Over the weekend at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, Dalton Smith (19-0, 14 KOs) shocked the boxing world by scoring a huge fifth-round TKO over Subriel Matias (23-3, 22 KOs) to claim the WBC super lightweight title. When the fight was stopped in the fifth round, it was challenged not only by Matias but also by his fans on social media, who believed it was too early. The third man in the ring, referee Ricky Gonzalez, spoke exclusively to FightsATW to share his thought process behind stopping the fight in the fifth.
Subriel Matias vs Dalton Smith- The Fight
Coming into fight night, those evaluating the matchup knew that for Smith to win, he needed to be smart and box carefully without taking too many risks, as Matias is known to overwhelm his opponents with relentless pressure and offense. From the start of the fight, which saw Smith charge at Matias, he wasted no time in pumping his left jab and landing a vicious overhand right that forced Matias’ head back significantly. Smith decided he wanted to show Matias who was boss early on by boxing but also being aggressive with his offense. This surprised Matias, and he spent most of the first round with a high guard defensive posture.
When the second round arrived, Smith implemented the next phase of his plan, which was to hold Matias in an effort to frustrate him. Matias did become frustrated, but it also motivated him to close the gap and unleash his offense. He finished the round strongly, and the momentum seemed to shift in favor of the Puerto Rican fighter. In the third round, Smith made a questionable adjustment by going blow for blow with Matias. This strategy continued into the fourth round, and by the end of it, Smith suffered a cut over his left eye from Matias’ punches. At this point, it was no longer a matter of “if,” but “when” someone was going to get knocked out.
In came the fifth round, and they picked up right where they left off, going toe-to-toe. Smith landed a huge right hand that sent Matias stumbling forward half a step. Then Smith followed with two more overhand rights, with the last one knocking Matias down to the canvas. He didn’t wait long to get back up (at the five count), which, in hindsight, was a mistake, and he stumbled back as his leg buckled. The referee looked into Matias’ eyes and waved off the fight, making Smith the new WBC champion.
Referee Ricky Gonzalez Talks The Stoppage
In the rounds leading up to the fifth, referee Ricky Gonzalez knew this fight was heading toward a finish at some point, especially considering how the first four rounds played out. “Their styles were made for each other,” Gonzalez told FightsATW. “They were going at it with no defense. The way the fight was unfolding, you could see it was going to get ugly as far as damage caused from one boxer to the other. You just knew it wasn’t going to go the distance. Subriel (Matias) may have taken a little more, as his defense was somewhat lacking, but overall, it was pretty even.
Then, with 47 seconds left in round five, Matias was knocked down, and according to Gonzalez, he did not like what he saw.
“When he went down, my first reaction was to turn the other boxer to the neutral corner,” said Gonzalez. “I picked up the count; it was a hard knockdown. Then, when he got up, I saw that he stumbled as his leg buckled. His eyes were very glazed. The physical damage he incurred in that round and when he went down in that instant made me think that if I had allowed him to continue, that next punch could have ended his career and possibly his life.”
Gonzalez continued, “I’ve done over 700 fights and have seen many knockouts. There were times when guys got knocked down and got up but weren’t wobbling. He (Matias) got up, but he was not ready. Safety comes first. Had he taken one more punch, it would have been over for him.”
Although Matias made a small fuss about the decision to stop the fight, Gonzalez told FightsATW that he was never confronted by Matias’ team or Fresh Productions, the promoter on record, about the call. Gonzalez also mentioned that where he gets dressed in the back is where the fighters meet the doctor after the fight, and when they ran into each other, not a word was said. After thinking about it, maybe Matias’ team and Matias himself knew that the stoppage was the right call.
Referees are often criticized when they stop a fight or deduct points, but in this case, and upon watching the fight again, it was the right decision to stop the fight. Smith rightfully earned the TKO and is now a player at 140.
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