Speaker 1: Well, it is my great pleasure to welcome to our
podcast this week all the way from Ria at Saudi Arabia,
where he's preparing for a very significant world Championship bruiserweight
unification fight against Jiberto Zerto Ramirez. It is none other
than Chris billim Smith. Chris, thank you very much for
joining the show today. I'm pleased to talk to you
before this big fight. I have you been doing. How
was re treating you so far?
Speaker 2: Yeah? Thanks having me on the podcast, don Yeah, it's
been good. The hospitality here has been been phenomenal, to
be honest, and we're a nice accommodation and everyone's been
really really helpful.
Speaker 3: So yeah, I'm enjoying it.
Speaker 2: Trained in, trained last night, got good session in last
night and just yeah, figuring the area out obviously, but
most of the time just in the hotel.
Speaker 3: And yeah, it looked off very well. Thank you.
Speaker 1: Well, let the folks know that you and Zerdo are
scheduled to fight this big fight Saturday, Saturday Night here
in the United States, a little bit earlier in in
the UK anyway, to unify the titles taking place in
re Ed. It's the main event of Latino Night the
card the Golden Boys doing. Obviously Chris Bill and Smith
is not Latino, but Zerdo Ramirez is, as are many
of the other boxers on the show. This will be
your first fight outside of your home country of England.
I just wondered what your thoughts were about going to
Saudi Arabia for what it seems to me in terms
of significance anyway, the biggest fight of your career.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yes, it's great. It's an honor in terms of
You've seen the shows that have gone on over here
and who's headlining them and the big names that headline
in them, and now I'm I'm in that position.
Speaker 3: As a headliner fighting in the unification fight.
Speaker 2: So yes, a huge, huge fight in terms of what's
on the line.
Speaker 3: And exciting, you know, the sort of stuff that.
Speaker 2: As an amateur I would have loved to have been
involved in and used to watch and you know, really
admire the people who are in that situation. So the
fact that I'm in that situation now is a great
honor for me.
Speaker 1: Well, one thing that is very obvious is that when
you fight, you've had many fights in your hometown of Bournemouth, England,
and you have such a tremendous support from your fans
from your hometown. That it's like a fortress. You fought
in the stadiums are drawn big crowds and put on
some big performances. Why are they so passionate about you?
Like they turn out Like it's wild to watch your
fights up there and see the crowds the way they are.
Speaker 2: Yes, phenomenal in terms of boxing. It's not exactly a
hotbed my town for boxing. I think the show that
the first Me against Isaac Chamberlain fight was the first
televised TV show ever in Bournemouth, so they all turned
out for that one and then the few after it,
and obviously the stadium fight, which is phenomenal.
Speaker 3: And they're a very community town.
Speaker 2: Obviously the football club have been very good to me
and I've been I used to be a season ticket
older as a child there, so to fight there was
amazing and the fans got obviously, their fans really.
Speaker 3: Took me in. Who you know, a lot of them
are knew.
Speaker 2: Anyway, but they've really helped, you know, build my family
some massive part of that. So yeah, they turned out
and that there are a great set of fans.
Speaker 1: Well hopefully at least some of them will be able
to make the trip to see you fight in Saudi
Arabia where you will be making your third defense and
also trying. Like I said, they unified the titles. You know,
when you follow Kohli for the title, you were the underdog.
A lot of people gave your a mandatory challenger Master
Nek a really good chance to beat you. That night
in your second defense was against Richard aria ka Pore,
who had given you your first loss, your only loss
in twenty nineteen. You beat him to avenge that loss.
That's a pretty damn good run, if you ask me.
And here you are once again going into this fight
as a career long cruiseweight against a guy who's only
had now a few fights in the division, and once
again you're the underdog. And I wonder do you think
to yourself, why do people just just why did they
continue to underrate me?
Speaker 2: Maybe no, I under I understand uh in a way
why they do it.
Speaker 3: I'm not the most.
Speaker 2: Sort of slick boxer, but and a lot of people
underrate me until they get in the ring with me.
In terms of boxers as well, whether that's sparring or fighting,
and so I kind of get it, and it's it's
almost you have to sort of feel it to believe it.
It's one of those with me, I think, and you know,
I'm not a huge talker or anything like that. I
just go about my business and get the job done.
And that's kind of not boxing. Fans like a bit
of trash short they like, they like a lot of
a lot of drama, but that's just not me, so
I say, with my drama for the ring and yeah,
and it's so I kind of I kind of get it.
