Chev Clarke stops Billam-Smith in the seventh round at the Copper Box Arena, handing the former cruiserweight world champion the first stoppage defeat of his professional career. Clarke, a Londoner, had already beaten Bournemouth’s Billam-Smith in a three-round amateur bout a decade ago, and he repeated the result in front of a partially open arena in the capital.
How the fight unfolded
The opening round was a scrappy affair, with plenty of holding and few clean punches. Clarke settled first, landing a heavy overhand right to the side of Billam-Smith’s head in the second. He followed that with a big uppercut and another overhand right in the third that snapped back the former champion’s head. Billam-Smith, unable to find his rhythm, ate another uppercut before responding with a short right hook that sent Clarke back to his corner.
The contest turned sharply in the seventh. Clarke opened the round with a powerful right hand that dropped Billam-Smith. The Bournemouth fighter beat the count but was floored again moments later under a flurry of punches. The referee allowed the action to resume, but Billam-Smith’s legs looked unsteady, and when Clarke connected with two more blows, the official stepped in to stop the fight.
Billam-Smith protested immediately, while Clarke stood in the centre of the ring and shrugged. The result moves Clarke to 13 wins and two defeats, and gives Billam-Smith his third professional loss, following defeats to Gilberto Ramirez in 2024 and Richard Riakporhe in 2019. It is the first time Billam-Smith has been stopped in his career.
Clarke's reaction and promoter's view
Clarke was succinct afterwards. He said he does what champions do, and noted that he had also beaten Billam-Smith in the amateurs. He added that he was happy, that Arsenal had won and he had won, and that his training camp had been good, which showed in the ring. He stated he would take on all comers going forward.
Fight promoter Dana White suggested after the bout that the decision to stop the contest may have been a little premature.
Ringside at the Copper Box included heavyweight Johnny Fisher, Traitors star King Kenny and strongman Eddie Hall. Only the lower tier of seats was open for fans, leaving the arena far from full.
Bentley outpoints Mosley Jr and calls out Benn
In the main support bout, Britain’s Denzel Bentley defeated a bloodied and brave Shane Mosley Jr by unanimous decision. Bentley scored a knockdown in the second round, landing a straight right that made Mosley stagger before a follow-up right dropped him. Mosley survived the count and the round, but Bentley tagged him repeatedly throughout the contest.
Bentley, 31, landed sharp shots off the back foot and opened a cut over Mosley’s right eye in the fifth. He finished strongly, boxing at times with his hands down and moving around his opponent while landing eye-catching punches that drew applause. The scorecards read 96-94, 96-93 and 95-94 in Bentley’s favour.
After the decision, Bentley pointed at Conor Benn in the audience, suggesting a potential future match-up between the two. Bentley had been stripped of his WBO middleweight title in late October after agreeing to fight Mosley instead of facing his mandatory challenger. His interim title had previously been elevated to a full world championship belt following Janibek Alimkhanuly’s decision to move up to super-middleweight.
