Saudi kingpin Turki Al-Alshikh has taken over the world of boxing over the last twelve months, announcing a plethora of blockbuster bills and seemingly making the impossible possible with a number of high-profile main-events that may not have taken place without his intervention. Now, there is another world title unification on the horizon, and it will take place as soon as November.
At present, Al-Alshikh has staged or scheduled major events in August, September, October and December but the newfound catalyst of the sport appears poised to fill that November gap with an announcement imminent.
Bournemouth-born Chris Billam-Smith (20-1) holds the WBO world title after pulling off the upset win against Lawrence Okolie last year, but ‘The Gentleman’ has proven himself to be a worthy champion since, defeating both Mateusz Masternak and Richard Riakporhe in impressive displays.
Meanwhile, former WBO super-middleweight champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez (46-1) failed in his attempt to become a two-division world champion when he was outpointed by light-heavyweight sensation Dmitry Bivol in 2022. However, the Mexican finally achieved his goal when moving up once again, dominating Arsen Goulamirian earlier this calendar in a successful bid for the WBA cruiserweight title.
According to ESPN’s Salvador Rodriguez, the cruiserweight superstars will collide with one another in Riyadh in just over two months’ time, topping a card that features an additional two previous world champions in Jose Ramirez and George Kambosos Jr.
Trabajan GBP y Riyadh Season tremenda cartelera para noviembre en Arabia Saudita:
Zurdo Ramírez vs Chris Billam Smith
Jose Ramírez vs Arnold Barboza
William Zepeda vs George Kambosos
Óscar Duarte vs Anthony Sims Jr
Bektemir Melikuziev vs Lester Martínez— Salvador Rodriguez (@ChavaESPN) August 29, 2024
“Golden Boy Promotions and Riyadh Season work tremendous billboard for November in Saudi Arabia:
Zurdo Ramírez vs Chris Billam-Smith
Jose Ramirez vs Arnold Barboza
William Zepeda vs George Kambosos
Oscar Duarte vs Kenneth Sims Jr
Bektemir Melikuziev vs Lester Martínez”
News of William Zepeda’s (31-0) showdown with George Kambosos Jr. (21-3) is sure to cause controversy, after the Mexican claimed he needed more time to prepare for a world title shot against Shakur Stevenson just a few weeks ago, delaying their meeting until March, providing Stevenson gets past Joe Cordina on October 12th.
As for Kambosos, this opportunity could represent the Australian’s last chance at proving he is still a world level competitor, having lost on three of his last four outings and the exemption being an eyebrow-raising majority-decision against Maxi Hughes.
Elsewhere, a victory for former unified champion Jose Carlos Ramirez (29-1) will put him in the driving seat for a challenge for Teofimo Lopez’s WBO super-lightweight title and a return to the top table at 140lbs. On the flip side, Arnold Barboza’s (30-0) questionable win over Sean McComb will give him motivation to prove his doubters wrong, whilst simultaneously giving Ramirez the confidence that his opponent is not on his level.
In terms of what the main-event means for the cruiserweight landscape, Zurdo-Billam-Smith does explain why both men have seemingly refused to face the perceived poster boy of the 200lb division in Jai Opetaia, who holds the IBF crown.
Whereas Armenia’s Norair Mikaeljan (27-2) is in possession of the WBC strap and he will attempt to make a first defence of the belt when he fights Ryan Rozicki (20-1) on September.
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