Dalton Smith Keeps WBC Title With Split Decision Over Puello

Dalton Smith kept his WBC light-welterweight title with a split-decision win over Alberto Puello in front of his home crowd at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield.

Two judges scored the fight 115-113 for Smith. The third had it 116-112 for Puello, a Dominican. The 29-year-old Briton took his record to 20 wins. It was his first defence of the belt he took with a fifth-round knockout of Subriel Matias in Brooklyn in January.

"Did you ever think I was going to vacate this belt and go a different route? Not a chance," Smith said afterwards. "I know how hard I've worked for this and I wanted to bring it back home for every single person in here."

How the fight went

The contest was originally set for June, but an elbow injury forced Smith out. When it did take place it began cagily, with both men reluctant to overcommit. Puello is a southpaw who relies on movement and counter-punching, a different problem from Matias, whom Smith had beaten by trading shots.

Smith set the pace early and landed a right in the fourth. Puello, 32, found his range with his left, and in the sixth he landed a run of straight lefts to take the round. He also slipped to the canvas that round, which briefly raised hopes of a knockdown among the crowd. In the ninth Smith threw a double jab and a right hook, and Puello answered with an uppercut and a hook to the body.

Smith had a cut below his right eye in the closing rounds. He and Puello kept trading, and Smith may have edged those exchanges through his higher work-rate. He played to the crowd in the last 20 seconds and jumped into his father's arms at the final bell.

The arena had the feel of a football terrace, with a drummer and a trumpeter leading songs for Sheffield Wednesday. Smith wore the club's blue and white to the ring and walked out to AC/DC's Thunderstruck.

What comes next

Promoter Eddie Hearn said: "Dalton Smith is a legacy guy. I know that money plays a big part in boxing, and we want to make sure that this guy lives a wonderful life." He also called Smith the number one pound-for-pound fighter in Britain.

Smith named Shakur Stevenson, the unbeaten WBO champion, as a target. "I have a lot of respect for Shakur - he's one hell of a fighter," he said. Stevenson recently left Zuffa Boxing, which could open the way to talks. Another possible unification opponent is WBA champion Gary Antuanne Russell. A fight with British rival Adam Azim has been discussed for years, and Smith has said he would welcome it at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough Stadium in 2027, though he thinks Azim still has work to do first.

Source: BBC Sport