Dalton Smith firmly believes he can defeat fearsome puncher Subriel Mathias as he aims to become Britain’s newest world champion this weekend.
The undefeated Sheffield fighter will face Puerto Rican Matias for the WBC super-lightweight title in the early hours of Sunday morning at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Mathias has a terrifying fight record, with 22 stoppages in 23 wins with just two defeats, but Smith insists he can land the final decisive blow this weekend.
“My goal is to be a WBC world champion,” said Smith, who has 13 stops on his 18-match unbeaten streak. Ski Sports.
“I believe I can make a statement and stop Matthias, but whatever happens, I’m going there to win and make sure my hand is raised at the end.”
The build-up to a world title fight was overshadowed by Matias’ positive test for a banned substance at a Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) test in November.
Matias remains WBC champion after failing a pre-fight drug test
The VBC said in a statement that there were “extenuating circumstances”, stating that Mathias had consumed supplements known to be contaminated with Ostarine, and the adverse findings stated that the levels of Ostarine were “relatively low and consistent with supplements contaminating Ostarine”.
But Smith remained fully focused on achieving his ultimate goal, becoming Britain’s next world champion after Fabio Wardley was awarded the retired WBO world heavyweight title.
“It would mean everything to me. I’ve been working for this since I first walked into the gym at six,” he said.
“I do it for my family, my team, my fans and my city.”