GILBERTO Ramirez is the WBA and new WBO cruiserweight champion following a draining 12-round victory over Chris Billam-Smith in Riyadh. The scores of 116-112 (twice) and 116-113 gave credit to Billam-Smith’s efforts, but Ramirez’s accuracy from the southpaw stance made all the difference.

Billam-Smith enjoyed a solid opening round, using his size and jab to push Ramirez back. The Mexican found his range for the left hand in round two and showed again that he was the physical boss in round three. Opting to turn it into a firefight, Billam-Smith’s uppercut made an appearance.

Ramirez’s edge in hand speed made life difficult for Chris, who looked to close the distance in the fourth and make it ugly. Speaking of ugly, Billam-Smith exited that session with a slice around the left eye that seeped blood.

“You’ve got to keep this guy on the back foot,” implored Shane McGuigan in the Englishman’s corner. Billam-Smith looked worryingly slow and was taking a lot of shots. Referee Harvey Dock admonished Ramirez for use of the head in round six. However, Billam-Smith’s head was most concerning, as it continued to bop and bang around from hard shots.

RIYADH SEASON PROMOTION BOULEVARD CITY, RIYADH KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA PIC CHRIS DEAN/BOXXER WBO & WBA WORLD CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE UNIFICATION CHRIS BILLAM-SMITH V GILBERTO RAMIREZ

Looking increasingly fatigued, Billam-Smith was still gutting it out by the end of the seventh round. Perhaps it was time for Shane and Co to pull him out though, as Zurdo achieved even further success off the turnarounds. Ironically, Billam-Smith landed some hard hooks around the guard in round eight. Only Ramirez’s own gas tank was feeling a little seepage. Quite how Billam-Smith had made it as far as the 10th round is anybody’s guess, but, unbelievably, he was there, still pitching away.

Success at this stage meant not getting repeatedly pinged by combinations. Surprisingly, Shane McGuigan and the corner team were still believing as the final round swung into view. The toughness and resilience remained for the Bournemouth man, who refused to let up even in the face of relentless adversity.

“We know that he was a tough fighter, a strong guy and he was the champion. It’s an honour for me to fight him and to get the belt,” said Ramirez, 47-1 (30 KOs). “I want to unify with all the champions. That is the main goal for me.”

Full of respect for his opponent, refusing to allow the cut eye to serve as an excuse, Billam-Smith, 20-2 (13 KOs), said he would take a well-earned rest and reassess his future options.

Shane McGuigan added: “He [Ramirez] was very efficient with his movement, very consistent. He just was chipping away, winning rounds with less effort. Chris was exhausted and tired. I’m so proud of the guy. We didn’t get the victory tonight, but we were in against a very good champion.”