BOURNEMOUTH cruiserweight Chris Billam-Smith admitted Michal Plesnik had provided his toughest test after extending his flawless professional record.

The former Poole ABC star outpointed Slovakian Plesnik in an entertaining eight-rounder at the O2 Academy on Saturday.

Billam-Smith topped the bill of Steve Bendall’s “The Dawning” show and delighted watching fans by increasing to 6-0-0 his career numbers.

The Gentleman’s previous five fights had lasted a combined 10 rounds, so this latest bout, which saw him triumph 80-72 on the judges’ scorecards, saw his durability tested.

Billam-Smith told the Daily Echo: “It was a good night and good to get the rounds under my belt.

“I was a bit gutted not to get the stoppage but I learned a lot so that will stand me in good stead for the future.

“The fight went how I thought it would. He was fairly heavy-handed so I had to stay sharp early on and not get tagged with any big shots.

“Then I just had to follow the instructions from Shane (McGuigan, trainer). The right hook was working well and was hurting him but then the body shots were hurting him as well.

“Maybe I was looking for the right hook too much because it was landing and perhaps wasn’t using enough variety, like I have done before to finish opponents.

“He was a lot tougher than my other opponents. He was a lot better at surviving. He was a tough bloke and it was my toughest professional fight by a long way.”

Plans are yet to be unveiled for Billam-Smith’s return to the ring. And rest and relaxation are the only things on the 27-year-old’s agenda for now.

He said: “I’ve got a cut on the bridge of my nose, a fat lip and a few bruises, so I’m going to have a rest and allow that to heal.

“I will get back into camp in a couple of weeks and then we will see what’s next.”