Cheavon Clarke stops Chris Billam-Smith in seventh-round upset

Cheavon Clarke inflicted the first stoppage defeat of Chris Billam-Smith’s professional career with a dramatic seventh-round victory at London’s Copper Box Arena.

Clarke twice dropped the former WBO cruiserweight champion before referee Lee Every intervened during another attack against the ropes in Saturday’s Zuffa Boxing 12 main event.

Billam-Smith protested the decision, but the result gave Clarke another victory over an opponent he had twice beaten as an amateur.

Cheavon Clarke finishes a physical contest

The finish followed six rounds of forceful exchanges and frequent clinching, with Billam-Smith trying to impose himself at close range and Clarke finding openings for his right hand.

Billam-Smith had enjoyed success in the sixth, but the fight changed abruptly in the next round.

A right hand sent him down and Clarke immediately pursued the finish when he rose. A second knockdown followed before Every stepped in as Clarke attacked again.

“I’d love to run it back and get him eventually,” Billam-Smith said afterwards, as reported by Sky Sports.

Dana White questions stoppage

Zuffa Boxing promoter Dana White felt the intervention came too soon, although Clarke defended the referee’s decision.

“I thought it was early,” White said in Sky’s post-fight coverage.

Clarke argued that Billam-Smith was in trouble and that allowing the contest to continue could have brought criticism of the referee for the opposite reason.

“If he was blocking the shots he wouldn’t have been dancing,” he said.

No rematch has been announced.

Bentley wins on Zuffa Boxing undercard

Denzel Bentley defeated Shane Mosley Jr by unanimous decision in the supporting middleweight contest, with scores of 96-94, 96-93 and 95-94.

Da’Mazion Vanhouter stopped Ivan Balaz in the first round, while Sam Hickey beat Amaury Massenaux in the fifth and Lucas Roehrig stopped Connal McDonald in the seventh, according to Uncrowned’s results coverage.

But the night belonged to Clarke, whose win over a former world champion gives him the most significant result of his professional career.

Follow further results and reaction through our boxing news coverage.