Dalton Smith makes the first defence of his WBC super lightweight title against former champion Alberto Puello at the Utilita Arena in his home city of Sheffield on Saturday, 24 October. Smith won the belt by stopping Subriel Matías in New York in January. Puello is his mandatory challenger and a two-time world titleholder whose only defeat came against the same Matías. Matchroom promotes, and the whole card is live on DAZN.
Tale of the tape
| Dalton Smith | Alberto Puello | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 19-0 (14 KO) | 25-1 (11 KO) |
| Title | WBC super lightweight champion | Former WBA and WBC champion |
| Age | 29 | 32 (born 22 July 1994) |
| Stance | Orthodox | Southpaw |
| Division | Super lightweight, 140 lb (63.5 kg) | Super lightweight, 140 lb (63.5 kg) |
| From | Sheffield, England | San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic |
| Last fight | W TKO 5 Subriel Matías, January 2026 | W TKO 4 Miguel Ángel Bolaño, 18.07.2026 |
Records: Matchroom. Ages: BBC. Stance: BoxRec and PBC.
Dalton Smith: Sheffield’s world champion comes home
Smith came through the domestic route, winning English, British, Commonwealth and European titles before his big night in Brooklyn. In January he went to the United States for the first time to face Matías, one of the division’s most feared punchers, and chose to trade with him. In the fifth round he dropped Matías with a huge right hand and the referee stopped it. It was the first time Matías had been stopped as a pro.
The Zepeda fight is the most useful guide for Saturday. Zepeda is a southpaw, like Puello, and Smith beat him with patience and a long, loose jab before an uppercut stunned him and one straight shot to the body ended it.
This is also a homecoming in more ways than one. The fight was first set for June but was postponed after Smith was injured in training, and he hasn’t boxed in Sheffield for over a year.
Recent form (BoxRec):
- W TKO 5 Subriel Matías, Brooklyn, January 2026 (WBC title won)
- W UD 12 Mathieu Germain, Sheffield, 19.04.2025
- W TKO 1 Walid Ouizza, Nottingham, 25.01.2025 (vacant European title)
- W KO 5 José Zepeda, Sheffield, 23.03.2024 (vacant WBC Silver title)
- W TKO 7 Sam Maxwell, Sheffield, 01.07.2023 (British and Commonwealth titles)
Alberto Puello: the slick southpaw who wins close fights
Puello is very hard to beat cleanly. He won the WBA title against Batyr Akhmedov in 2022, beat the highly rated Gary Antuanne Russell for the WBC interim belt in 2024, was elevated to full champion and then beat Sandor Martín. All three of those were split decisions.
His one loss was a majority decision to Matías in July 2025. He boxed on the back foot for long spells, landed the cleaner shots and hurt Matías with a left uppercut, but the judges preferred Matías’s pressure. One of DAZN’s commentators said the judges “got it wrong”. He returned this July with a fourth-round stoppage of Miguel Ángel Bolaño in Santo Domingo.
Recent form (PBC):
- W TKO 4 Miguel Ángel Bolaño, Santo Domingo, 18.07.2026
- L MD 12 Subriel Matías, New York, 12.07.2025 (WBC title lost)
- W SD 12 Sandor Martín, Brooklyn, 01.03.2025 (WBC title retained)
- W SD 12 Gary Antuanne Russell, Las Vegas, 15.06.2024 (WBC interim title)
- W UD 8 Ector Madera, Minneapolis, 16.12.2023
Styles: how Smith vs Puello plays out
This is a completely different puzzle to Matías. Matías came forward and let Smith counter him. Puello will make Smith come to him, moving, countering and fighting in spurts.
Smith’s best weapons fit the job. His long jab and his body punching both work against a moving southpaw, as Zepeda found out. Puello’s best work comes off the back foot with a straight left and that left uppercut when opponents lunge in. If Smith walks in carelessly behind his right hand, Puello can make him look bad and steal rounds.
Key factors
- Body shots. Chasing Puello’s head won’t work; slowing his legs might.
- Southpaw angles. The battle over the lead foot will decide who lands the straight back hand first.
- Home crowd. Smith is fighting in front of his home city, which can help him in close rounds.
- Puello’s chin. He has never been stopped as a pro, so Smith may need all 12 rounds.
Our pick: Smith by decision
Puello is a tricky, experienced southpaw and a live underdog. But Smith has the power, the body attack and the home advantage, and he’s already shown he can break down a good southpaw. We expect a tactical fight in which Smith’s jab and body work win him the rounds Puello doesn’t clearly take. Pick: Smith by decision. A late stoppage is possible if the body shots add up.
Also on the card: Giorgio Visioli vs Maxi Hughes
Matchroom hasn’t named an official co-main, but its card lists Giorgio Visioli (11-0, 6 KO) against Maxi Hughes (29-9-2, 6 KO) second, for the vacant WBC International Silver lightweight title. It’s an unbeaten prospect against a seasoned veteran. Hughes is very experienced and hard to beat clearly, but Visioli is unbeaten and has the momentum. Pick: Visioli by decision.
Where to watch Smith vs Puello LIVE Stream
- Date: Saturday, 24 October 2026
- Venue: Utilita Arena, Sheffield
- DAZN coverage starts: 19:00 BST = 14:00 ET / 21:00 Riga (DAZN)
- Smith vs Puello ring walks: about 22:00-22:15 BST = 17:00-17:15 ET / 00:00-00:15 Riga (Sunday) (estimates from BBC and DAZN, not official; depends on the undercard)
- Doors: 16:00 BST (BBC)
How to watch: live on DAZN, Matchroom’s official broadcaster. DAZN says the whole card streams worldwide with a DAZN subscription. Check the price in your country on DAZN.
