CHRIS Billam-Smith has welcomed a potential move around with Jake Paul, eager to discover just how dynamic the YouTube star really is.
While a rendezvous is yet to be determined, the former world cruiserweight champion, who is jetting off next week, has nonetheless promised to bring his sparring gear to New York.
The purpose of his visit, of course, is to support his stablemate, IBF and WBO world champion Ellie Scotney, in her super-bantamweight unification showdown against Yamileth Mercado.
Their contest, featuring on the undercard of Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano 3, will take place at Madison Square Garden on a stacked Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) card.
It just so happens, though, that Paul, an MVP co-founder, is likely to generate plenty of headlines during the fight week build-up.
The 28-year-old comes off a unanimous decision victory over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, who produced a largely unremarkable performance before elevating his otherwise low output down the stretch.
In any case, their cruiserweight contest last week saw Paul earn himself a controversial 14th-place ranking with the WBA, putting him in a strong position to challenge unified champion Gilberto Ramirez.
Billam-Smith, 21-2 (13 KOs), meanwhile, lost his WBO title to Ramirez last November, before returning to the win column with a points victory over Brandon Glanton in April.
Since then, ‘The Gentleman’ has emerged as the WBO’s number-one ranked contender, with his world-level credentials, unlike Paul’s, having already been consolidated.
But when considering their two drastically different trajectories, it is fair to say that Billam-Smith remains largely unimpressed with the WBA’s decision to rank Paul.
“I think the champions [Jai Opetaia and Ramirez] are chasing each other, but there’s also been talk of ‘Zurdo’ fighting Jake Paul, which I’d be pretty upset about,” the 34-year-old told Boxing News.
“I get that it’s a business, but there needs to be a level of integrity in the sport as well. You can’t beat a career middle and super-middleweight [Chavez] and then go straight into a world title fight.
“So it would be disappointing to see Jake Paul get a world title shot over me, especially when considering how hard I’ve worked to get here.”
Regardless of Paul’s questionable resume in the sport, Billam-Smith has offered to share a few rounds with the raw, but nonetheless world-ranked, 200lb novice.
“I’ll have my sparring stuff with me in New York,” he teased. “So if [Paul] wants a spar, then he can test himself against a world class fighter.
“I’d be bang up for that, and it would be interesting to see the level that he’s at.”
