The Ricky Hatton comparisons have followed Dalton Smith since the moment he looked competent at 140 pounds. On Saturday night in Brooklyn, they stop being flattering and only start being useful if he survives Subriel Matias.
Smith’s title challenge against the WBC junior welterweight champion is not a tribute fight. This is not a descent moment. It’s a stress test conducted far from Sheffield, with no crowd advantage, no promotion control and no margin for leniency once the pace turns ugly.
Hatton built his reputation by dragging elite fighters into awkward fights and refusing to budge. Matias still does, even though the mythology around him has thinned. The pressure is real. The wear and tear is real. And Smith has yet to show in any format that he can absorb that kind of fight for twelve rounds without losing his form.
Smith enters undefeated, technically sound and full of confidence in his preparation. He also steps in having never faced a fighter who forces exchanges like Matias does, or who sees rounds as something to grind through rather than win cleanly. New York doesn’t reward neat work when it slows down. It rewards control, damage and visible authority.
Matias, now 33, is no longer sold as invincible. That doesn’t make him safe. It makes him urgent. Fighters who lose their aura often fight as if they are trying to get it back, and this tends to shorten fights or harden them up.
This is the difference between inspiration and inheritance. Smith admired Hatton from an early age. On Saturday, admiration will not matter. Only if he can impose himself when the fight stops looking like a plan.
Until now, Smith has enjoyed the luxury of boxing on his own terms. Matias is going to strip it away. Once the tactical plan goes out the window, it’s no longer about who has the better punch – it’s about who can keep their form when the fight gets ugly, and the oxygen gets thin.
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Last updated on 01/08/2026
