LONDON, England — Chris Billam-Smith is ready to press ahead with a fight against Roman Fress after the WBO opened the door for an interim title clash between the pair.

Billam-Smith (21-2, 13 KOs), The Ring’s No. 2-ranked cruiserweight, has been out of the ring since his hard-fought unanimous decision victory over Brandon Glanton at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in April.

The former WBO champion is still planning a route back to the world title picture and it now looks like it will go via once-beaten Kazakhstan-born German Fress, given Gilberto Ramirez’s ongoing shoulder injury.

Ramirez, who holds the WBO and WBA titles, underwent surgery earlier this summer and WBO president Gustavo Olivieri recently confirmed that they are ready to sanction an interim title fight in his absence.

“In light of Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez’s injury & recovery process, the WBO will sanction an Interim Title bout between the first available contenders,” Olivieri posted on social media.

“Bout will be subject to ensuring Interim status is terminated expeditiously per WBO Rules.”

The sanctioning body's championship committee chairman, Luis Batista Salas, has since written to both teams with an order to begin negotiations with a 20-day period from the letter being issued — August 19 — and a minimum $300,000 (£222,439) bid attached.

Billam-Smith, ranked at No. 1 with the WBO, has told The Ring he would be happy to face No. 2 Fress for the interim belt, as per Olivieri’s suggestion.

“Obviously the WBO have come out and said about Ramirez and that they are looking to do an interim title fight between their next two highest contenders,” Billam-Smith said.

“That is me, I'm No. 1, and Roman Fress is No. 2 so I'd love to get that fight for the interim. That puts me back in a good position. I don't know what other people's plans are, but it would be a great opportunity for me to fight by the end of the year, ideally, against Roman Fress for the interim.

“It was kind of a fight we were already looking at. So hopefully we can get that over the line and do that towards the end of the year.

“So now I guess it'll be trying to make the fight with Roman Fress so going off the WBO’s own words, they can't accept anyone else as the interim title fight if the No. 1 and No. 2 are fighting each other."

Billam-Smith originally won the full title via an upset win over Lawrence Okolie in May 2023 before successful defences against Mateusz Masternak and Richard Riakporhe. But he lost it during his November 2024 unification with Ramirez in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and still wants a shot at redemption.

He added: “By no means is it the full world title against Fress, but it's the interim belt and it puts me in a great position for another fight with Zurdo. I want to beat him to become WBO and WBA champion. That would be ideal.”