Pushing the window curtains aside, The Ring’s No. 3-rated cruiserweight points out toward a tower block about 100 feet away.

“That one there,” he says. “My flat is in there, just on the other side.”

The proud Bournemouth native relocates to London before every fight so he can be as close as possible to his training base at Shane McGuigan’s gym in Leyton.

That means Saturday night’s clash with Chev Clarke, at Copper Box Arena, will feel like a home fixture for CBS, who can walk to the venue from his temporary flat up the tower block in the distance.

But with a wife and two young sons back home in Bournemouth, training camps are becoming increasingly emotional experiences for the former WBO cruiserweight world champion. Now 36, The Gentleman knows his day job in London has cost him many priceless moments back home.

“There is a lot of frustration I need to take out on Saturday night,” he tells The Ring. “I’ve missed a lot of things, a lot of firsts, during this camp in particular.

“Most importantly, I missed my youngest boy’s first steps because I was in camp. But I’m used to this sort of thing now, I guess; I missed my eldest’s first steps too.

“But a man has to prepare to be able to do his job properly. That’s the way I look at it, and that’s what I’ve been doing.”

Billam-Smith (22-2, 14 KOs) is well known for his diligence in camp, and his decision to live in London Monday to Friday is a non-negotiable given it’s a 250-mile round trip back home to Bournemouth. But while it was a personal sacrifice during his 20s, things have changed since the arrival of his eldest son Frank and his youngest Bear.

“When you get your family involved, it’s very difficult,” he says. “These are times that you simply can never get back, especially when you’re missing things like first steps. You know you will never get that opportunity again. A first time only ever happens once, and I’ve missed both of those now.

“It’s really hard to do it, but I am also lucky that I get to go home at the weekends. Some people work away for months at a time, so I have to take stock on a bigger scale sometimes. It means when I am home I need to be present, which is hard when you’re in camp, and you’re thinking about your weight, your food and your training. But after the fight I get to just be a dad and a husband full time. A lot of people don’t get that.”

Billam-Smith is now in his 10th year as a professional, and Saturday’s clash with Clarke, who beat him twice in the amateurs during 2016, will be the 25th outing of a career he could only have dreamed of.

He has claimed British, Commonwealth, European and world titles at 200 pounds and lost on points to Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez in their WBO/WBA unification in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in November 2024.

His clash with Clarke is the second fight of his deal with Zuffa Boxing, and a win will keep him at the sharp end of the division. For now, plenty remains to fight for.

“I have moments when I’m on my own in camp, and it’s the evening,” he says. “When you’ve had a hard day of training, and I get sent a video of something like my son’s first steps. I do get emotional then, but it’s fine. I think it’s important to do that there and then, let it out rather than bottle it up.

“I bottled it all up for the Chamberlain fight and then in the changing rooms after I’d won I just burst out crying. Now I’m better at compartmentalizing everything and dealing with it as it comes in the right moments. It’s not an easy existence, but it’s the choice I’ve made and the sacrifice many fighters make. My job is to make sure it’s all worth it.”

So have he and his wife Mia thought about an exit plan? Billam-Smith smiles.

“Yeah,” he says. “Me and Mia have an idea of that, but I’m not telling you. That’s between us for now.”

Besides, he's only two days away from a professional showdown 10 years in the making. Now is not the time to think about life after boxing.

“Exactly,” he says. “This fight feels more like work, but there are still personal reasons behind it, mainly for my younger self.

“This is also about sending a message that it’s not about winning all the time. Life is about keep on keeping on, and it’s important for me to prove that on Saturday night. It would feel like a circle closed.”