CHRIS Billam-Smith will return as 'version 2.0' of himself - with his sights set on another title fight which he would love to hold in Bournemouth once again.

The Bournemouth fighter lost his WBO cruiserweight title to Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez in Saudia Arabia two weeks ago in a bruising unification bout.

But Billam-Smith and his promotion have said his return to fighting next year must be at world level, with the 34-year-old eyeing up the WBC title.

Reflecting on his defeat, Billam-Smith told the Daily Echo: “It was a gruelling fight. It was a hard fight and it started really well, a good first round and then him back into the fight and it was just playing catch up after the midway point, really.

“He was just a really good fighter. I knew how good he was.

“I guess I didn't think he'd be as durable and as tough as he was. I thought I'd get to him late on and take a lot more out of him than I did. I thought the work I'm always able to do would be enough to break him down.

“But he was very clever in there. He's hard to nail clean at times. But it was unfortunately not my night.”

(Image: Richard Crease) He looked to be struggling through the middle rounds but rallied in the latter stages.

Billam-Smith said trainer Shane McGuigan was asking for him to jab more through the middle exchanges before saying towards the end that they must get Zurdo out of the ring.

“[In the] 10th, 11th, 12th, I gave all I could in the moment, but it wasn't enough,” he said. “The conversations in the corner were, through the middle rounds, start backing him up and we're behind the jab.

“But his footwork was really good. He was hard to nail clean. So, he performed really well and he was a better man.”

Billam-Smith’s respect for Ramirez was shared by his opponent, with both fighters telling each other to get in touch if they are ever in their respective home nations.

“I think he said he'd love to go for a beer with me, but I don't drink, but I'd happily go for a water whilst he has a beer or whatever,” he said.

“But no, he's very respectful; a very, very good fighter.

“I think we're very similar, we're not really into trash talk. We're both very durable and proper fighters.

“We love what we do and we will leave it all in there. I think we're very similar in that aspect.

“His fans are very loyal and as are mine, so it's a lot of similarities between us both.

“I messaged him the next day because we were out in the city, but he'd already left.

“I said, look, if you're out and about, let me know. We'll grab a drink or some food or whatever. But he'd already left that that morning.

“But all respect to him, a great fighter and it was an honour to share the ring with him.”

(Image: Richard Crease) On the night, Billam-Smith said he spent around six hours in the hospital getting stitched up, but he said he’s healing up well.

He said his eye had been well stitched up and the small fracture in his hand was briefly in a soft cast with a splint.

“To be honest, I ended up being on the plane and I had a sleep on the plane on the way home and ended up just ripping it off after I woke up because it was getting on my nerves,” Billam-Smith said.

Looking to the future, Billam-Smith said his return to the ring is likely to come around May next year once his injuries have healed.

Asked where he’d like the fight to be, he said: “Ideally, I'd like it to be in Bournemouth if I had my say, but that's not always the most viable business option for us, etc., the way the landscape has been recently.

“Opponent wise, I'd love to get a shot at the WBC champion who is probably going to change by the time I get back in the ring because there's an interim fight going on, on December 7 where they're fighting for the interim title whilst the champion is in a bit of a dispute with his promoter.

“So, he might end up getting stripped, we'll see, but I'd love a shot at that next, that'd be ideal.

“But if not maybe a world title eliminator and then go into the world title shot. We'll have to wait and see, I think.”

With the May timescale, Billam-Smith added: “That gives me plenty of time to work on a lot of things, come back as a 2.0 version of myself and improve plenty and then we can see what that fight is.”