Dalton Smith’s first title defence has date reportedly revealed.
On the 10th of January, slightly over two months ago, Dalton Smith pulled off one of the best victories by a British fighter in a number of years.
Voyaging to the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, New York, “Thunder” took on Subriel Matías, long-feared Puerto Rican boogeyman and reigning WBC super-lightweight champion.
Matías won the first 15 fights of his career inside the distance, but a tragic win over the late Maxim Dadashev is said to have seriously bothered him, aiding in his first-ever defeat to Petros Ananyan.
But after early 2020, Matías resembled something demonic, going on a five-fight run where he made every opponent retire on their stool (including Ananyan in a rematch) and taking the undefeated records of those such as Jeremias Ponce and Batyrzhan Jukembayev (the former win earning him the IBF title).
After a Puerto Rican homecoming ended in a shock points defeat to Liam Paro, Matías would stop Roberto Ramirez and Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela to earn a shot at Alberto Puello, the unbeaten WBC champion.
In a terrific encounter, Matías would get the nod over Puello and become champion for a second time in his first-ever decision victory, though many had Puello winning.
Regardless, Matías would lose his title in his next fight, being felled in five by Dalton Smith.
Due to the nature of Matías’s win over Puello, the WBC had guaranteed that the Dominican would get an immediate shot at whoever won their title, and that mandatory is set to be fulfilled by Smith.
Dalton Smith (19-0, 14 KOs) will reportedly defend his world title against Alberto Puello (24-1, 10 KOs) on the 6th of June, with the Yorkshireman set to fight on home turf in the Sheffield Arena.
The show will be on a Matchroom Boxing card, and the supporting cast is rumoured to feature popular Doncaster heavyweight Dave Allen in a big fight.
🚨 SMITH-PUELLO ON JUNE 6
👀 The WBC super lightweight title fight between Dalton Smith and Alberto Puello is expected to take place on June 6 at the Sheffield Arena in England on a Matchroom show. (@BoxingScene) pic.twitter.com/I10YaovYN9
— EverythingBoxing | Darshan Desai (@EverythingBoxi2) March 17, 2026
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