AFC Bournemouth
Chris Billam-Smith has had a long association with AFC Bournemouth since moving to the town with his family when he was three.
Born in Epsom in Surrey, Billam-Smith was raised in a block of flats in Tadworth before the family relocated to Bournemouth in 1993.
He attended Stourfield Junior School in Iford and Homefield School in Winkton before completing his secondary education at Portchester, which is now Avonbourne Academy.
As a youngster, Billam-Smith took part in a range of sports, including hockey, badminton, diving, karate, fencing and trampolining, and had trials with the Cherries academy when he was ten.
He was a member of the Junior Cherries and had a season ticket for two years between 2002 and 2004. His seat was in the left side of the North Stand.
His Cherries heroes included Steve Fletcher, Wade Elliott, Steven Purches, Eddie Howe, Neil Moss, Warren Cummings, Garreth O’Connor, James Hayter and Brian Stock.
Billam-Smith was a mascot for Fletcher’s testimonial against Portsmouth in 2003 and was among the crowd to see Hayter score his record-breaking 140-second hat-trick against Wrexham in 2004.
LISTEN TO OUR PODCAST WITH CHRIS BILLAM-SMITH HERE.
While at college studying to become a personal trainer, Billam-Smith took up boxing after being inspired watching a bout involving his close pal Dean ‘The Hurricane’ Perkins.
Billam-Smith only started boxing to keep fit for his amateur football career but quickly fell in love with the sport.
Representing Poole ABC, he reached two ABA Championship finals, losing to Jack Massey in 2013 and Cheavon Clarke three years later.
The youngest of three brothers, Billam-Smith turned pro in 2017 and was quickly snapped up by Cyclone Promotions which was founded by Barry McGuigan, the 1985 world featherweight champion.
Nicknamed The Gentleman, his career in the paid ranks got off to the perfect start when he scored a first-round technical knockout victory over Russ Henshaw at the O2 Academy in Bournemouth in September 2017.
Billam-Smith won his next eight fights before facing fellow undefeated British prospect Richard Riakporhe for the WBA Inter-Continental Cruiserweight title at the O2 Arena in London in July 2019.
The fight was televised on Sky Sports Box Office and Billam-Smith suffered his first pro defeat via a split decision over ten rounds.
In November 2019, Billam-Smith claimed the vacant Commonwealth Cruiserweight title thanks to a fifth-round technical knockout over Craig Glover at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool.
Another technical knockout followed in Billam-Smith’s first defence of the title, Nathan Thorley succumbing in the second round at Matchroom’s headquarters in Essex in August 2020.
Billam-Smith added the WBA Continental championship to his growing belt collection following a unanimous points victory over Vasil Ducar at Wembley Arena in March 2021.
In July 2021, Billam-Smith earned a split decision victory over Belfast’s Tommy McCarthy to claim the British, European and Commonwealth Cruiserweight titles before successfully defending the European belt against France’s Dylan Bregeon four months later.
Billam-Smith won a rematch with McCarthy in April 2022 before defeating Isaac Chamberlain at the BIC to retain his Commonwealth and European Cruiserweight titles in July 2022.
And in December 2022, he landed a frightening knockout blow to account for fiery Kosovan Armend Xhoxhaj, much to the delight of another partisan home crowd at the BIC.
