Cheavon Clarke, the dude who was a 5-to-1 underdog going into Saturday night, just dropped Chris Billam-Smith twice in the seventh round before scoring a massive upset stoppage victory at Zuffa Boxing 12 in London. This wasn’t some fluke. Clarke has had Billam-Smith’s number for years, and he just proved it again on the big stage.
The Rivalry: A Decade in the Making
This ain’t just some random win. Clarke and Billam-Smith, they go way back. Clarke, a former British Olympian, actually beat Billam-Smith twice in their amateur days, all the way back in 2016. He took him down in the British national championships final and then again later that year in the English Title Series. Clarke knew he could beat this guy, even if the oddsmakers didn’t believe him this time.
Billam-Smith, at 36 years old, is no slouch. He’s a former WBO cruiserweight champion, even though he lost his title in 2024. He’d actually won his last two fights, including an all-action slugfest in June that saw him score a 7th-round TKO in his Zuffa debut. He came into this fight as the clear favorite, a respected veteran. The fight itself was physical from the jump, with both guys looking to establish themselves on the inside, leading to a bunch of clinching through the first half. Billam-Smith was even working the body aggressively for a bit.
C4 Explodes: How Clarke Turned the Tide
But Clarke, who’s 35 himself, started turning the momentum in Round 5. He worked from long distance and absolutely hurt Billam-Smith with a clean right cross. That was the moment you knew things were different. Then, Round 7 hit, and it was pure dynamite. Clarke opened the round by dropping CBS with another clean right hand. Billam-Smith got back to his feet, but his legs were wobbly, and Clarke was right on him. He landed *another* right hand, sending Billam-Smith down a second time.
That was it. Referee Lee Every had seen enough, stopping the bout at 1:24 of the round with Billam-Smith pinned against the ropes. It was a TKO for Clarke, who now moves to 13-2, with 10 KOs. His nickname is “C4” for a reason, and he absolutely exploded.
Clarke’s Message to the Division
After the fight, Clarke was all class, even after such a huge upset. “It has been 10 years, but I don’t have no beef with Chris. He has been the world champion, so give him his credit. I’m not going to be someone I’m not [and disrespect him]. Shout out to Chris,” he said. That’s respect right there.
But don’t mistake that for a lack of confidence. “I don’t need to prove anyone right other than myself. I believe in me and believe in my team,” Clarke stated. “I don’t believe anybody trains as hard as me. They can try, but they don’t.” He backed those words up in a huge way. Billam-Smith, even after the loss, admitted “I’m fine, it was a good shot.”
This wasn’t just another win for Cheavon Clarke, this was a statement. He beat a former world champion, a guy who was a massive favorite, and did it with a brutal seventh-round stoppage. The cruiserweight division just got a whole lot more interesting, and Cheavon Clarke just showed the world exactly what he’s made of. You gotta believe he’s just getting started.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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