Subriel Matias Grinds Out Grueling Majority Decision Over Alberto Puello in Controversial Championship Clash, Setting Up Dalton Smith Showdown!
Subriel Matias (23-2, 22 KOs) looked like a machine on Saturday night, attacking with constant pressure to grind out a 12-round majority decision win over WBC light welterweight champion Alberto Puello (24-1, 10 KOs) at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York.
It was a fight that could have gone Puello’s way, but the judges liked the pressure that Matias was applying throughout the fight. He was the one who showed that he had more ambition to work a full three minutes of each round. In contrast, Puello was holding excessively and should have had points deducted.
Puello was effective early, landing shots and moving away from Matias. However, by the fourth round, Subriel’s pressure began to tire out Puello, who slowed down and became more stationary.
Unable to match Matias’ work rate, Puello resorted to constant holding, which he used from rounds 4 through 12 as his main line of defense. It was ugly to watch, and the fans at the ringside booed Puello each time he held.
In the end, the judges preferred Matias’s work and the pressure he applied to Puello. The scores were 114-114, 115-113, and 115-113 for Matias.
After the fight, Turki Alalshikh came into the ring and announced that Matias will defend his WBC title against Dalton Smith next in November in Riyadh. For that fight, Matias may need a knockout to get the victory because there’s a lot of hype behind Smith.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 12: TEST at Louis Armstrong Stadium on July 12, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images)NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 12: TEST at Louis Armstrong Stadium on July 12, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images)NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 12: TEST at Louis Armstrong Stadium on July 12, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images)NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 12: TEST at Louis Armstrong Stadium on July 12, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images)NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 12: TEST at Louis Armstrong Stadium on July 12, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images)NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 12: TEST at Louis Armstrong Stadium on July 12, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images)NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 12: TEST at Louis Armstrong Stadium on July 12, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images)
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