Zurdo vs. Billam-Smith Kickoff Press Conference

On November 16, the Saudi capital Riyadh will host the “Latino Night,” to be broadcast free to boxing fans worldwide. DAZN will stream the major fight night globally for free, with additional broadcasters in the region to be announced soon. The event will feature a unification battle between WBA cruiserweight champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez and WBO cruiserweight champion Chris Billam-Smith.

Photo: Golden Boy / Cris Esqueda
Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez: “I will become the first Mexican cruiserweight unified champion. It’s exciting because my dream will come true this November 16. I’ve been putting everything into training, a lot of work, hard work. Thank you, everyone.”

Chris Billam-Smith: “I’ve been written off many times before. Last time out against Richard Riakporhe. I was going into his backyard, his soccer stadium, and it was all about him, and it was his night, and I went and scored the party, and unfortunately for the Latinos, on November 16, I’ll be doing exactly the same again.”

In the co-main event, former unified champion and U.S. Olympian Jose Ramirez will face WBO #1 Arnold Barboza Jr. in a 12-round lightweight WBO title eliminator.

Photo: Golden Boy / Cris Esqueda
Jose Ramirez: “It’s time for me to make a statement. And this is one of those fights where I’m gonna make a statement and get those belts back…Barbosa says he’s been chasing the fight since 2019. Now that he stands in the way for me to reclaim my titles it’s time to get that fight on.”

Arnold Barboza Jr: “I’ve been wanting this fight since 2019 for whatever reason it never happened. I’ve tried every form, you know. I called him out so many times…like I said, this fight is personal. You know, I’m coming with everything.”