What to Know
- In the Zuffa Boxing 12 main event, Chev Clarke got the better of former champion Chris Billam-Smith for the third time with a sensational seven-round TKO win.
- It was a rough night at the office for Shane Mosley Jr., falling behind and falling short against Denzel Bentley.
- Prospects Sam Hickey and Da’Mazion Vanhouter thrilled the Copper Box crowd with flashy knockout wins.
In a rematch ten years in the making, former light heavyweight champion Chris Billam-Smith vowed he would settle the score against his amateur rival Chev Clarke. The pair met for the British amateur championship ten years ago, with Clarke getting the better of Billam-Smith for the second time in amateur competition.
- What to Know
- Clarke Repeats Massey Stoppage Against Billam-Smith
- Clarke Ready To Roll Through the Division
- Tough Day At The Office: Bentley Edges Mosley Jr.
- Umar Dzambekov Shuts Down Zach Parker
- KO King of Zuffa Boxing Scores Again
- Allen, Hickey, Kemp Deliver Wins on Undercard
- Post-Fight News Conference: Dana White Addresses Press Secretary Rumors, Eddie Hearn Beef
Some fighters have an opponent who is their personal kryptonite. Clarke (13-2, 10 KOs). got the better of Billam-Smith (22-3, 14 KOs) for a third time, cracking Billam-Smith’s notable chin and forcing a referee stoppage in round seven after two devastating knockdowns at 1:24 of the round.
C4 KNOCKS DOWN CBS 🤯 #ZuffaBoxing12 | 📺 https://t.co/oHyCtvhnxi https://t.co/FTaiYllCH5
— Zuffa_Boxing (@Zuffa_Boxing) November 7, 2026
Clarke Repeats Massey Stoppage Against Billam-Smith
Clarke got off the canvas twice in his previous fight before stopping former world title challenger Jack Massey with a crowd-pleasing knockout win. Billam-Smith was coming off a bruising fight against Ryan Rosicki of Canada at Zuffa Boxing 07. In that fight, he was the one forcing a referee stoppage after battering Rosicki.
But perhaps Billam-Smith hadn’t quite recovered from that fight. He came and Clarke and was eager to play rough in the ring. Billam-Smith can take a shot, and the two were trading successful offense through the first six rounds of a close contest. Scores were dead even after six rounds on two of the three scorecards.
Clarke said he had a good camp and trusted his training. It paid off when Billam-Smith walked into a hard right hook, dropping hard to the canvas halfway through round seven. He rose on shaky legs but appeared clear-headed enough that the referee allowed the fight to continue.
Clarke seized his chance, and he hurt and dropped Billam-Smith a second time after multiple hard blows. Billam-Smith bounced off the ropes and fell halfway across the ring to his knees. Once more, he got up. Once more, the referee allowed the fight to continue. But he hovered close by. After a half dozen hard shots, the fight was over.
Clarke Ready To Roll Through the Division
“I don’t believe anybody trains as hard as me. They can try, but they don’t,” said Clarke. Clarke said of Billam-Smith, “He’s a strong guy. Look, he’s bigger than me. Most of these guys are bullying me, but I’ve never been bullied. My mum wouldn’t have condoned it. So there you go.”
“He couldn’t have looked any better,” said Zuffa Boxing CEO Dana White.
Billam-Smith got his wits about him quickly after the loss. “I’m fine. It was a good shot, buzzed me. Obviously, it was a great shot. Made a mistake, but I felt like I was winning the fight. Fair play to Chev. You know, we’ve had three fights now, and he’s got them all. But I’ll I’d love to run him back and get him eventually.”
It will be a long road back for Billam-Smith in a competitive cruiserweight division. Clarke’s career suddenly has new life after two fantastic finishes.
Tough Day At The Office: Bentley Edges Mosley Jr.
Shane Mosley Jr. of Las Vegas wanted to prove his win at Zuffa Boxing 06 against Serhii Bohachuk wasn’t a fluke. It looked like Mosley Jr.’s night would end early after a second-round knockdown against Denzel Bentley of London.
But credit to Mosley Jr., who settled down and settled in for a battle to the bell against Bentley. After the knockdown, it was an even fight, with the knockdown making the difference in a decision victory for Bentley (23-3-1, 18 KOs) over Mosley Jr. (23-6, 13 KOs). Scores were 96-94, 96-93, and 95-94.
