Defeated Chamberlain offered words of comfort by his conqueror

Isaac Chamberlain was described as a “true warrior” as he came up short in his European and Commonwealth cruiserweight title shot on Saturday night.

The Brixton fighter saw his record dip to 14-2 (eight KOs) as he lost a unanimous points decision to reigning champion Chris Billam-Smith in Bournemouth.

But Chamberlain fully played his part in a gruelling encounter.

And he showed real grit to keep trying to trade with Billam-Smith in the closing stages despite significant swelling above both of his eyes.

“He’s a true warrior,” Billam-Smith told Boxing Social. “He can be proud of his performance. He hasn’t been active. I hope he stays active now and carries on.

“It takes two to tango. He took a huge amount of shots and kept going. I really respect him as a man and as a fighter.

“I hurt him with a half-decent shot in the first and second rounds. He caught me with a half-decent shot in the second. The gameplay was to use the jab a little bit more and win three of the first six, then really start pushing the pace.

“Although at times I was messy I know I can keep pushing and winning rounds, and take the sting out of his shots.

“I can fight at a high intensity that not many cruiserweight can. People don’t like sparring me or fighting me. It’s an attribute I need to keep but also tidy it up a little bit.”