Chris Billam-Smith was taught a tough lesson by Gilberto Ramirez as he lost his WBO cruiserweight belt on the scorecards in Saudi Arabia.
The Bournemouth man put up a great effort, but the accuracy and speed of Ramirez were huge factors in the contest going his way.
Billam-Smith started the bout well, but after Ramirez took over in the second round, the Mexican dominated before being announced as the new unified cruiserweight champion at the end.
The show, part of Riyadh Season, saw Oscar De La Hoya take a number of his fighters to Saudi Arabia to present Latino Night.
A huge event, multiple big names were in attendance, and one of them was Newcastle United manager, Eddie Howe, who used to coach Billam-Smith beloved Bournemouth.
Newcastle have been in excellent form recently and they’ve boosted their chances in the Premier League with excellent wins over Arsenal and Nottingham Forest.
With the English Premier League currently on an international break, Howe took the time to visit Saudi Arabia and take in the boxing.
Eager to see Billam-Smith win, Howe was left disappointed by the result and there were several moments where he was spotted in the crowd looking concerned for Billam-Smith.
Howe will be hoping the man he went to support can bounce back in 2025.
