Just when it looked like Dalton Smith was using the wrong strategy against heavyweight Subriel Matias by staying in the pocket and punching him, the British fighter scored a stunning fifth-round knockout to become the WBC junior welterweight champion in a thrilling clash at New York’s Barclays Center.
Fighting out of Sheffield, United Kingdom, Smith (19-0, 14 KOs) was drawn into what appeared to be an ill-advised face-off with Matias after the first round. While Matias welcomed the close action, Smith held on and weathered the storm. Just when Matias looked like it would break him, Smith unleashed a pair of right hands in the fifth round that made him a world champion. The first shook Matias badly, while the second knocked him to the ground. Matias struggled and eventually managed to get back up, but was seriously injured when the referee stopped the fight with less than a minute remaining in the round.
“This is the first time in my career I’ve been the underdog and the first time I’ve faced a monster,” Smith said. “I canceled out all the noise. Tonight was my night.”
Smith made his U.S. debut in a fight with Matias that almost went nowhere. In November, Matias tested positive for a banned substance in a Voluntary Anti-Doping Association test before the fight. However, after investigation, the WBC ruled in December that he was not guilty of violating the drug policy. It would ultimately be to Smith’s advantage as he pulled off the upset in a fight full of fireworks from the opening bell. Matias (23-3, 22 KO) moved forward and looked to put pressure on Smith with his heavy hands and high punching power. Smith initially tried to stay on the outside and box, but was drawn out in the third round.
The fight seemed to go into Matias’s hands, as he rocked Smith with uppercuts and combination punches. But Smith refused to go away and responded with combinations. Matias’ bravado kept him from disengaging, and she finally caught up with him in the fifth round, when Smith stepped back and fired a strong right hand that caught Matias on the chin. Matias, who hadn’t been knocked out before the fight, gestured to Smith and was met with a second right hand that sent him to the canvas. And that was all Smith needed to become world champion.
“He beat Matias at his own game,” Smith’s promoter Eddie Hearn said. “Matias had never been down or injured before and now Dalton Smith has announced himself as the new superstar of the 140-pound division. The future is incredible.”
Matias won the WBC junior welterweight title with a majority decision over Alberto Puello in July and has long been considered the terror of the division. However, Smith sent a message that he would not allow one of the most powerful punchers in the division to stop him from achieving his goal in Brooklyn. And now he will welcome all challengers for his world title.
“Embrace the challenges,” Smith said. “I’m one of the best, if not the best in the division. I’m ready to mix with everyone.”
