BOXXER Presents: Hometown Hero Chris Billam-Smith Headlines UK Stadium Show

BOXXER Presents: Hometown Hero Chris Billam-Smith Headlines UK Stadium Show

Boxing fans in the UK are in for a treat this coming May bank holiday weekend as BOXXER presents a stadium show at the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth on May 27th. The 15,000-capacity stadium, home of Premier League football team AFC Bournemouth, will host the event headlined by hometown hero Chris Billam-Smith (17-1, 12 KO’s).

Billam-Smith, a diehard Cherries supporter, is set to take on an opponent yet to be revealed, in what promises to be one of the fights of the year. The opponent will be announced at a press conference in London on Monday, with details to follow later this week.

The British cruiserweight champion is looking forward to the opportunity to fight at his team’s ground, saying, “I think it will be an amazing event and an amazing show. To become number one in my division by winning at my team’s ground would be a dream. It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. There’s been a lot of special moments there. Hopefully I can create another one.”

In the chief support slot, Mikael Lawal (17-0, 11 KO’s) will make his first defence of the British Cruiserweight Championship he won by stopping David Jamieson in November. Standing opposite him will be Isaac Chamberlain (14-2, 8 KO’s), who will be making his second trip to Bournemouth following his unsuccessful attempt to take the Commonwealth and European cruiserweight belts from Billam-Smith in July last year.

BOXXER founder and CEO, Ben Shalom, is excited about the upcoming event, saying, “We are excited to announce phase one of what is a huge schedule coming up for BOXXER and Sky Sports. It’s amazing to see new headliners get to the top, new marquee signings start with us and the return of fighters from injury. It really is going to be a groundbreaking few months with career-defining fights and huge nights.”

The May bank holiday weekend stadium show is just the beginning of BOXXER’s upcoming schedule, which includes newly-announced signing Joshua Buatsi (16-0, 13 KO’s) making his promotional debut at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham on May 6th. The former British light-heavyweight champion, who is ranked No.1 in the world by the WBA, faces Pawel Stepien (18-0-1, 12 KO’s) in the headline bout.

In addition to the stadium show and Buatsi’s promotional debut, BOXXER has lined up a series of exciting fights featuring top British talent, including Olympic silver medallist Ben Whittaker (2-0, 1 KO’s) making his long-awaited return to the ring in Birmingham, and Team GB golden girl Lauren Price MBE (3-0, 1 KO) fresh from her impressive victory away from home in Paris.

The upcoming events promise to be a thrilling time for UK boxing fans, with BOXXER and Sky Sports bringing some of the best fighters and matchups to screens across the country.