Mohsin Hussain/Matchroom BoxingDalton Smith knocked out the boogeyman to win his first world title Saturday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Smith landed the right hand of a lifetime, leading to a fifth-round technical knockout over Subriel Matias to win the WBC junior welterweight title. The time of stoppage was 2 minutes, 24 seconds.
Smith, of Sheffield, U.K., started fast in the first round, boxing well on the outside. In the second round, he continued to box – but brought the fight to Matias in spurts. Matias, meanwhile, landed short, concise blows, and neither man established a clear edge.
In the third, though, Smith began to exchange with Matias, standing in front of him, which led to Matias’ best moments in the fight. The tide appeared to be turning.
By the end of the fourth round, Smith had a cut over his left eye and blood flowed down his face, which the referee had ruled came from a headbutt. Then in the fifth, suddenly, the tide came in again: Smith landed a right hand that wobbled Matias, who took his first backward step of the fight. Seconds later, Smith landed another right hand that sent Matias reeling to the canvas. The 33-year-old Matias, of Fajardo, Puerto Rico, clambered back to his feet, but the referee had seen enough and called off the bout.
Smith won a title, but perhaps the bigger achievement was becoming the first person to drop and stop Matias, a fearsome puncher – and also making his opponent eat his pre-fight words.
“It was the first time in my career I was the underdog,” Smith, 28, said in the ring afterward. “Put me against a monster, and you will not bring the little girl out of me; you will bring the monster, like I said. Bring on the challengers. I am now world champion. I am one of the best.”
Said Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn, who promotes Smith: “What he did tonight was incredible, because he beat Matias at his own game. Dalton Smith just announced himself as the new superstar in the 140lbs division. … That was unbelievable to watch: blood, guts and balls of steel.”
After the victory, Smith, who improved to 19-0 (14 KOs), handed the title to his father, Grant Smith, in the ring.
Matias dropped to 23-3 (22 KOs), losing the title in his first defense after winning it in July against previous titleholder Alberto Puello.
Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.
