Mike Coppinger reports that Subriel Matias’ mandatory WBC supe rlightweight title defense against Dalton Smith, previously eyed for November, has a new working date of January 10th in New York City.
Earlier rumblings had the fight joining David Benavidez vs Anthony Yarde in Riyadh on November 22nd, but when that didn’t come to pass, Fresh Promotions set their sights on the following Saturday in Matias’ (23-2, 22 KO) native Puerto Rico. This latest left turn still gives Matias home-field advantage,
as NYC serves as a classic stomping ground for boricua fighters.
Per Coppinger, standout countrymen Emmanuel Rodriguez, Jeyvier Cintron, and Alfredo Santiago will populate the undercard. Rodriguez is the strongest of the lot, a two-time titlist at 118, but hasn’t fought since suffering a tough loss to Ryosuke Nishida last year
This will mark Smith’s (18-0, 13 KO) first trip across the pond after six years in the pro ranks. Britain has hosted all but two of his bouts, a pair of early career pit stops in Italy and Austria.
