Ryan Rozicki paying close attention to Chris Billam-Smith with late breakfast lesson ahead of cruiserweight clash | Boxing News

Ryan Rozicki is leaving no stone unturned in his quest to deny Chris Billam-Smith a hometown victory on Saturday, even taking his preparation to the breakfast room ahead of their cruiserweight clash.

Former world champion Billam-Smith eyes a big performance at the Bournemouth International Centre to push back into title contention, with a showdown against Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight world champion Jai Opetaia potentially awaiting the winner.

Billam-Smith ends his 14-month absence from the ring with a likely bruising encounter against Rozicki, the hard-hitting Canadian who has seen 20 of his 21 professional victories come via knockout.

Both cruiserweights are staying in the same Bournemouth-based hotel ahead of Saturday’s card, Zuffa Boxing’s first promotion outside of the UK, with Rozicki spotted earlier this week by Billam-Smith taking a closer look at his opponent.

“At breakfast [on Tuesday], I’ve seen him with a video – I think they were analysing my fights, it looked like,” Billam-Smith told Sky Sports. “I literally just looked around at breakfast and seen them with a laptop or whatever in front of them, but that doesn’t bother me.

“A lot of people that would bother, but I don’t know what fight they’re watching and I’ll be very different to a lot of their fights. I’ll be boxing different to any fight I’ve boxed before and I’ve added a lot to my game.

“It doesn’t really matter because once you’re in there with me, it’s different – you have to feel it.”

Rozicki confirmed the incident to Sky Sports but refused to reveal the footage of Billam-Smith they were watching, with the 31-year-old fully prepared for the challenge he expects to face in Saturday’s main event.

“I don’t want to overlook Chris [Billam-Smith] – he’s a world champion,” Rozicki told Sky Sports. “Once somebody has a world title and they’ve defended it, to me, they’re always classed as a world champion.

“So when I look at him, I see a world champion in front of me. I don’t take anything from him. I only give him credit. I don’t look at his bad performances, I only look at his good performances.

“I only think of him when he was at his best. Is there a part in the back of my mind that looks at him and thinks, I could cave this guy’s skull in if I hit him? Yeah, but I don’t let that at the front.

“When the bell rings, those thoughts can come to the front.”

Billam-Smith has only had one fight since losing to Gilberto Ramirez by unanimous decision in November 2024, beating Brandon Glanton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last April, with the Englishman confident about seeing off Rozicki this weekend.

“I watch a little bit [of an opponent’s past fights] here and there, usually nearer the fight,” Billam-Smith added. “We’ve watched bits through camp and I’ve watched bits through camp.

“The more I watch with him, the more confident I get. At the same time, that tells me, am I missing something? He has got a new coach, so he can adapt and I’m expecting a different version of him. And I’ve got to adapt on the night as well.

“By the time I get a lot of my work off, he’ll just revert back to type anyway. That will be key – getting that out of him, reverting back to type – and then I can be good to go.”

Watch Zuffa Boxing 07 this Saturday live on Sky Sports, with early coverage streamed from 5pm ahead of live action on Sky Sports Action, Sky Sports Main Event and Sky One from 7pm. Get Sky Sports or stream boxing with no contract.