But and maybe they just not as as knowledgeable as
as my team and I in terms of they can't
see what I do well.
Speaker 3: But like I said, it might be hard to be
able to see it. You have to you have to
feel it. So I understand it, and it's, uh, it's
it's so good with me.
Speaker 2: I'm like, I'm an underdog again, and I'll have to
upset the odds again.
Speaker 1: I mean, some guys they got to get offended if
they're underdog continually. You seem to be totally, as you said,
pretty cool with it. Give you yourself at all. I
think this is sort of the reputation you have among
some people is that while they enjoy watching your fights
and you know, like I said, you've been on a
heck of a run, they kind of look at you
and say, you know, he's a little bit of an overachiever.
Like that, you that they didn't expect the success that
you've had, or maybe you didn't expect the success that
you have had.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's weird.
Speaker 2: When I had a conversation the other day with someone
and I said that the I always had in a
belief that I could achieve absolutely anything. And at times,
you know, you you look at you might have tained
as an amateur and lost a fight as an amateur
and thought, maybe I'm not that good, but I kind
of I never thought I wouldn't. I might have thought
I wasn't good enough but good enough then, but I
knew I could get good enough and I can always improve.
Speaker 3: And that's still how I feel now. I feel like
I'm far from the finished article.
Speaker 2: And I think that's that's maybe why people think, you know,
see me as an overachiever, because I just yeah, it's
not nothing was.
Speaker 3: It's just been a slow, slow, gradual building process.
Speaker 1: But nothing nothing given to you, Chris. I mean, you've
had to take on tough guys to get where you are.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, And I guess that's kind of why the
it's a sense I'd rather be an overachiever than someone
who is at a high level and hasn't boxed anybody,
and kind of everyone's like, well, yeah, but they've they
were this, they were that. But you feel more sense
of achievement when it's more risk. So more risks more
reward than nothing worth having comes easy. So that's kind
of the brutal to take.
Speaker 1: So what I mentioned earlier, you've been a cruiser weight
your entire professional career. He won his first world title
Gilbert or Zerto Vermeraz did at super middleweight. This is
only going to be his third fight in the cruiserweight division.
He's had nearly fifty professional fights. So are you the
bigger man in this fight? Do you have the physical
advantage against zero in this fight?
Speaker 2: Yeah? Absolutely, in terms of strength and and I think
the intensity that I fight at as well. So you
can be big and strong like Goolamerian is these big
and strong and compunch, but he won't fight at the
same speed and intensity that I do. He doesn't do that,
so it's yeah, I think that's not only.
Speaker 3: Is it the size, it's just.
Speaker 2: What I'm able to do with it, and the engine
I have that backs it up as well.
Speaker 1: So what did you think of his performance against against
Marian when he This is when he won the title
back in March, and gil Marian came into the fight
with not a lot of notoriety. A lot of people
at least here in the United States when he fought him,
didn't know him. He had been very very inactive and
uh and zerdo you know, basically beat him very handily
via the scorecard. So what was your perception of the
way he performed and is there anything you take away
from that as you go into the fight against him.
Speaker 3: No, I think it was a really good performance.
Speaker 2: I think he bopped really really well and frustrated Gilomerian.
He never sat there and let Glamiran tea off. Obviously,
he likes to get good pressure and sort of have
a high guard and walk people down, but he he
just didn't allow him to do that. He just picked
him about and landers and good shots. Took some shots
as well, but traded with him at times. Showed a
bit of everything in that fight. So that's why he's
such a great fighter. Because he's not just a one
trick ponies. He can he can really adapt and.
Speaker 3: Do a little bit of everything. He can fight long
and can fight close. So he's he's a really really
good firing.
Speaker 1: And it is a really good when Now he's a
south paw, and I just wonder a lot of guys
they get in the rain, they don't love fighting south paws.
I wonder what's your perception of fighting a left handed fighter?
Speaker 2: Now this is only my proper first left handed by us,
so tell you more on on Sunday. But now I've
inspiring obviously a lot, and I've sparred a few plenty
in the past. Yeah, there's things that that are more difficult,
but there's some things that are a lot easier as well,
in certain shots which are a lot easier, And I
don't mind it. It's just part of the part of
the process. Is it's not as black and white as
just southpawn orthodox is. Every style of orthodox is different.
You have a come forward fighter who is a power punch,
or you have someone who moves lots and lets the
hands go at long range and there's really fast or
you know, everyone has different acts. Use every style is
different and I think that's just the different with.
