CBS Sports

Zuffa Boxing 12 start time, fight card, predictions and where to watch Chris Billam Smith vs. Cheavon Clarke

Share Report:
Zuffa Boxing 12 start time, fight card, predictions and where to watch Chris Billam Smith vs. Cheavon Clarke

Zuffa Boxing returns on Saturday with the upstart promotion's 12th numbered event. In the main event from Copper Box Arena in London, Chris Billam-Smith will take on Cheavon "C4" Clarke in an intriguing cruiserweight bout.

Both Billam-Smith and Clarke were successful in exciting Zuffa debuts, though in very different ways.

Billam-Smith, the former WBO cruiserweight champion, made his Zuffa debut against Ryan Rozicki in June. Billam-Smith looked tremendous throughout the fight, putting heaps of punishment on Rozicki, though Rozicki gained respect from the larger boxing world for showing an iron chin and loads of heart.

Sign up for Paramount+ and watch Zuffa Boxing 12 for no additional fee -- along with every UFC numbered event and UFC Fight Night included with your subscription! Plans start as low as $8.99/month or $89.99/year!

Eventually, Billam-Smith's attack was too much and Rozicki's corner stopped their fighter from taking any further punishment after seven rounds of action. It was a big statement for Billam-Smith, a well-known, talented fighter who decided to show he was willing to stand and trade in a style that gave Rozicki his only hope of victory.

While Billam-Smith's win was hard-fought but one-sided, Clarke had to battle back from significant adversity on the same card.

Clarke was facing Jack Massey when Massey scored two knockdowns in the fourth round of their bout. With things looking particularly dire, Clarke managed to turn things around, scoring his own knockdown in the seventh round and forcing the referee to stop the bout.

The win was Clarke's second since suffering back-to-back defeats to Leonardo Mosquea and Viddal Riley.

Zuffa Boxing 12 also features some other compelling fights with familiar names, including the return of Shane Mosley Jr. for the first time since his impressive win over Serhii Bohachuk when he faces Denzel Bentley in middleweight action, and a preliminary light heavyweight bout between Zach Parker and Umar Dzambekov.

Let's take a look at the complete card for Saturday night with the latest odds from DraftKings before getting to a prediction and expert pick on the main event below.

Zuffa Boxing 12 fight card, odds

  • Chris Billam-Smith -450 vs. Cheavon Clarke +320, cruiserweights
  • Denzel Bentley -160 vs. Shane Mosley Jr. +125, middleweights
  • Sam Hickey -2000 vs. Amaury Massenaux +900, middleweights
  • Kayla Allen -1400 vs. Julia Igel +750, junior welterweights
  • Lucas Roehrig -2000 vs. Connal McDonald +900, cruiserweights
  • Umar Dzambekov -330 vs. Zach Parker +250, light heavyweights
  • Vinnie Kemp vs. Liam McElhinney, middleweights
  • Masood Abdulah -260 vs. Adan Palma +200, featherweights
  • Where to watch Zuffa Boxing 12

    Date: Nov. 6 | Location: Copper Box Arena -- London
    Prelims begin at 12:15 p.m. ET
    Main card begins at 2 p.m. ET

    Watch live: Paramount+ (subscribe now for as little as $8.99 per month)

    Prediction

    Billam-Smith has been to the top of the sport, holding a legitimate world championship and making multiple successful defenses. He's not a perfect boxer, but he's a skilled one who has shown that he can box or slug when the fight calls for it. Billam-Smith knows that standing and trading gives Clarke his best (and maybe only) path to victory, but that didn't stop Billam-Smith from doing the same against Rozicki.

    Still, the reality is that Clarke needs Billam-Smith to make some bad decisions and leave big openings for him to win. Clarke has power and he did pick himself up off the canvas twice in his most recent win, but Billam-Smith is a far better fighter than Massey. Billam-Smith is also considerably better than Mosquea and Riley, both of whom beat Clarke on the scorecards.

    It's easy to see Billam-Smith winning almost any style of fight with Clarke, but hard to see Clarke winning any way other than connecting with one big punch. I see a cautious start for Billam-Smith before he turns up the heat and ges a late stoppage. Pick: Chris Billam-Smith via TKO9

    Zuffa Boxing 12 start time, preview and predictions

    Brent Brookhouse 3 min read

    Boxing Pound for Pound: Alvarez returns to top 10 after title win Brian Campbell 5 min read

    Jai Opetaia to face Deontay Wilder on Fury vs. Joshua undercard Brian Campbell 2 min read

    O'Shaquie Foster outpoints Navarrete to unify junior lightweight titles Brent Brookhouse 1 min read

    Stevenson granted release from Zuffa Boxing after three months Brian Campbell 2 min read

    One realistic, one dream trade for every NFL contender

    JP Acosta 23 min read

    NFL in Spain: Bengals, star QB Joe Burrow goes full tourist in Madrid John Breech 6 min read

    Jordan Love's Halloween costume mocking refs might cost him big time John Breech 3 min read

    Why Vikings coach O'Connell should be on hot seat despite 6-1 start Garrett Podell 9 min read

    NFL Week 9 bold predictions: Milton-led Eagles will upset Giants Garrett Podell 5 min read