Dalton Smith has been ruled out of his WBC super-lightweight title defence against Alberto Puello after he sustained an injury in camp.
The fight was supposed to headline on June 6 in Smith’s hometown of Sheffield and mark the first defence of his title following his win over Subriel Matias in January.
Smith joined British compatriots Fabio Wardley (heavyweight), Lewis Crocker (welterweight), Jazza Dickens (super-featherweight) and Nick Ball (featherweight) as a current male world champion with the win.
However, with Smith’s fight now off, Galal Yafai’s WBC and WBA world flyweight unification championship challenge against Ricardo Sandoval will now headline at the Utilita Arena.
The 28-year-old maintained his unbeaten career record with an emphatic fifth‑round knockout of Matias in Brooklyn to capture the belt.
It was a right hook that dropped Puerto Rico’s Matias and extended Smith’s record to 19-0 as the referee called for the stoppage, despite Matias attempting to get to his feet.
He had rocked his opponent with another right hand earlier in the same round.
Smith’s debut fight on American soil was in danger after Matias tested positive for a banned substance last November, but it was decided a month later that the 33-year-old was not guilty of violating the drug policy.
Matias’ uppercuts and combination punches challenged Smith early on but the Brit rallied as the dethroned champion was knocked out for the first time and saw his record as a pro dip to 23-3.
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