Having dethroned Lawrence Okolie on a magical night in Bournemouth seven months ago, WBO world cruiserweight champion Chris Billam-Smith makes his first title defence against Mateusz Masternak this Sunday – most expect him to win comfortably. There’s a quiet air of confidence surrounding the Pole and his team before the 36-year-old’s first world title shot, with his showing against Tony Bellew on UK soil a theory behind that. So, what happened that night?
Masternak made himself a nuisance, but Bellew did enough
115-112, 115-112, 115-113: Bellew bt. Masternak via UD on Dec. 12, 2015
- Tony Bellew won the vacant EBU European cruiserweight title that night after a competitive tussle, then seized WBC world title with a third-round knockout win over Ilunga Makabu at Goodison Park five months later
- Masternak has 11 wins and just one defeat during eight years since – including two unbeaten contenders – came close but suffered a similarly close decision loss to Yuniel Dorticos in Oct. 2018. Bellew retired that year
- Masternak was one win from a world title opportunity on two occasions in three years but after patience and persistence, the Pole finally has the chance to travel home with gold over his shoulders this weekend
Chris Billam-Smith (18-1, 12 KOs) vs. Mateusz Masternak (47-5, 31 KOs)
CBS headlines the BIC, making his first WBO cruiserweight world title defence
Ringwalks from 9pm BST live on Sunday – Sky Sports in the UK, Peacock in USA
Mateusz Masternak believes it’s finally his time to ruin the party, spoil Christmas for the Bournemouth faithful and more importantly, make true on his pledge to become a world champion. It’s also the final condition for wife Daria to have a third child.
Chris Billam-Smith became a first-time father himself last summer and son Frank has only served as extra motivation for him, adamant the Lawrence Okolie win is one he’ll build upon – rather than hang onto. At last month’s press conference, he said:
“There’s a different type of motivation because you’re not just chasing something, you’re trying to hold on and someone’s trying to take something that’s yours. As a father that’s like my second child – that honour of holding the belt I want to keep.”
So, what happened the last time Masternak ventured to British shores? Well, the coronavirus pandemic stopped him from progressing in the Olympic qualifiers in the first quarter of 2020, so instead he ventured back into the paid ranks.
The fight itself…
Before that Copper Box Arena cameo, he was last seen in the UK on Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom PPV bill as part of the Anthony Joshua vs. Dillian Whyte undercard.
Tony Bellew was a stern opponent across from him, having rebuilt himself at a new weight class since a R6 TKO defeat by Adonis Stevenson for the WBC world light-heavyweight championship two years prior.
Just as the commentators were discussing what was a competitive opening stanza, Bellew pushed ahead with pressure and potent combination punching to assert himself as the early aggressor.
That sequence shouldn’t have been surprising, from a bullish boxer in what was billed as his biggest career night given all that came before.
Guilty of headhunting in round two, Bellew was getting eaten up by stiff jabs as a consequence with his trainer Dave Coldwell warning him about staying defensively aware, utilising head movement better between rounds.
Rounds three and four were competitive, but Bellew did enough to edge both while Masternak’s jab wasn’t an effective deterrent.
“Don’t load up, you’ll tire yourself out. No fucking excuses here, hold the centre of the ring,” came the instruction from Coldwell after watching his charge labour through the fifth, getting caught with lazy shots and struggling to find his range.
Masternak’s right hands were starting to land clean and increasingly often in R6, charging forward and visibly making Bellew think more in centre ring as the Pole now controlled the tempo.
Being made to pay for keeping his hands low and not being active enough to pin Masternak back, Bellew was again admonished in-between rounds and fared better during a better seventh with some sneaky body shots for good measure.
They both swung haymakers early in the eighth, referee Massimo Barrovecchio ticking them off for dirty boxing before Masternak landed a series of stinging right hands as Bellew’s head movement was again caught lacking repeatedly.
The sight of his head pinging backwards didn’t help, but the O2 Arena crowd stirred with anticipation midway through round nine as Bellew landed a punishing two-punch combo and they seemed as though another furious exchange was coming.
It wasn’t, but Masternak kept the Scouser uncomfortable and rocked him with a right up against the ropes late in a tough tenth. Masternak was pushed to the canvas, not for the first time, in the eleventh before the pair dug to the body with big shots and Bellew knew he needed a definitive finish to edge the scorecards.
That’s exactly what he got in the final round. Fleeting but nonetheless explosive bursts did the trick as Masternak inadvertently allowed him too long to rest between combos, before being caught by a big left hand – a shot he didn’t see – and the Pole had shaky legs trying desperately to survive as the crowd roared Bellew on.
Post-fight, he said this – and it aged well:
“I talk a lot of crap and stuff like that but never in a million years believed I was good enough to be European champion. In my own mind, deep down, I’ve never believed I was good enough to do that – I was happy winning ABA title, never thought I was good enough to be national champion so European… it’s nuts.
I knew it’d be a hard fight, he never did anything fantastic but is one of the most well-rounded fighters in the division, far better than the IBF champion [Victor Emilio] Ramirez, I just wanna fight the best and see how good I am. I don’t think I’m that good, I’m gritty and will fight till the end.”
Eight years is an eternity in boxing, so how will Masternak fare this weekend against another fighter in Billam-Smith who shares some of the same intangibles Bellew did?
Picture source: Getty Images unless stated, quotes either procured by me or sourced
Mo and Sports 