Great matchups are just around the corner, and fans may soon get to see a title unification bout between Gilberto Ramirez and Chris Billam-Smith. Great Britain’s WBO cruiserweight champion Billam-Smith is fresh off his third successful title defense in June, where he avenged his only career loss by defeating Richard Riakporhe in a rematch in London. 

Meanwhile, Mexico’s WBA cruiserweight champion Gilberto Ramirez last fought in March against Arsen Goulamirian at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood. According to Fight Freaks Unite, these two cruiserweight powerhouses could soon clash heads for a cruiserweight unification bout. And the good news is, the tentative timeline and venue for the fight have been revealed to the public. 

Ramirez vs. Billiam-Smith boxing match: Free

Acclaimed boxing journalist Dan Rafael recently reported that the cruiserweight title unification bout is in the negotiation phase and is being targeted for a Riyadh Season event on November 16 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Golden Boy card on DAZN will be the first of its kind as it’s reportedly a non-pay-per-view card—also featuring a junior welterweight fight between former unified champion Jose Ramirez and Arnold Barboza. 

The non-pay-per-view aspect of the card is the direct result of His Excellency Turki Alalshikh’s efforts to reduce the cost of boxing events. Another example of the same would be the mere $19.99 price tag for the Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois fight later this month. Speaking about the potential Ramirez vs. Billam-Smith card, Alalshikh revealed in a social media post that he had a conversation with Oscar De La Hoya about making the event accessible without pay-per-view.

“We had a long talk therefore I decided the card of Latinos Night in Riyadh Season with our partner Golden Boy will be free on TV networks and platforms all around the world…,” Alalshikh wrote. To add a cherry on top, even Billiam-Smith has confirmed the talks with Ramirez are heading in the right direction. 

Chris Billam-Smith ready for November

Ramirez was initially involved in a purse bid with his WBA mandatory challenger, Yuniel Dorticos. But that was canceled, as a deal with Dorticos was met for him to step aside and let the unification bout happen first. Meanwhile, with that hurdle out of the way, Billam-Smith shared his side of the story on making the title unification bout in November. 

“We are in talks for that fight. At the moment it’s the only fight we’re talking about,” Billam-Smith told Sky Sports. “I always said I’d be ready in November or December. At the moment we’re looking at November. We’re working on it.” Interestingly, Billam-Smith is eager to face an opponent who has only lost once to Dmitry Bivol, and he expressed that it would be an honor to potentially become a unified cruiserweight champion.

It appears the November 16th card is good news not just for Chris Billam-Smith and Gilberto Ramirez, but also for the fans, who will get to watch the exciting event for free, thanks to His Excellency. What are your thoughts on the card?