Dalton Smith vs Alberto Puello: everything you need to know
Dalton Smith will defend his WBC light‑welterweight world title for the first time on Saturday 24 October at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena, taking on former champion Alberto Puello. The 29‑year‑old Englishman returns to his hometown nine months after stopping Subriel Matias in New York to claim the belt, a victory that remains the biggest of his career.
The fight was originally scheduled for June at the same venue, but a training‑room injury forced a postponement. Puello, a 32‑year‑old Dominican who has previously held both the WBA and WBC titles, suffered his only professional loss to Matias. He now seeks to regain the championship he lost in 2025.
How to watch
Live text commentary will start at 20:30 BST on the BBC Sport website and app, while BBC Radio 5 Live will carry audio commentary from 21:00. Stacey Copeland will host the coverage, with lead commentator Ronald McIntosh joined by Steve Bunce and former super‑middleweight world champion Richie Woodhall as co‑commentators.
The main broadcast is slated to begin around 19:00, doors open at 16:00, and the fighters are expected to make their ring walks at about 22:00 BST, depending on the length of the undercard.
Undercard
- Dalton Smith vs Alberto Puello – WBC light‑welterweight title
- Giorgio Visioli vs Maxi Hughes – vacant WBC International Silver lightweight title
- Shannon Ryan vs Emma Dolan – British, Commonwealth and IBF Inter‑Continental super‑flyweight titles
- Edward Hardy vs Diego Alberto Ruiz – super‑featherweight
- Aqib Fiaz vs Jordan Flynn – super‑featherweight
- Joe Hayden vs Will Harrison – welterweight
- Leo Atang vs Jonathan Vergara – heavyweight
- Chris Mulunda vs Harley Collison – middleweight
- Divine Omojor vs Goran Kozul – cruiserweight
Fight‑week schedule
- Wednesday: open workout
- Thursday: press conference at 14:30 BST
- Friday: weigh‑in at 18:00
Path to the title
Smith collected English, British, Commonwealth and European crowns before stepping up to the global stage. In January he travelled to Brooklyn to face Subriel Matias, a feared puncher who had stopped 22 of his 23 opponents. Smith traded blows and, in a dramatic fifth round, landed a powerful right hand that sent Matias to the canvas. The referee stopped the fight, giving Smith his first professional stoppage loss over Matias and raising his record to 19‑0, with 14 wins by knockout.
The challenge
Smith enters the bout unbeaten at 19‑19, with 14 knockouts. Puello, his mandatory challenger, sits at 25‑1 with 11 knockouts and has previously held two versions of a world title. He captured the WBA belt by beating Batyr Akhmedov in 2022, later added the WBC interim title after defeating Gary Antuanne Russell, and was promoted to full champion before losing to Matias by majority decision in July 2025. Unlike Matias, Puello fights as a slick southpaw, relying on speed, movement and counter‑punching rather than constant pressure.
What’s at stake
A successful defence would cement Smith’s status as one of the sport’s rising stars and could open doors to bigger fights against champions such as Shakur Stevenson (WBO) or a rematch with Gary Antuanne Russell (WBA). The IBF title in the division is currently vacant. Domestically, an unbeaten Londoner, Adam Azim, is emerging as a potential rival; a future all‑British world‑title clash could become a marquee event.
Promoter Eddie Hearn has hinted that a continued rise could see Smith headline a fight at Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough Stadium, while Smith himself has expressed a desire to build a travelling fan base similar to that of Ricky Hatton. Defeating a former champion of Puello’s caliber on home soil would be a strong indicator that he can become a headline name in British boxing.