“I will bring out the little girl in you”

Subriel Matias says he will bring it out “The Little Girl” in Dalton Smith when he defends his WBC light welterweight title against him on January 10, 2026, on DAZN at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The two fighters met today for their kicker conference to discuss their upcoming clash.

A Brit steps into deep waters

Eddie Hearn-promoted #1 WBC contender Smith (18-0, 13 KOs) challenges for a world title for the first time in his six-year professional career. His best win to date was a 12 round unanimous decision against Mathieu Germain on April 19, 2025.

Dalton, 28, has been fighting at British level since starting in 2019, and it is doubtful how he will fare against world-class competition for the first time. Hearn has done a great job of bringing Smith along and fitting him carefully to avoid any setbacks in getting him to this point.

“What makes you a real fighter is that you get knocked down, you dust yourself off, and you become a better person,” Subriel Matias said during today’s kick off press conference for his fight against Dalton Smith on January 10, 2026. “It’s about growth. It just makes you a lot better, and it prepares you for the next challenge.

Matias turns up the heat early

“I’m going to bring out the little girl inside you,” Matias said to Smith.

This is the 33-year-old Puerto Rico-born Matias’ first defense of his WBC title, which he won last summer by beating Alberto Puello via a 12-round majority decision on July 12, 2025 in Queens, New York. Their fight was one of the best on the card.

“We’ll see,” Dalton said in response. “This is the biggest fight of my career, and there’s one thing that Subriel will bring out in me. That’s the monster in me. On the biggest stage of boxing, you have to be at your best. We’ll see on January 10.”

Smith’s moment of truth

We haven’t seen Smith fight anyone with the kind of power, pressure and stamina that Matias will bring to this fight on January 10th. It will be interesting to see how well he handles the heat that Matias will put him through in this fight.

“The fighters he’s faced, none of them are me, and I’ll show you on January 10. I consider myself the real deal,” Matias said.