Mateusz Masternak: I'd have beaten Tony Bellew in Poland, now I finally get my chance against Chris Billam-Smith
Mateusz Masternak challenges Chris Billam-Smith for the WBO cruiserweight title at the Bournemouth International Centre on Sunday December 10 live on Sky Sports; Masternak has spent a long career boxing the division's elite but gets his first world title shot against Billam-Smith
Friday 1 December 2023 10:05, UK
Mateusz Masternak has spent his boxing life fighting for a world title shot.
He finally gets that opportunity against Chris Billam-Smith, the WBO cruiserweight champion, on Sunday December 10, live on Sky Sports.
"Finally I have a chance," he told Sky Sports. He has no intention of letting it slip.
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Masternak's had more than 50 bouts since turning professional in 2006 and fought the best in the cruiserweight division, including Tony Bellew and Yuniel Dorticos, men who would go on to become world champions.
The Pole believes he has proved he belongs at that level and that if he hadn't had to box Bellew in Britain he could have got the victory in that bout.
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"It was a tough fight, close fight," he said of Bellew. "Tony won, maybe if I'd had the fight in Poland, I would have won. It happened in the UK so he won.
"I've had many great rivals in the past, like Tony Bellew, Grigory Drozd, Jean-Marc Mormeck, Dorticos, it's extremely difficult to say who was the most difficult one."
However, he believes those past fights will have prepared him to win the WBO championship against Billam-Smith on Sunday December 10.
"I think every fight has let me progress. Against Tony Bellew I was inexperienced, but now I think that I am ready just to prove my skills, show my best and this is the time that I can get the title," Masternak said.
He is confident that not only will he win but that he'll box in the UK yet again.
"Chris is a great fighter, he doesn't have a lot of weaknesses, in his last fight he was able to beat [Lawrence] Okolie. I have to watch him carefully and look at all his weaknesses," he said.
"The message to Chris and his fans is when I take the belt we're going to a Polish boxing event in London."
Watch Billam-Smith vs Masternak on Sunday December 10, live on Sky Sports
