Dalton Smith retained his WBC light-welterweight world title on Saturday night, beating Dominican challenger Alberto Puello by split decision at the Utilita Arena in his home city of Sheffield.
Two judges scored it 115-113 to Smith and one had it 116-112 to Puello, according to BBC Sport. The win took the 29-year-old to 20 fights unbeaten.
ESPN reported that Spain’s Jon Llona and England’s Kieran McCann were the judges who favoured Smith. Filipino official Ray Danseco was the one who sided with Puello.
DAZN described a packed arena holding its breath as the first two cards were read out, one for each man, before the third went Smith’s way.
A tight, tactical contest
This was Smith’s first defence of the belt he won in January. It was also a mandatory defence, against a two-time world champion.
The fight had been due to take place in June, but Smith withdrew with an elbow injury and it was rescheduled.
Puello, 32, is a slick southpaw who relies on movement and counters. Smith, by contrast, had beaten the heavy-handed Subriel Matias by trading punches. The BBC said the early rounds were cagey, with Smith setting the pace.
Puello took the sixth with a run of straight lefts. He also slipped to the canvas in that round, which briefly raised home hopes of a knockdown. Smith had a good ninth with a double jab and right hook, but Puello replied with an uppercut and a hook to the body.
Smith was cut around his right eye late on. His work rate in the closing exchanges may have helped him. He played to the crowd in the final seconds and then jumped into the arms of his father, Grant, who trains him.
Not everyone agreed with the result. Boxing News 24 called the decision questionable and argued that Puello finished the stronger of the two.
Puello’s only other defeat also came in a WBC title fight, according to Bleacher Report’s live coverage.
Stevenson and Hillsborough
Smith walked out in a Sheffield Wednesday shirt to AC/DC’s Thunderstruck. Fans sang the club’s songs throughout the night.
Sources: ESPN, DAZN, Boxing News 24, BBC Sport
This story was compiled by the MDW Newsdesk with AI-assisted tools, using the reporting credited above.
