Boxing: Dalton Smith beats Puello by split decision to retain world title
The Sheffield boxer overcomes a former champion in a close tactical contest, completing his first title defence and extending his unbeaten record to 20–0.
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The Sheffield boxer overcomes a former champion in a close tactical contest, completing his first title defence and extending his unbeaten record to 20–0.
Dalton Smith retained his World Boxing Council (WBC) light-welterweight world title by split decision against Alberto Puello at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena on 24 October 2026. The victory in his home city took Smith’s professional record to 20 wins without defeat.
Smith was defending the title for the first time after stopping Subriel Matias in the fifth round in Brooklyn in January. Puello, his mandatory challenger—the opponent Smith was required to face—had previously held the belt before losing it to Matias.
The split decision meant two of the three judges awarded Smith the fight, while the other favoured Puello.
| Judges | Score | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Two judges | 115–113 each | Dalton Smith |
| One judge | 116–112 | Alberto Puello |
Light-welterweight, also called super-lightweight, has a 140-pound limit. The WBC said both fighters weighed 139.6 pounds at the pre-fight weigh-in.
BBC Sport described a cautious opening, with both fighters defending well and Smith setting the early pace. Unlike Matias, who had traded punches with Smith, Puello used movement and counter-punching: answering his opponent’s attacks with punches of his own. Puello’s southpaw, or left-handed, stance presented a different challenge.
Dalton Smith retains the 140-pound world title in Sheffield in his first defence since beating Subriel Matias in January.
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Puello took the sixth round with a series of straight lefts. He then slipped to the canvas; the fall was not a knockdown. In the ninth, Smith landed two jabs and a right hook, only for Puello to answer with an uppercut and a hook to the body.
The fight had originally been scheduled for June, but Smith withdrew with an elbow injury. When the rescheduled contest reached its closing rounds, the result remained finely balanced. Smith, cut below his right eye, continued trading punches with Puello, perhaps edging those exchanges through his higher work-rate.