Alberto Puello plans to test Dalton Smith’s accuracy and cut-prone skin on Saturday, when the WBC light welterweight champion makes his first defense at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena. Smith could have a difficult night if he cannot consistently find the skilled southpaw.
Puello (25-1, 11 KOs) brings a different style than Subriel Matias, whom Smith stopped in five rounds in January. Matias gave Smith opportunities to plant his feet and fire during their shootout. Puello is unlikely to offer the same opportunities.
“With the big head he has, I’m not going to miss a blow. It’s going to be very easy to mark him up,” Puello told The Ring.
That threat has some substance behind it. Smith has suffered cuts around his eyes during his career, including against Matias. Puello’s ability to land accurately could become an issue even without the punching power normally associated with a knockout threat.
The Eddie Hearn-promoted Smith (19-0, 14 KOs) needs to avoid spending rounds following Puello without getting his punches off. Coming through boxing in the Dominican Republic, Puello has been exposed to different styles, and he has the professional experience to change his approach when something stops working.
Against Matias, Smith was dealing with a one-track pressure fighter whose instinct is to walk in behind high earmuff defense and trade at point-blank range. That allowed Smith to tie him up on the inside, rough him up, lean on him, and time his short hooks in the clinch. Matias basically walked straight into Smith’s traps because he has zero interest in back-foot boxing.
Puello is the polar opposite. He is not going to march into Smith’s chest to give him free clinches or let Smith wrap him up. He fights behind a long, tricky southpaw jab, controls distance, and steps off to the sides the second an opponent tries to close the gap.
Hearn has matched Smith against guys who come forward, allowing him to use his heavy-handed throwback fighting style to bludgeon them. Against a pure mover with an awkward southpaw stance like Puello, that exact style can make a fighter look flat-footed, crude, and completely out of ideas over twelve rounds. Style-wise, Puello is a nightmare for him.
Puello lost his WBC 140-lb title to Matias by a controversial 12-round majority decision in July 2025. He now travels to the champion’s hometown intending to leave less room for debate.
“The way I do it is to win clearly and never deviate from that plan that I have,” Puello said.