Saddled with a $54.95 PPV price on a busy sports day, it’s unlikely many boxing fans enjoyed the first big barnburner fight of 2026. Fortunately, in this streaming era, fans can catch up with some truly exciting highlights of the super lightweight title fight between Subriel Matias and Dalton Smith.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Smith of Sheffield, England (19-0, 14 KOs) swarmed Matias of Puerto Rico (23-3, 22 KOs), proving his championship chops with a fifth-round TKO win in front of Matias’ many fans at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Smith is now the new WBC Super Lightweight champion, with a shot at the winner of the upcoming fight between Teofimo Lopez and Shakur Stevenson at the end of the month.
An elated Smith, flanked by an equally elated Matchroom Sport chairman Eddie Hearn, said, “There are no words. A lifelong dream, hard work, and sacrifice, it’s all for this moment.
“My Dad, my Granddad, all my family, we’ve all worked for this, and I always believed. It’s a message to anyone that if you believe in yourself, you can go out and achieve your dreams.
“I said put me against a monster. You won’t bring the little girl out of me. You’ll bring out a monster. So, bring on the challengers,” insisted Smith. “I’m now world champion. I’m one of the best, if not the best, in the 140-pound division, and I can’t wait to be in the mix of it.”
Fight Catches Fire From the Opening Bell
Smith got off to a strong start in his role as the underdog to Matias. He showed no hesitation about trading with the Puerto Rican power puncher. Matias is known as a slow starter, and Smith took advantage of it.
But not for long. Matias roared back in the second round. It was game on from there. Fans were treated to nonstop action, with both fighters taking the lead at times. Both men have wicked right hands, and both landed them. Smith began bleeding from the nose after Matias connected.
But Smith gave it right back to Matias. As Matias increased his offense, Smith held, but the aggressive fighters ground away when clinching. Referee Ricky Gonzalez had to warn both against their misdeeds, including hitting on the break. Fortunately, Gonzalez didn’t have to intervene much until the end of the fight.
Smith showed a good chin, and he needed it in the fourth round. He got a piece back out of Matias in a blistering exchange at the end of the round. But Smith also suffered a nasty cut above the left eye as a result of an accidental headbutt.
Dalton Smith Hears “And The New”
Whether the headbutt lit a fire under Smith or it was simply his desire to become a world champion, Smith delivered a series of power punches at the end of the fifth round, including three of the hardest right hands in combination you’ll see outside the heavyweight division.
Those punches nearly knocked Matias out cold before he hit the canvas. Surprisingly he bounced up on his feet, but it was obvious to all including referee Gonzalez that Matias’ night was over, and called a stop to the fight at 2:24 of round five.
Smith was ahead on two of the three scorecards at the time of the stoppage by 39-37, with Matias ahead on the third by the same 39-37.
Knockout Glory for Smith
“I heard some people say that Dalton Smith ain’t tough. I gave my Dad a bit of a heart attack in there as that wasn’t the game plan, but I took all his best shots and thought, ‘You can’t hurt me.’ He was slowing down, so I thought, ‘persevere, persevere, and I’ll get you.’
“We had plan A, B, and C, and at world level you have to do it all,” said Smith.
Smith said the victory will take a little while to sink in, but he was always confident he would become a world champion.
“We had everything against us for this fight. The build-up, the testing, and so on. But I knew that this was my moment and my opportunity, and that you could throw anything at me. I’ve got the best team around me, the best promoter in the world, and it’s a win for us all,” said Smith.
Eddie Hearn: ‘Greatest Win I’ve Ever Witnessed’
Promoter Eddie Hearn is not shy about delivering over-the-top remarks, but on Saturday, his genuine elation at Smith’s victory could be forgiven. Hearn has worked with many world champions including Anthony Joshua and Katie Taylor. Hearn put Saturday’s fight alongside some of his all-time favorites.
“You talk about Darren Barker against Daniel Geale, Kell Brook against Shawn Porter, honestly, that beats everything – that’s the greatest away win I’ve ever witnessed,” said Hearn.
“Dalton is a hero. You have to box with Matias, you saw that from Liam Paro, but Matias was on tonight, he was red hot, and he didn’t allow Dalton to box.
“So Dalton decided to fight Matias at his own game, which is the worst idea you can have – he’s never been hurt, he’s never been down – and he battered him, put him down, in New York to become the latest British World champion. The kid is a hero, and there’s a new superstar in the sport of boxing, and his name is Dalton Smith.”
Dalton Smith: A Star Is Born
“He boxed lovely in the first round and then all of a sudden he’s getting hurt, he’s cut, but he stayed trading with him. They were both getting tired, but Dalton hit him to the body about a minute before the stoppage and really hurt him, and then the right hands landed and that’s all she wrote – that is what dreams are made of.
“We knew Dalton was a star, but to do that on the World stage in New York and in that style. People were talking about this fight and that fight, Adam Azim and the like, Dalton Smith has gone out and accepted the boogeyman, met him head on in New York, and stopped Subriel Matias to become the world champion.
“Put some respect on his name,” added Hearn, who says Smith is the champion his devoted fans in Sheffield have awaited for a long time. A contingent made the trip to New York to cheer on their man, and it’s a fight they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.
“United Kingdom, I fuckin’ love ya,” Smith called out to his supporters. “You’ve traveled all this way and believed in me, so a big thank you,” adding his thanks to the Puerto Rican fans present to support Matias, who he called a “true champion.
Smith admitted he originally planned to box Matias a bit more. But when the fists started flying, Smith said he couldn’t hold back. “I kind of got drawn in, and I thought, ‘You know what? I took your best shots, you can’t hurt me, and I’m gonna beat you at your own game.’”After the fight, Hearn promised Smith a Rolex watch as a bonus for his victory.
“Show me the money!” said Smith. “Let me enjoy this moment now, I’m going to embrace it, and the future is bright.”
Both Smith and Matias were taken to local hospitals after the bout, Smith for repair to the cut, and Matias as a precaution.
Gayle Falkenthal is an award-winning boxing journalist and the only woman journalist who is a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). She is the Managing Editor for NY Fights based in San Diego, California.