Chris Billam-Smith targets WBC world cruiserweight championship fight against Badou Jack

Chris Billam-Smith will target Badou Jack and the WBC cruiserweight title in his bid to become a world champion once again.

In November, Gilberto Ramirez soundly outpointed Britain’s Billam-Smith, winning a lop-sided decision to unify the WBO and WBA titles.

But the former champion has recovered from that punishing defeat and is gunning for the WBC belt, which is now held by Badou Jack after he was reinstated as champion.

“I’m back training and I’m feeling good. Feeling really invigorated and motivated,” Billam-Smith told Sky Sports.

“I’d love the Badou Jack fight. I think he’s tied up with [Ryan] Rozicki [the mandatory challenger]. I’d love that fight.”

Billam-Smith is ranked at No 4 by the WBC and will be in the frame for an eventual title shot of his own.

He has faith that he can come back an improved fighter. “He was superb,” Billam-Smith said of Ramirez.

“He’s a very special fighter. It was a really good experience for me to share the ring with him, learn and build from it. All I can do is go away and become better.”

Although he added: “It was a hard loss to take because I was just beaten by the better man.”

Massey calls for ‘CBS’ fight

Another British cruiserweight coming back from a hard loss at world level is Jack Massey. Brilliant IBF champion Jai Opetaia stopped Massey on his feet in October.

“The positives to take from the fight. At least I can say I’ve got a good chin on me!” Massey laughed.

“There’s no shame in losing against an elite fighter like that. I’ll be back and I’ll be back at that level also.

“He’s just steamrollering through everyone isn’t he? He’s an elite fighter, he’s shown that.

“I’m looking forward to him fighting Ramirez. They’re talking about that next. I don’t think he’ll have any trouble. I think he’ll probably get him out of there in under eight rounds, personally. But good fight while it lasts.”

The Mancunian would like a high-profile fight with Billam-Smith. “We’re looking to get back out March, April time. Get a win under our belt, then we can push for something big,” Massey told Sky Sports.

“See what Chris Billam-Smith is saying. That would make a great fight.”

Massey actually beat Billam-Smith more than a decade ago, when they were amateur boxers, in the ABA national final.

“We’ve both come on leaps and bounds since then but, definitely, it’s a great fight for me and it’s a fight I’m very, very confident of going in there and beating Chris Billam-Smith,” Massey said.

“We’ve both lost at that level and we both want to get up to that level. It makes sense, whoever wins fights for a world title.

“It definitely makes sense and what a great fight it would be. We’ve both got good chins. We both like going at each other. It’s going make a great fight.”

It is not, however, a fight that Billam-Smith is currently looking at.

“To me it doesn’t really make sense. Jack’s best win is Isaac Chamberlain. He boxed for a world title [but] it feels like a massive step back and I want to fight the big fights, fights I can really get up for,” Billam-Smith said.

“I would give everything anyway but the feeling wouldn’t be the same. What am I going to get by beating Jack? And that’s sometimes how I’ve got to look at it. I don’t think I’m going to get any sort of credit for beating Jack Massey.

“I want to fight at world title level. That’s what I want to do.”