Dalton Smith is expected to make the first defense of his WBC junior welterweight title against Alberto Puello, his mandatory, on June 6 inside the Sheffield Arena in England on a Matchroom card.
Smith, 19-0 (14 KOs), turned in a scintillating performance to claim the belt from Subriel Matias at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on January 10. The Briton had made no secret of wanting a homecoming bout for his next fight, nor that Puello would be the opponent.
“It’s a good fight for me,” he told BoxingScene last week. “I like southpaws. We were preparing for him before Matias beat him. We’ve been studying him for the best part of a year. He’s a good fighter – but there are no easy fights at world level.”
The 24-1 (10 KOs) Puello, from Dominican Republic, lost the WBC title to Matias on points in July last year and hasn’t fought since. The 31-year-old can boast victories over Sandor Martin and Gary Antuanne Russell before that, however.
Smith had wanted to fight at Hillsborough Stadium, the home of Sheffield Wednesday, but with the football club in administration securing the stadium proved too difficult. Matchroom and Smith remain hopeful that he will get to fight there in the future.
The 29-year-old has enjoyed some memorable nights at the Sheffield Arena. He won the British title there in 2022 when he stopped Sam o’maison in six rounds before claiming the Commonwealth title with victory over Sam Maxwell the following year. In 2024, at the same venue, he knocked out Jose Zepeda in five rounds in what was his biggest victory before challenging Matias.
