IT WAS Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez’s consistency that brought him success against Chris Billam-Smith, the Bournemouth boxer said.

Billam-Smith lost to a unanimous decision in Saudi Arabia to the Mexican, after a brutal twelve rounds of boxing.

The cards scored it 116-112, 116-112 and 116-113 in Zurdo’s favour, with Ramirez coming out the deserved winner on the night as he added the Gentleman’s WBO belt to his WBA title.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the fight, Billam-Smith said: “He’s consistent, very skilled, I knew he was.

“The irony of it is that consistency and consistency built success for him tonight and he stole my mantra off me.”

Zurdo was fast on his feet and Billam-Smith was unable to find the consistency of attack to turn the fight in his favour.

He said: “I was shooting him well and doing well with that, but as the rounds went on I just lost that speed. But he was so consistent, he was switched on all the time.

“I was having spells, good spells, hurting him but just hard to keep hurting him.”

The Bournemouth fighter gave credit to his opponent: “It was just hard, he was very, very clever, a very, very smart boxer.

“There’s a reason he’s only lost to [Dmitrii] Bivol, and it’s because he’s very, very skilful.”

On if there was more he could have done, Billam-Smith said: “There’s always more you can do, maybe during camp, adjustments during camp, and stuff like that, but in there tonight, I left it all in there, I gave everything, but it just wasn’t to be.”

The Gentleman’s trainer Shane McGuigan told Sky: “No, [he was] not better than we thought.

“We knew what we had in front of us, a guy that was massive, I don’t know how he ever hit those lighter weights.

“He was very efficient with his movements, just very, very consistent.

“Chris was having success in the fights, hurting him with his short, sharp, fast shots and then he would always fire back.

“He just was chipping away and winning rounds with less effort, and that there was a telling factor in the fight.

“Chris was exhausted, he was tired, because of the cut, he got hit with a good body shot that hurt his back a little bit and the eye, he said it was going blurry, in and out a little bit.

“I’m so proud of the guy. We didn’t get the victory tonight, but in against a very good champion.”