“I wasn’t really enjoying boxing around then,” Billiam-Smith said during an interview with TalkSport. “It just felt like a stepping-stone fight. I felt comfortable in there, and I did what I had to do, but I didn’t box anywhere near my best.”
The change he describes did not come from a single turning point. Instead, it followed the drop that often comes after a high-profile defeat. He went from headlining major shows to fighting earlier on a card, and he admitted that the loss affected how he approached the night.
The drop from main events to earlier slots, and everything that comes with that, was something he felt in the build-up and carried into the ring.
That version of Billiam-Smith was still good enough to win clearly, but not sharp enough to leave any mark. He spoke about wanting a stoppage, especially after pre-fight comments from Glanton, yet never forced the issue. The performance, by his own description, matched his mindset.
Time away has reset that. Billiam-Smith said the months since have allowed him to step back from the cycle of camps and fights, fix technical issues, and return to training in a better place physically and mentally. He believes the next time he fights, it will be a different version.
“I feel revitalized. I genuinely believe there will be a new version of me next time I step in the ring,” he said.
The problem is that belief arrives without a clear direction. He currently has no promoter and no confirmed opponent, which leaves his return dependent on what opportunities can be built rather than what can be demanded. He is targeting a return in May, but the direction beyond that remains open.
Billiam-Smith, 35, still speaks like a fighter who sees himself near the top of the division, even stating that he views himself as the best cruiserweight in the world. That claim sits alongside a period where he has been largely inactive and, by his own account, not fully invested in his last performance.
The next fight will need to show more than a win. It has to show that the version he described is real, not just a reaction to time away.
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