Britain's Dalton Smith has beaten Subriel Matias to become the new world champion in New York. The 28-year-old from Sheffield, who was a huge underdog going into the fight, landed a looping overhand right that knocked out his opponent in the fifth round at the Barclays Center.
The bout marked a coming-of-age moment for Smith, who was making his first major stoppage victory. He stood toe-to-toe with the heavy-handed Puerto Rican and dropped him with just two minutes remaining of the fight. Matias tried to get back to his feet but Smith's trainer and father, Grant, rushed into the ring in celebration.
Smith had been tipped for big things before the fight, but he proved himself to be more than a match for the reigning champion. "It's the first time in my career I've been the underdog and the first time I've fought a monster," Smith said in a post-fight interview. "I didn't really stick to the tactics tonight. I played him at his own game."
Matias was left sprawled on the canvas but managed to beat the count. However, he stumbled back to his feet and was unable to recover as Smith landed several heavy left hooks that snapped Matias' head back.
The win marks a major milestone for Smith, who joins an exclusive list of British fighters to have won world titles in the US. The likes of Bob Fitzsimmons, Alan Minter, Lloyd Honeyghan, Nigel Benn, Darren Barker, James DeGale and Kell Brook all feature on the list.
Smith will now set his sights on the division's other top contenders. WBO and Ring Magazine titleholder Teofimo Lopez is set to face Shakur Stevenson on January 31st, while Gary Russell holds the WBA belt and Richardson Hitchins is the IBF champion.
In a statement, promoter Eddie Hearn said: "Justice shall be served" in reference to Matias' adverse drug-test findings. However, the New York State Athletic Commission had ruled that the concentration detected was below the threshold used by major boxing jurisdictions, allowing the bout to proceed.
The win marks an exciting moment for British boxing and cements Smith's status as one of the UK's top contenders.
The bout marked a coming-of-age moment for Smith, who was making his first major stoppage victory. He stood toe-to-toe with the heavy-handed Puerto Rican and dropped him with just two minutes remaining of the fight. Matias tried to get back to his feet but Smith's trainer and father, Grant, rushed into the ring in celebration.
Smith had been tipped for big things before the fight, but he proved himself to be more than a match for the reigning champion. "It's the first time in my career I've been the underdog and the first time I've fought a monster," Smith said in a post-fight interview. "I didn't really stick to the tactics tonight. I played him at his own game."
Matias was left sprawled on the canvas but managed to beat the count. However, he stumbled back to his feet and was unable to recover as Smith landed several heavy left hooks that snapped Matias' head back.
The win marks a major milestone for Smith, who joins an exclusive list of British fighters to have won world titles in the US. The likes of Bob Fitzsimmons, Alan Minter, Lloyd Honeyghan, Nigel Benn, Darren Barker, James DeGale and Kell Brook all feature on the list.
Smith will now set his sights on the division's other top contenders. WBO and Ring Magazine titleholder Teofimo Lopez is set to face Shakur Stevenson on January 31st, while Gary Russell holds the WBA belt and Richardson Hitchins is the IBF champion.
In a statement, promoter Eddie Hearn said: "Justice shall be served" in reference to Matias' adverse drug-test findings. However, the New York State Athletic Commission had ruled that the concentration detected was below the threshold used by major boxing jurisdictions, allowing the bout to proceed.
The win marks an exciting moment for British boxing and cements Smith's status as one of the UK's top contenders.
He went from being a huge underdog to becoming the new world champion in the most epic way possible. I mean, that looping overhand right that knocked out Subriel Matias was insane! 
Smith proved everyone wrong and showed the world what he's capable of. It's amazing how much heart and determination he had in that ring. His father Grant must be so proud of him too 
. This win is not just a milestone for Smith, but also a huge boost to British boxing as a whole 
anyway smith's win is major momentum 4 his career & now he gets to fight some top contenders 
can't wait 2 c how he'll do against teofimo lopez! 
... like what if that trainer of Dalton's was trying to distract Subriel with all that shouting? Or maybe there was some kind of pre-fight deal between Eddie Hearn and Grant Smith - I mean, come on, who gets a statement saying "justice shall be served" right after the win? That's just too convenient 
It's all connected, folks...
he's like a superhero in the ring, all that pressure and then boom! looping overhand right takes out subriel matias 
... I mean, it's about time, right? Dalton Smith is like the ultimate underdog story - who wouldn't want to root for the guy 
. And that looping overhand right was like a punch in the face (literally) to Subriel Matias' reputation 
. But seriously, can't wait to see what's next for this talented young Brit 
. Maybe he'll even take down Teofimo Lopez and become the new king of boxing 
... or at least not get knocked out by him 
. Either way, it's gonna be interesting!
smith's trainer dad grant just lost it in the ring lol. anyway, congrats to dalton on his big win!!! now he's got his sights on teofimo lopez and shakur stevenson - bring it on!!! 