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Add FightsATW on GoogleWhat is at stake for Saturday’s junior welterweight title fight between Dalton Smith and Alberto Puello?
Smith (19-0, 14 KOs), the WBC junior welterweight titleholder, traveled to the U.S. to knock out Subriel Matias. It was a huge win, shifting Matias’s perception from boogeyman to a potentially past-his-prime puncher, and marking a huge moment for a British fighter winning on U.S. soil. Now, he must make a mandatory defense against Puello (25-1, 11 KOs), a former beltholder, with the fight taking place in Smith’s hometown of Sheffield, England.
Dalton Smith, A Modern G.O.A.T?
In recent times, only Kell Brook and Carl Frampton came to the U.S. to win titles overseas (I am probably forgetting someone)… those are two potential Hall of Famers. Doing that tends to change your career arc, going from a good fighter to a beloved one capable of doing the impossible. Now, add to that, he stopped Matias. Yet the fight was on a pay-per-view that few watched, and his return took too long.
This should have been Smith’s year to challenge for “Fighter of the Year,” given his January fight. Instead, most of the year slipped away from him, and he is an afterthought nine months later. Smith is talented, but he is too comfortable staying in the background.
Albert Puello Is The Worst First Title Defense
Puello is not going to load up on power. He is going to dink and dot you. He wants you to think and react; he will throw 30 percent power shots all night and use his feet to cause issues. After such a big win, this might be one of the worst guys to fight at home. Yes, it is a mandatory opponent, but this is a tough one. His lone loss came to Matias; I scored the bout a draw, and if there was a winner, I thought it was Puello.
Puello has no interest in entertaining the fans, either verbally or in the ring. He comes to win and slow the fight down. This is a big test.
Dalton Smith’s Power
Smith is a puncher, and his 73 percent KO ratio shows that. Stopping Jose Zepeda and Matias also confirms that it is real, BUT how does he set it up? This is going to be a fight not so much about power; we know Smith has it, but how does he plan to set it up? Puello is content to tap into an amateur boxing style of back-foot boxing and accumulating points.
Oh, and no one has ever clearly beaten Puello, who has a win over Gary Antuanne Russell.
Inactivity Plagues Both
Since 2024, Smith has fought four times, with only two fights being notable; the others were glorified tune-up bouts. Puello is identical, with three of his four fights being meaningful. In terms of rounds, Puello has gone 192 to Smith’s 116. Not unlike many of this era, both seem to wait around a bit too much.
What Do The Eye Test And Odds Say
The odds favor Smith; my eyes favor Puello.
Boxing is boxing, and you can never fully trust the cards to reflect what we see, sadly, but what Puello presents is a problem Smith has yet to solve as a pro. More so, Puello has fought arguably a better version of Smith (Russell) and tricky veterans like Sandor Martin.
If you are setting the betting lines, you have to favor the local guy based on A-side advantages, but on paper, looking at the match-up based on skills, Puello has many traits you like to see in an underdog.
What to Watch on The Undercard
How good is Giorgio Visioli?
Visioli is someone I have high hopes for. I see him as a future lightweight champ. He had a lot of buzz last year, thanks to internet drama with Curmel Moton. 2026 has been hard on Visioli, as he will fight for the second time this year. Hughes is no pushover, but he is older. That said, Hughes is like a zombie when you think his career is dead, he beats a promising up-and-comer. Think of what he did to Gary Cully.
Shannon Ryan: Substance or style?
Shannon Ryan is a lifelong athlete with model looks. The question is: Can she compete at a world-class level? She looked vulnerable against Jasmina Zapotoczna and then lost to Emma Dolan. Since then, she has won four fights. Dolan was stopped in April by 45-year-old Irma Garcia. Dolan returned to get a win in August.
If Ryan has it, she probably wins. The problem is: Nothing about her career has screamed talent like Skye Nicolson’s. This is a big step in her career because winning isn’t a given.
Leo Atang
Atang is a British heavyweight featured on the prelims against overmatched opposition. The 19-year-old Atang could be in the mix in three to four years, but for fans who like seeing an up-and-comer early in their career, he will get at least one or two big fights in his career.
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