NEW WORLD CHAMP BILLAM-SMITH COURAGE & CLASS RUNS DEEP

A nasty bout of diarrhoea couldn’t stop Bournemouth man taking Okolie’s crown

CHRIS BILLAM-SMITH said nothing was going to stop him in his pursuit of his world title dream but a dose of diarrhoea almost did.

The new WBO cruiserweight champion was drinking glass after glass of a supplement to rehydrate after he came down with a bug on the Tuesday of fight week.

But it did not stop him ripping the belt away from old gym mate Lawrence Okolie in a dramatic, if ugly, clash at the home of his beloved AFC Bournemouth.

Billam-Smith got the nod on the cards after he floored Okolie three times and the defending champion had two points deducted for excessive holding.

Inflicting Okolie’s first defeat as a pro was an upset, but for Billam-Smith it was the reward for a remarkable rise which started with trainer Shane McGuigan in 2017.

Yet McGuigan had considered pulling his man out of the showdown with Okolie because he had been battling an upset stomach all week ahead of the showdown at the Vitality Stadium.

Billam-Smith said: “I was never pulling out. I wasn’t letting 15,000 people down.

“I had sickness and diarrhoea on Tuesday, had a bug, fasted and it carried on until Thursday. I made weight easy but it wasn’t nice, I was low on energy.

“The doctor had a go at me as I had to lie to him a little bit. But it was worth it.

“The camp had gone so well so I knew it was too good to be true. I needed loads of Dioralytes in the week to get me through.”

Despite one bizarre judge’s card of 112-112, Billam-Smith was a comfortable winner, with the other two verdicts 116107 and 115-108 in his favour.

There was emotion in the post-fight press conference when the Bournemouth fighter broke down in tears talking about his cancerstricken mother, Carol, to whom he dedicated the win.

But it is her fighting spirit which has been passed to the boxer which kept him going this week and in the tough battle with Okolie.

“My mum is an amazing woman, my best mate, my rock,” said Billam-Smith. “We found out six weeks ago she has breast cancer. It’s a small lump. She had it 25 years ago and had a mastectomy, she also had a stroke a few years ago.

“But she has beaten all of these things, so it’s where I get my toughness from.”

Billam-Smith had to be tough as he battled Okolie’s spoiling and also some big rights from his former sparring partner.

On the points deductions, Okolie said: “Refs need to get educated, you get your arms locked sometimes. Some refs are losing their heads but it’s not my job to educate them. It came down to reputation.”

A nasty cut did not deter Billam-Smith and now the plan is for a holiday before thoughts can turn to a rematch should Okolie trigger the clause in the contract.