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WBO cruiserweight champion Chris Billam-Smith says David Haye is someone he “looks up to” as the last Briton to unify world championship belts in the division. <\/b><\/p>\n
Haye claimed the WBA and WBC titles<\/a> in November 2007, and Britain’s Billam-Smith wants to emulate him when taking on WBA cruiserweight champion Gilberto Ramirez on 16 November.<\/a><\/p>\n “It’s a fight I’m really excited for and a big opportunity for me,” Billam-Smith told BBC Sport.<\/p>\n “I’m just glad it’s a unification fight. The last Brit to unify at cruiserweight was David Haye, who is someone I looked up to massively in terms of fighting style and how he dismantled his opponents.<\/p>\n “It would be an honour to be a British unified world champion.”<\/p>\n ‘The Gentleman’ puts his WBO title on the line for the third time after defences against Mateusz Masternak and Richard Riakporhe. <\/p>\n Ramirez, 33, is set for his third fight at cruiserweight following success at super-middleweight and light-heavyweight. He became the first Mexican to win a cruiserweight title when he defeated Arsen Goulamirian for the WBA belt in March.<\/p>\n The only defeat on ‘Zurdo’s’ record is at light-heavyweight, by current WBA and IBO champion Dmitry Bivol.<\/p>\n “Zurdo is a southpaw and that brings its own problems,” Billam-Smith added.<\/p>\n “I’m confident in fighting him but I’m not that experienced in fighting southpaws. He brings lots of different attributes, he’s super-tough and has a really good punch output.<\/p>\n “I’d say I have more of an advantage being settled at the weight, but he has his advantages too as he’ll be used to faster guys as he’s come up through the weights.<\/p>\n “It makes for a really intriguing fight and it’s a massive challenge for me. [Trainer] Shane [McGuigan] and I are already working on a gameplan. People saw a different side of me in my last fight but this time there will be even more surprise in what people see.”<\/p>\n Billam-Smith won his WBO title in a memorable night in his hometown at Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium when he defeated Lawrence Okolie in front of a packed crowd. <\/p>\n He recently faced Steve Bunce and the BBC Radio 5 Live Boxing podcast<\/a> to reminisce and talk through some of the stories around that night. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n