The promotion heads on the road to Bournemouth, England on Saturday for its first event outside of Las Vegas
One of the biggest prizes in Zuffa Boxing currently is a chance to face Ring Magazine and Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia. On Saturday, Chris Billam-Smith and Ryan Rozicki look to make a case they deserve that opportunity when they meet in the main event of Zuffa Boxing 07 in Bournemouth, England.
After Opetaia dominated Brandon Glanton in their Zuffa Boxing 04 clash, Opetaia became the first fighter to be awarded a Zuffa Boxing championship. It seemed as though a fight with WBC champion Noel Mikaelian would be next for the Ring champ after the two had come face-to-face. But the WBC intervened and declared that Mikaelian must face mandatory challenger David Benavidez or be stripped of his title, the same fate that befell Opetaia for fighting for the Zuffa title when he was stripped of his IBF title.
With Mikaelian seemingly off the table, Billam-Smith and Rozicki could be battling for a shot at the world’s best cruiserweight.
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Billam-Smith (21-2, 13 KO) is a former world champion, having won the WBO cruiserweight title with a win over Lawrence Okolie in 2023. He successfully defended the title against Mateusz Masternak and Richard Riakporhe before dropping it in a unification bout with Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez in November 2024.
Billam-Smith has since bounced back with a decision win over Glanton, the same man Opetaia defeated in his Zuffa debut.
Billam-Smith has called a fight with Opetaia “inevitable” and told Sky Sports, “I think if you go name for name, I’ve got a better resume than him. I don’t think you can argue with that.”
Rozicki (21-1-1, 20 KO) brings significant power to the ring, but has never reached the career heights experienced by Billam-Smith.
Rozicki’s lone loss came to Oscar Rivas in Rozicki’s only world title opportunity, a fight to become inaugural WBC bridgerweight champion.
The only other blemish on Rozicki’s record is a December 2024 draw against Yamil Peralta that came just two fights ago. He has since rebounded with a knockout win, Rozicki’s 20th in 21 career victories.
Rozicki also knows that Opetaia could be in his future, but knows the dangers of looking ahead, which he claims happened in the draw against Peralta.
“I was so focused on the next guy, it cost me that night,” Rozicki told The Ring. “So, for me, personally, I don’t look past Chris right now. I know they’re talking about Jai and, of course, anything can happen after this fight. The winner’s probably gonna be in line to fight him. I would love to, but right now I’m focused on Chris.”
The undercard features more prospects on the rise. Jack Massey looks to advance his career at 200 pounds when he takes on Cheavon Clarke in the co-feature. Lee Cutler looks to bounce back from a loss to Sam Eggington when he takes on Aaron Sutton at middleweight. And Stephen McKenna battles with Casey Streeter at middleweight as well.
Let’s take a closer look at the rest of the fight card with the latest odds from DraftKings before getting to a prediction and expert pick on the main event below.
Zuffa Boxing 07 fight card, odds
- Chris Billam-Smith -330 vs. Ryan Rozicki +250, cruiserweights
- Jack Massey -135 vs. Cheavon Clarke +110, cruiserweights
- Lee Cutler -600 vs. Aaron Sutton +400, middleweights
- Stephen McKenna -1200 vs. Casey Streeter +650, middleweights
- Sam Hickey -2500 vs. Todd Tompkins +950, middleweights
- Ivan Dychko -1000 vs. Harvey Dykes +600, heavyweights
- Leon Hughes -1600 vs. Mario Vergiev +800, light heavyweights
- Alex Macmillan -1600 vs. Tyler Rivers +800, welterweights
Where to watch Zuffa Boxing 07
Date: June 6 | Location: Bournemouth International Centre — Bournemouth, England
Prelims begin at noon ET
Main card begins at 2 p.m. ET
Watch live: Paramount+ (subscribe now for as little as $8.99 per month)
Prediction
On a pure boxing level, Billam-Smith is the better fighter. However, power is one of boxing’s great equalizers, and Rozicki has certainly shown that he carries plenty of it in his fists.
Still, we have history to draw on for both men, and Billam-Smith has a far better resume. The bulk of Rozicki’s wins have come against lower-level competition, far lower than the level at which Billam-Smith operates. If Rozicki catches Billam-Smith cold early, he could score the knockout, but that’s less likely than Billam-Smith outworking and outboxing him over 10 rounds to take the decision victory. Pick: Chris Billam-Smith via UD
