The WBC reports that Puerto Rico's Subriel Matías (pictured) will defend his WBC junior welterweight title against Britain’s Dalton Smith on January 10th in New York at a venue still to be confirmed. Matías (23-2, 22 KOs) captured the WBC belt on July 12th when he defeated Dominican Alberto Puello by majority decision. It was the first time in his career that the Puerto Rican secured a victory on the scorecards as all hos other wins came by way of KO. Smith (18-0, 13 KOs), on the other hand, arrives undefeated and with a rapid rise in the division. The Englishman creached world level in 2024 by knocking out José Zepeda, and in 2025 he added further international experience.