Cheavon Clarke drops Chris Billam-Smith twice and stops him in seventh-round upset

The first knockdowns of Billam-Smith's professional career ended the Zuffa Boxing 12 main event at the Copper Box Arena, and the former WBO champion wants a rematch.

Cheavon Clarke stopped Chris Billam-Smith at 1:24 of the seventh round in the Zuffa Boxing 12 main event at London's Copper Box Arena on Saturday night, dropping the former WBO cruiserweight champion twice in the round.

A right hand put Billam-Smith down for the first time as a professional. He beat the count, but Clarke dropped him again and kept punching after he got up until the referee stopped the fight.

Billam-Smith went in as the favourite and pressed forward from the start, digging to the body, while Clarke looked to counter. Clarke hurt Billam-Smith with a right hand in the fifth.

"I made a mistake, but I felt like I was winning the fight," Billam-Smith said afterwards. "Fair play to Chev. We've had three fights now and he's got them all. I'd love to run it back and get him eventually."

Clarke twice beat Billam-Smith as an amateur in 2016, including in the national championship final, and went on to box for Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics. In the build-up Clarke refused to shake Billam-Smith's hand at their face-off, while Billam-Smith said: "If I had Chev hurt I believe I can get rid of him."

"Chris hasn't changed," Clarke said. "He still doesn't know how to use his feet." He added: "We take all-comers. Bring them. The harder they come the harder they fall."

Clarke moves to 13-2 with 10 knockouts, and Billam-Smith drops to 22-3. In the co-main event, Denzel Bentley beat Shane Mosley Jr by unanimous decision.

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