Matias Defends WBC Belt Vs Smith On January 10

Smith arrives for his first world title opportunity with an undefeated record of 18 wins and 13 knockouts. The former British and European champion earned his mandatory position with a first round stoppage of Walid Ouizza, followed by a unanimous decision victory over Mathieu Germain. This will be Smith’s first fight scheduled for twelve rounds.

Keys to Victory — Subriel Matias

• Apply constant forward pressure
• Force Smith toward the ropes
• Commit to sustained body work
• Keep exchanges short and physical
• Slow the pace into the later rounds

Keys to Victory — Dalton Smith

• Maintain lateral movement
• Avoid prolonged exchanges
• Control distance with straight punches
• Stay off the center line
• Exit after scoring, do not linger

The bout was briefly placed in doubt following an adverse finding from a VADA out of competition test involving Matias. The New York State Athletic Commission later confirmed that the reported concentration was below the threshold used by several major jurisdictions, including New York.

The commission stated that Matias remains licensed, has cooperated fully, and will continue to undergo additional testing. At present, the fight remains scheduled to proceed as planned.

The undercard features multiple junior welterweight bouts, including Alfredo Santiago against Hendri Cedeno in a ten round regional title fight. Former titleholder Emmanuel Rodriguez returns in a bantamweight bout against Fernando Diaz. Jeyvier Cintron faces Jonathan Rodriguez at junior bantamweight, while Nestor Bravo meets Pedro Campa in another junior welterweight contest. Keith Colon and Alberto Guevara are set for eight rounds at featherweight, with Jahanzeb Rizwan also scheduled to appear.