The pressure is on Subriel Matias before the bell.
The fight is less about who wins than it is about how reliable Matias is at this stage.
On Saturday night at the Barclays Center, Matias made the first defense of his WBC junior welterweight title against undefeated Englishman Dalton Smith, and the fight was less about power than duty. Negotiations were halted, and the fight was sent to the bidding process, where Matias’ promoter, Fresh Productions, won with a bid of 1.9 million. This was no random fight. It was forced into position.
It almost fell apart again in November when Matias returned a negative test for Ostarine in a VADA test. The organizers set the stage below the door. The New York commission and the WBC allowed the fight to go ahead. Official clearance does not mean it is forgotten. The probe follows him into the ring.
Matias entered 23rd with 2 and 22 knockouts. He is ranked number two by The Ring at 140 pounds. He won the WBC title by majority decision against Alberto Puello in July. This was the first decision he won in his career and it was also the first time that the enemy did not completely break his influence. Before that, he held the IBF belt and lost it to Liam Paro in June 2024. The aura is now broken. Not big. But visible.
Smith is 18 and 0 with 13 strikeouts and ranks seventh by the Ring. He came off a clear decision against Mathieu Germain, in which he scored three knockdowns. He is disciplined. He is the creator. He wasn’t drawn to the type of fight that Matias needed. That is the test.
There is no secret in how Matias tries to win. He presses on. He is crowded. He throws until the other man stops responding. If he wins here, it will be because Smith is forced back for a long time and works every second. Matias cannot afford the lateness he showed against Puello. If his velocity drops again, Smith has the structure to survive.
Matias list of minus 160 likes. That number reflects the background more than certainty.
When Matias wins, the division opens again. A fight with the interim WBC title holder Isaac Cruz will be brutal and unsolvable by design. A matchup with IBF champion Richardson Hitchins will be even cooler and more dangerous.
At 33, Matias has no time to flow. He needs results to close the doors behind him.
The card streams on PPV dot com beginning at 8pm Eastern for 54 dollars and 99 cents.
If Matias cannot give himself here, it will be a clear sign that he is not serious enough.
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Last updated on 01/09/2026