Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez v Chris Billam-Smith: Prediction, Tips & Odds

bet365's boxing expert Rob Tebbutt previews this weekend's 'Latino Night' headliner Gilberto Ramirez v Chris Billam-Smith and tells us where he feels the betting value lies in the hugely-anticipated cruiserweight unification title bout.

Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez v Chris Billam-Smith Tips

Chris Billam-Smith - To Win Fight @ 2/1
Chris Billam-Smith - Between Rounds 7 - 12 @ 12/1

Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez and Chris Billam-Smith meet for the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday night.

This is a fascinating match-up between two contrasting styles.

Southpaw Ramirez is best known for his high-volume output and outside boxing skills, while Billam-Smith is at his best on the inside where he can make his size and tenacity play a part.

I think the key to this fight is going to be natural size.

While an experienced campaigner with 47-fights under his belt, Ramirez has only fought twice above the light-heavyweight limit of 175lbs, in wins over Joe Smith Jr. (at a 193lbs catchweight) and, in picking up the WBA title, Arsen Goulamirian.

I feel that for large parts of his career at 168lbs and 175lbs, Ramirez has enjoyed having the physical advantages - which won’t be there on Saturday night.

Billam-Smith is the natural, career-long cruiserweight and is coming off of arguably the performance of his career, a dominant decision win over Richard Riakporhe in June.

Being the betting underdog will come as nothing new to ‘CBS’, having been un-fancied against both Riakporhe and former WBO champion Lawrence Okolie.

I feel that there is a hint of Ramirez’s team overlooking Billam-Smith, with his trainer Malik Scott labelling the fight a ‘mismatch’.

I don’t believe that to be the case and I feel that the consistency and activity of Billam-Smith over the last two years (with wins over Okolie, Riakporhe and long-time contender Mateusz Masternak) is being vastly underrated.

If ‘Zurdo’ and his team have overlooked Billam-Smith, they could very well be in for a rude awakening on fight night.

I will be backing Billam-Smith to win this fight outright, and also looking at a small play for 'CBS' to find that stoppage between rounds seven and 12.

I just don’t believe that Ramirez will be able to handle the pace of a fully-fledged cruiserweight and can see him struggling to keep Billam-Smith off of him as the fight progresses.

Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez v Chris Billam-Smith Odds

(Odds will display when markets are available).