demolishing Raphael Akpejiori in the first round on the Garcia versus Benn card in September. Scottish middleweight Sam Hickey, a 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallist, boxes Amaury Massenaux.
Elsewhere on the main card, cruiserweight Lucas Roehrig takes on Scottish champion Connal McDonald over eight rounds, while Kayla Allen has her second professional fight against Julia Igel.
In the preliminary bouts streamed from 5pm, British light-heavyweight contender Zach Parker faces unbeaten puncher Umar Dzambekov. Masood Abdulah meets American contender Adan Palma, who brings a 14-1 record, and Vinnie "King of Violence" Kemp makes his professional debut.