It was a bittersweet win for Bentley, with the disappointment evident in his post-fight remarks. The fight was originally for Bentley’s WBO Interim Middleweight title, but the WBO stripped Bentley of the belt for after declining a fight with mandatory challenger Yoenli Hernandez.
“I was fighting more than just Shane Mosley Jr. out there. I felt like I was fighting a whole boxing because of the decisions I made recently, being over here at Zuffa and Sky, but I done my best for my career,” said Bentley, who had nothing but compliments for Mosley Jr.’s performance. Bentley said he thought Mosley Jr. was done after the knockdown and admitted Mosley Jr. buzzed him in the following round. “I thought, ‘damn, I woke up a beast here!’” said Bentley.
The action continued after the bell as Bentley turned his attention to Conor Benn, sitting ringside in support of his former sparring partner Vinny Kemp’s pro debut. Bentley and Benn engaged in an animated and good-natured back-and-forth, with Bentley challenging Benn to come up to middleweight for a fight.
Umar Dzambekov Shuts Down Zach Parker
Light heavyweight Umar Dzambekov of Los Angeles (15-0, 11 KOs) continued his run under the Zuffa banner with a devastating knockout win behind body shots to stop Zach Parker of Derbyshire (26-3, 18 KOs).
Dzambekov is a native of Austria and his goal is to become Austria’s first world champion in boxing. He wowed the crowd at the Meta Apex with a sizzling second-round knockout over Ahmed Elbiali in February, and now he’s doubled down with the win over Parker.
Zuffa Boxing CEO Dana White awarded Dzambekov and Chev Clarke Performance of the Night honors.
KO King of Zuffa Boxing Scores Again
Da’Mazion Vanhouter of St. Petersburg, Florida (14-0, 11 KOs) is now the only person on the Zuffa Boxing roster with four knockout wins. The impressive young American heavyweight didn’t even get out of the first round, delivering a stoppage against Ivan Balaz of Czechia (9-2, 7 KOs).
Like Dzambekov, Vanhouter did the damage with body shots, followed up by a mix of power punches to force the fight to its finish.
While it’s tempting to call Vanhouter the next great American heavyweight hope, he’s still just 21 years old and has gone more than four rounds only twice. No need to repeat the disaster that befell Moses Itauma earlier this year.
Allen, Hickey, Kemp Deliver Wins on Undercard
Super lightweight Kayla Allen of London (2-0, 1 KO) was disappointed not to get her second knockout win in her second pro fight against Julia Igel of Belgium (5-3, 4 KOs). But the six rounds against a tough Igel will serve her much better as her career progresses.
Scotland’s Sam Hickey (7-0, 5 KOs) continued on his roll of eyecatching knockouts, scoring a knockdown and then stopping Amaury Masseneux of Belgium (16-5-1, 4 KOs). The 26-year-old middleweight from Dundee is developing a devoted fan base hoping for another hero in the spirit of James Buchanan.
Vinny Kemp declared himself “The King of Violence” before he stepped into the ring for his professional debut. Kemp (1-0, 1 KO) lived up to his brash moniker with a first round knockout over Liam McElhinney (0-3).
No one expected to see Kemp up against a monster in his first fight. Nevertheless, he maintained his character in a way that would make any method actor proud, staring at the camera and not cracking a smile once. Kemp trains alongside Conor Benn in the gym run by Tony Sims. Benn was ringside supporting his training partner and joined him in the post-fight interview singing Kemp’s praises.
Post-Fight News Conference: Dana White Addresses Press Secretary Rumors, Eddie Hearn Beef
At the post-fight news conference, Dana White answered more questions about matters having nothing to do with Saturday’s card, including an incendiary Truth Social post by President Donald Trump claiming White had been offered the job as White House press secretary. White did nothing to shut the rumors down.
“I’m flying to Washington DC right now after this. I’ve got a lot of jobs already. I’m going to meet with him. We have a meeting on Monday. I’m sure he’ll want to talk about it after that.
“Yeah, watch this space,” said White.
Gayle Falkenthal is an award-winning boxing journalist with more than four dozen awards for both written and video coverage from the Boxing Writers Association of America, Society of Professional Journalists, and San Diego Press Club, where she is the past president. She is the only woman journalist who is a full voting member of the BWAA. She is the Boxing Editor for NY Fights based in San Diego, California.
