Dalton Smith W12 Alberto Puello... Dalton Smith's Sheffield, England homecoming was a successful one after he beat Alberto Puello by split decision in the first defense of his WBC junior welterweight title. A two-time former title holder, Puello looked to get his jab going early, but it was Smith who struck first with a right hand to the chest in round one. It was clear Smith was trying to force the pace with the faster hand speed which carried plenty of power. Smith continued to edge forward in the second with his shots missing by mere inches with Puello’s body the main target. The pair traded blows with 15 seconds remaining, but there was little budge from either man. Smith’s trainer and father, Grant, was enjoying this chess match as he looked over to Puello’s corner at the end of round two with a smirk on his face.
The counter right of Smith found occasional success in the third, but Puello was savvy enough to quickly leap out of danger whenever he felt ‘Thunder’ preparing to mount an attack. Smith found a way to close the distance in the fourth, using his left hand to step in and unleash the right which had the Dominican in trouble. ‘Thunder’ closed the session with a left-right combination drawing gasps from the boisterous Sheffield crowd. The pair traded blows in round five with Puello gaining confidence and not afraid to go toe-to-toe with the defending champion at the sound of the bell.
Backed into his own corner, a Puello slip in the sixth got the crowd excited, but he finished the round strongly, with several jabs landing on Smith who needed to concentrate against an opponent who was growing into the fight. Puello continued to grow with Smith’s output significantly less compared to the opening rounds, and the challenger’s power was starting to come through with a thumping right hook the highlight in round seven. Puello’s up and down head movement seemed to stump Smith who looked a bit puzzled in the eighth.
The two fighters met in the center of the ring for round nine with Smith landing a low right to Puello’s midriff. The Dominican fighter returned one of his own shortly after and it was clear this world title fight was in the balance. An uneventful tenth set up a fascinating final two rounds with there being a split in consensus as to who was edging this finely posed chess match between two elite super lightweights.
Smith landed the first meaningful blow in round eleven, backing Puello onto the ropes, but his looping right just glanced Puello’s head who shimmied out of danger. ‘Thunder’ continued marching his opponent down and this disrupted Puello who was struggling to respond to whatever was coming his way. Getting into a tangle in the final session’ opening seconds, Smith’s trainer and father, Grant, urged him to step on the gas after a brief pause. A close exchange saw a cut appear on Smith’s right check which quickly became a target for Puello as his left hand became more active. A packed Utilita Arena held its breath after it was announced that the first two judges’ scorecards were 115-113 Smith and 116-112 Puello, then a huge sigh relief as the final judge gave the contest to Smith with a 115-113 card.
