WORLD champion Chris Billam-Smith says he is using his past experiences to help new stablemate and "homebird" Lee Cutler adapt to life at the McGuigan gym.

Cutler left long-term trainer Kev Thorniley earlier this year, to link up with Josh Pritchard in London, training in the same gym under Shane McGuigan alongside the likes of Billam-Smith, Adam Azim and Caroline Dubois.

Both Billam-Smith and Cutler are fighting for titles at the Bournemouth International Centre on Sunday.

Billam-Smith (18-1) headlines against Mateusz Masternak (47-5), looking to retain his WBO cruiserweight belt, while Cutler (13-1) will take on Kingsley Egbunike (8-2-1) for the vacant English super-welterweight crown.

Discussing Cutler’s switch from Poole to the capital, friend Billam-Smith told the Daily Echo: “It’s good. It’s nice to have him up with me.

“I’ve been in his shoes where obviously every fight now for him is a crucial point in his career.

“It always is, but he’s building still and rebuilding in a way since a loss, which is what I had to do as well.

“Now he’s just training with Josh Pritchard up here in our gym, sleeping on a mattress on the floor in my place at the moment.

“He’s willing to make those compromises of moving away from home.

“I know he’s a homebird, but he’s willing to do that now and he’s willing to make those compromises to become a better fighter, take that leap and concentrate solely on getting better.”

Bournemouth favourite Billam-Smith added: “Where I’ve been there before, in being the runt of the litter of the gym, which is probably how he feels now, I can sort of talk him through it.

“We’re really good mates anyway, we talk about a lot of stuff.

“But it’s probably good for him to have me there to just help him through any sticky situations and stuff like that, because there will be plenty of them, there always is.

“There still is for me now. So it’s nice to have him there and good to have someone I know so well.”