Smith states next challenger is “better” than British rival.
When we were still in the very early days of 2026, Dalton Smith went over to the United States to take on Subriel Matías, the feared, heavy-handed WBC super-lightweight champion from Puerto Rico.
Smith was an unbeaten contender, but hadn’t fought someone on Matías’s level previously. For this reason, most believed that the Briton would ultimately come up short.
However, Smith would end up taking the title home when he stopped Matías in the 5th round, pulling off what many have since claimed is one of the very best victories a British fighter has ever performed.
It was in early June that Smith was originally set to make his maiden title defence against former titleholder and mandatory challenger Alberto Puello, who Matías had claimed the WBC title from one fight prior to his loss to Smith.
Only, Smith’s first fight as champion would fall apart when he suffered an injury, forcing himself off the show entirely. However, it would be rescheduled and is due to happen in Smith’s hometown of Sheffield in October.
It is ahead of that date that Smith has commented on a fight with a fellow super-lightweight from Britain who has been linked to an affair with him for a while now: Adam Azim.
On the possibility of a clash with Azim happening, Smith told The Ring, “As long as we both win and keep winning, of course. And like I said, he’s got to go and prove himself.
“I’ve got bigger, I’ve got harder fights in front of me, and that’s Alberto Puello. For me, he’s a better fighter than Adam Azim. But he’s doing his thing, and if it makes sense at the right time, then of course it’ll be a fight that happens.”
British fans are used to seeing all-U.K. rivalries arrive late in the post or not happen at all. Let us hope that Smith vs. Azim is not another example of this.
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