Zuffa Boxing returns on Saturday with the upstart promotion's 12th numbered event. In the main event from Copper Box Arena in London, Chris Billam-Smith will take on Cheavon "C4" Clarke in an intriguing cruiserweight bout.
Both Billam-Smith and Clarke were successful in exciting Zuffa debuts, though in very different ways.
Billam-Smith, the former WBO cruiserweight champion, made his Zuffa debut against Ryan Rozicki in June. Billam-Smith looked tremendous throughout the fight, putting heaps of punishment on Rozicki, though Rozicki gained respect from the larger boxing world for showing an iron chin and loads of heart.
Eventually, Billam-Smith's attack was too much and Rozicki's corner stopped their fighter from taking any further punishment after seven rounds of action. It was a big statement for Billam-Smith, a well-known, talented fighter who decided to show he was willing to stand and trade in a style that gave Rozicki his only hope of victory.
While Billam-Smith's win was hard-fought but one-sided, Clarke had to battle back from significant adversity on the same card.
Clarke was facing Jack Massey when Massey scored two knockdowns in the fourth round of their bout. With things looking particularly dire, Clarke managed to turn things around, scoring his own knockdown in the seventh round and forcing the referee to stop the bout.
The win was Clarke's second since suffering back-to-back defeats to Leonardo Mosquea and Viddal Riley.
Elsewhere on Saturday, Shane Mosley Jr. is set for his return to the ring when he takes on former titleholder Denzel Bentley. Mosley Jr. is coming off the biggest win of his career in a stunning knockout of Serhii Bohachuk in May. Now, a big win over Bentley, the former WBO middleweight champ, could set him up for a massive fight in 2027. Also of note on Saturday is a light heavyweight showdown between Umar Dzambekov and Zach Parker. Dzambekov is undefeated at 14-0 with 10 knockouts on his resume. He scored his latest in February in his Zuffa Boxing debut over Ahmed Elbiali. He get his toughest test to date in Parker, who makes his first appearance in over a year after losing a majority decision to Joshua Buatsi last November.
Let's take a look at the complete card for Saturday night with the latest odds from DraftKings before getting to a prediction and expert pick on the main event below.
Zuffa Boxing 12 fight card, odds
Chris Billam-Smith -450 vs. Cheavon Clarke +320, cruiserweights
Denzel Bentley -160 vs. Shane Mosley Jr. +125, middleweights
Sam Hickey -2000 vs. Amaury Massenaux +900, middleweights
Kayla Allen -1400 vs. Julia Igel +750, junior welterweights
Lucas Roehrig -2000 vs. Connal McDonald +900, cruiserweights
Umar Dzambekov -330 vs. Zach Parker +250, light heavyweights
Vinnie Kemp vs. Liam McElhinney, middleweights
Masood Abdulah -260 vs. Adan Palma +200, featherweights
Where to watch Zuffa Boxing 12
Date: Nov. 6 | Location: Copper Box Arena -- London
Prelims begin at 12:15 p.m. ET
Main card begins at 2 p.m. ET
Watch live: Paramount+ (subscribe now for as little as $8.99 per month)
Prediction
Billam-Smith has been to the top of the sport, holding a legitimate world championship and making multiple successful defenses. He's not a perfect boxer, but he's a skilled one who has shown that he can box or slug when the fight calls for it. Billam-Smith knows that standing and trading gives Clarke his best (and maybe only) path to victory, but that didn't stop Billam-Smith from doing the same against Rozicki.
Still, the reality is that Clarke needs Billam-Smith to make some bad decisions and leave big openings for him to win. Clarke has power and he did pick himself up off the canvas twice in his most recent win, but Billam-Smith is a far better fighter than Massey. Billam-Smith is also considerably better than Mosquea and Riley, both of whom beat Clarke on the scorecards.