Speaker 3: A south poor. Yeah, they're the other way around. You
just got to adapt like you would with any other opponent.
Speaker 1: Now, before you, guys, this matchup Jai Opataia, who was
the IBF champion, the lineal champion, and the guy that
most people consider number one in the weight class at
the moment. Anyway, he was calling you out. This goes
back to July said he was going to give you
money out of his purse to help make the fight
if that was what was necessary. Obviously didn't end up happening.
You guys made the fight between yourself and Zerto. But
when you heard Opataia calling you out, what was your
interest level? What were your thoughts about that?
Speaker 3: Yeah? Yeah, I was interesting in the fight.
Speaker 2: I just I was away in California for three weeks
in August and then wasn't getting back in the gym
until sort of last week in August, so I would
have had like six weeks of full training for that
fight before going into fight weeks. So it wouldn't matter
if it's Jipataia, Zenda Ramirez, or my very or my debut.
I would always prepare diligently and meticulously for anyone. So
I said, well, I'll fight him, but I'll fight him
in November or December. That's when I'm going to be ready. Obviously,
this fight is now happening mid mid November. It could
have been him, but he wanted to fight in October,
which is fair enough. He doesn't have to wait around
for me. Anything could have happened with me, injury, et cetera.
Speaker 3: So he had his.
Speaker 2: Dating in mind, and yeah, I think they made the
dates just didn't match. And yeah, that is great because
that fight is.
Speaker 3: Getting built, you know, built up in the background.
Speaker 2: Obviously for me, all eyes are on Saturday night and
doing a good job. But because of that, there's that
that's motivation in the background for this fight.
Speaker 3: When that's the fight.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that is a big fight if it happens, whoever
is the winner on Saturday. But I wonder when you
guys made the fight between yourself and Zertle. Was it
your team that was looking to get him in the
ring and and and your side calling, you know, up
Golden boy and trying to make the match or were
they coming to get you to see if you'd be
interested to fight him?
Speaker 3: Had that?
Speaker 1: How did it all go down?
Speaker 3: I'm I'm I think it was a mixture.
Speaker 2: To be honest, I think I don't get really involved
in negotiations and stuff. It's if they'll give me a
date and an opponent and a date, and I'll say
yes and that that that's that really and they they yeah,
and obviously the deal, the deal got done, and yeah.
Speaker 3: I don't get too much involved in that.
Speaker 2: I just focus on improving myself and then that's why
I have a really good management team around me. Mcgwiggan
family have been in the game a long time and
they know it inside out. So they've done a great
job with everyone they work with. So it's I let
them do what they're good at and stick to what
I'm good at, and that's fighting.
Speaker 3: Well.
Speaker 1: I have known Barry mcgigan for probably about twenty five years, Chris,
and he's was a great fighter and I've always enjoyed him.
You mentioned about, you know, you have a tough fight
in front of you, but you mentioned about that fight
being built up maybe between yourself and Obataya. He's also
been fighting in Saudi Arabia. This fight for you and
Zerda is in Saudi Arabia, so I guess you you
would say that that that's the fight you want if
you're unified, to now go further and to unify yet
another title.
Speaker 3: If you're the victor on Saturday.
Speaker 2: Absolutely, you know he's the number one man half a Saturday.
But like I said, it's close to the fight, it
is hard to think too much. Sure, sure, it's yeah,
he's the number one man next.
Speaker 1: And so what would unifying titles mean to you? Because
just winning a world title is big for any boxer
number one, but getting the chance to do it against
another champion and get another title in your collection on
a big stage like this, and presumably for the best
money you've ever made in your career, what would all
that mean to you to unify?
Speaker 2: Yeah, be and I you know, it was just the
other day that seventeen years ago, just the other day.
Speaker 3: David a unified or beat j Mormeck.
Speaker 2: For the Unified championship, because he was unified champion when
he beat him, and that you know, he's the last
Brick to do so. So to be involved in the
history with David Hay and everyone as someone who I
grew up loving watching the fight he was. His style
was just amazing to watch. I've got to share the
ring with him later on in his career in sparring
and stuff as well, So yeah, to be to be
in the history books of him would be a great honor.
Speaker 1: Well, I could say, I wish you the best of
luck on Saturday. I'm looking forward to watching the fight
and hopefully we can have another chat afterwards and we'll
be talking about some other big fights pretty down the road. Chris,
thank you someone I appreciate it.
Speaker 3: Thank you Dan. Cheers your time, you bet