WHENEVER a loudmouth American flies across the pond, giving it the big I am, it is always difficult to know just how genuine their self-belief really is.
In some cases, it appears to be little more than delusion, almost as if, to compensate for a lack of confidence, they feel that screaming from the rooftops about their supposed talent will give them the upper hand.
And yet, none of that appears to be true for Brandon Glanton, who takes on former world cruiserweight champion Chris Billam-Smith this Saturday.
Instead of lying to himself, as a plethora of unproven challengers have done over the years, the American has amassed a solid, yet unremarkable, resume ahead of what promises to be a mini barnburner at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London.
His only two professional defeats, after all, arrived under highly contentious circumstances, with Glanton, 20-2 (17 KOs), even flooring David Light before losing a split decision in 2022.
Since then, ‘Bulletproof’ has packed his bags, carrying little more than a fistful of mean intentions, and hit the road, with his last outing – an 11th-round stoppage victory over Aleksei Egorov in Russia – putting his destructive power firmly on display.
While not quite possessing the same dynamite in both fists, Billam-Smith, 20-2 (13 KOs), has nonetheless crafted a more refined repertoire of attacks that should, following several spells of genuine adversity, see him emerge victorious.
‘The Gentleman’ is no stranger to facing a bona fide puncher, either, as with victories over Lawrence Okolie and Richard Riakporhe shining brightly on his CV, it is fair to say that he boasts a short but strong track record.
Against unified world cruiserweight champion Gilberto Ramirez last November, however, Billam-Smith ultimately suffered a punishing unanimous decision defeat.
As a result, questions surrounding his ambition to become a two-time titlist have indeed been raised, with the 34-year-old’s style, despite remaining effective for the most part, lending itself to gruelling battles rather than methodical chess matches.
At the same time, though, his technical ability – often underrated – is sizably superior to that of Glanton’s.
So while, for at least a couple of rounds, their encounter should deliver an all-action spectacle, the greater shot selection and ring IQ of Billam-Smith is likely to prevail down the stretch, with Glanton quite possibly even leaving himself open to a late stoppage.
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