Cheavon Clarke upsets Chris Billam-Smith with 7th-round stoppage

Cheavon Clarke (13-2, 10 KOs) stopped former WBO world cruiserweight champion Chris Billam-Smith (22-3, 14 KOs) in Round 7 at the Copper Box Arena in London on Saturday, dropping him twice before the referee halted the nontitle bout. The upset is a significant blow to Billam-Smith's career, as the 36-year-old had been expected to position himself for a fight against Jai Opetaia. Clarke, a 35-year-old Jamaica-born, British-based fighter not ranked in the top 10 by any world governing body, also beat Billam-Smith as an amateur 10 years ago.