Clarke Unconcerned by Billam-Smith's Amateur Bout Regret

Cheavon Clarke states he has no regard for Chris Billam-Smith’s feelings about an amateur fight he finds “hard to watch.”

Billam-Smith lost to Clarke in the 2016 national elite amateur championships final. The Bournemouth fighter believes this result cost him a spot on the Team GB boxing squad.

The British cruiserweights will reignite their rivalry as professionals. They headline Zuffa Boxing 12 at the Copper Box Arena on November 7, broadcast live on Sky Sports.

Clarke, who also defeated Billam-Smith in an English title belt series, told Sky Sports: "I beat him twice [as an amateur], but I haven't got any hook-ups on it.

“Maybe he has. We're professionals now and it's a new era.”

Clarke later competed for Team GB at the Tokyo Olympics. Billam-Smith achieved his pinnacle as a professional, holding the WBO world title.

However, Billam-Smith, 36, has admitted he remains bothered by his defeat to Clarke a decade ago.

Reviewing the footage, Billam-Smith commented: "At the time I thought I had done enough to win it, but he's the aggressor, he hit me with some good shots.

“What I will say is the style there is a lot different to my style now. I look so frail and upright. It's very different to how I box now, but it was great, it was a great learning curve for me.

“But that was very much the beginning of the end of my amateur career. Obviously I had GB assessments off the back of it, but he got on and I didn't after he beat me. They were going to choose him on the GB team.

“It's hard to watch back but also gives me that fire in the belly.”

Clarke was knocked down twice in the fourth round of his last fight in June but recovered to stop Jack Massey in a cruiserweight contest.

He believes his boxing intelligence and fighting spirit will be key against Billam-Smith.

“I didn't learn nothing new about myself in Bournemouth,” Clarke stated. “I know that once I'm in the ring or when I'm in any situation, you've got to stop me to stop me. If you get me down, you got to keep me down.

“Billam-Smith is notoriously tough, but boxing is not a game to be tough. It's not a tough person's sport. It's a smart person's sport, so we'll see.”