Chris Billam-Smith's boxing career has taken him from the sunny beaches of Bournemouth to the high streets of Edinburgh.

Now, he's going right back to where it all started - in more ways than one.

Billam-Smith, 31, is currently set to face Isaac Chamberlain, 28, at the Bournemouth International Arena on July 30.

It's a short walk from Poole ABC, the gym where Billam-Smith began to learn the ropes.

However, 'The Gentleman', as he is otherwise known, wasn't exactly sure at first what he wanted to do as a career.

In an exclusive interview with GiveMeSport.com, he said: "I always wanted to be involved in sport and I just wanted to be a champion in one way shape or another.

"I tried every sport there is, you know, football, badminton, hockey, fencing, trampolining, diving, like, I did every sport and I loved them all.

"But yeah, I just found boxing when I left school and I ended up being okay at it and I thought I'd give that a go, and yeah it's going alright."

Chris Billam-Smith celebrates after beating Tommy McCarthy

In fact, were it not for a certain UFC star, he might not have ended up doing it at all.

"Funnily enough, I was back home in Bournemouth, and I became friends with this girl called Molly McCann," he added. "You may have heard of her, she's in the UFC right now.

"She went to school in Bournemouth for a bit and basically I ended up going to this gym with my brother.

"I must have been about 13 at the time, he'd done a bit before, so he was like with the main coach.

"So then, there was this girl who was also 13 who was taking the beginners, basically, and that girl was Molly, so I thought, why not give this a go?

Chris Billam-Smith has held the Commonwealth cruiserweight title since March 2019

"That was just in a little gym in basically a garage down this little alleyway behind an Iceland in Bournemouth.

"So yeah, we're both doing alright now, I saw her not long ago and it's great to see her doing so well."

With a 15-1 record, it won't be long before Billam-Smith starts banging on the door for a shot at a world title.

He holds notable victories against the likes of Craig Glover, Tommy McCarthy, and Nathan Thorley, while his only loss came in a close decision to Richard Riakporhe roughly three years ago.

Now back competing on Sky Sports once more, a rematch should be relatively easy to make, and it's a fight Billam-Smith would take in a heartbeat.

He continued: "I mean, I think from a business point of view, I think it makes sense for it to be for a world title.

"And I don't think either team management-wise would probably want to do it for anything less than that and I understand that.

"I mean, I'd happily fight him if Isaac pulled out, you know, and he could come down to Bournemouth, I'd happily fight him then, but it's a business and that's why you have a manager and a team behind you.

"But yeah, I think it's a fight that makes sense for a world title."

Chris Billam-Smith vs Isaac Chamberlain will air live and exclusively on Sky Sports, with tickets available to purchase via boxxer.com/tickets.