CHRIS BILLAM-SMITH survived a bloody eye injury but lost his cruiserweight world title to Gilberto Ramirez.
The 34-year-old Bournemouth hero achieved his boyhood dream by winning the WBO crown at the Cherries’ Vitality stadium last year.
But he dared to be too great, up against Mexico’s masterful southpaw WBA champ and lost a clear unanimous decision 116-112, 116-112 and 116-113.
The Brit had been guilty of seriously slow starts in recent wins but got off to a flyer in Riyadh.
The Dorset man landed a handful of stiff straight hands that a leftie like Ramirez always struggles to handle.
And he showed confidence by walking the former super-middle champ down and landing a left hook.
Ramirez, 33, made a perfect start to the second when he walked the Englishman onto a short and crisp left hook.
The Mexican secured the second stanza by scoring again at the end of the session when CBS struggled to deal with his fast hands and got pinned in a corner and peppered.
CBS made a strong start to the third, with long-range combinations. But Ramirez boxed his way back into the round with three more sweet left hooks.
With 30 seconds of an even fourth round left, Ramirez landed a peach of a lead right hook that buzzed Billam-Smith and cut his nose, right on the inner corner of his left eye.
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It felt like a seminal moment that would let Ramirez run away with the fight or spark CBS into life.
Six was another banker for Ramirez when clever digs scored with the officials.
Billam-Smith smiled off one whack he suffered but it wasn’t a laughing matter with the scorecards mounting against him and the cut growing and gushing.
The doctor checked the pulverised peeper before the seventh started and allowed the action to continue.
Ramirez looked fleshy up at 14st 4lbs but his feet were superb as he changed angles and cut the ring down around the bleeding father-of-one.
A left hook to the body made CBS gasp and tuck-up and then a right hand was plunged into his wounded face.
CBS stumbled after a right hook clipped him in round eight but he shook his head in defiance and dug in again to land a few of his own choice right hooks.
Ramirez raced away with the ninth with clinical punches that ghosted past Billam-Smith’s guard and popped his head backwards. But our boy never stopped marching forward and throwing shots in an effort to turn the Red Sea tide.
Knowing he needed a knockout, CBS threw everything in the 12th but he was a broken man and beaten fighter who can now race home to be a great dad to little Frank who he missed so much during camp.
After the fight, CBS said: “Zurdo’s consistency tonight won it for him.
“He was really good, he throws lots of shots and then moves.
“The cut gave me problems, my sight was going blurry at times and I couldn’t see properly.
“But his good work caused it and that’s the sport, no complaints.”
