WBC light welterweight champion Alberto Puello feels confident of victory against former IBF champ Subriel Matias this Saturday, July 12th, in Queens, New York. The sparring that Puello (24-0, 10 KOs) did with former Matias conqueror, Liam Paro, has made him believe he’s going to be victorious on Saturday.
Puello vs. Matias: Style Breakdown
This fight hasn’t received as much hype as the other bouts on Saturday’s card at the Louis Armstrong Stadium, but it could turn out to be the best of the night.
Puello-Matias will be battling on the undercard of Edgar Berlanga vs. Hamzah Sheeraz on DAZN PPV.
This is a classic style matchup between the boxer, Puello, and the puncher, Matias (22-2, 22 KOs). It’s one that Puello likes better than his last fight against the pure boxer Sandor Martin last March.
That was a style clash for Puello, as he had to change his usual approach of boxing to become more of a puncher to win a close 12-round split decision.
Sparring Paro: Puello’s Edge
“For the Sandor Martin fight, I left a little bit on the table. Due to my sparring sessions with Liam Paro, I feel I’ll be alright in this fight,” said Alberto Puello to Boxing News about his title defense against Subriel Matias on Saturday.
The Australian Paro dealt with Matias well, using movement, jabs, and roughhouse tactics to neutralize his offense almost entirely. He created a blueprint in how to beat Matias by moving and tying him up to keep him from getting his shots off.
Subriel is a flat-footed fighter who needs his opponents to be stationary for him to get his heavy shots off. He’s not able to punch while moving, and he’s slow at cutting off the ring.
Puello’s Dominance: “Dominate a Beast”
“I’ll dominate him like you dominate a beast. The most important thing is that I win this fight. It doesn’t matter if it’s by decision or by knockout. I just go out there and I make sure I win this fight,” Puello said about Matias.
There’s an excellent chance that Puello will beat Subriel easier than he did Gary Antuanne Russell, another slugger with power that he defeated in 2024 by a 12-round split decision. In that fight, Puello had to sit down on his punches a little more to fight Russell off. He couldn’t just box him. He’ll have to do the same on Saturday night against Matias because he can’t just box and move.
“It makes me excited that there’s a lot of talent around these weights and this weight, and that I can consider myself as one of the number ones in this division,” said Puello.
“I would prefer to fight Hitchins. I think we would be able to put on a great fight that people want. With Teofimo [Lopez], I feel there might be a bit of a clash of styles,” said Puello when asked which of the two champions at 140 he would prefer to fight after Matias.
If Puello looks good in beating Matias, a unification fight against IBF champion Richardson Hitchins would be the logical clash to make next. It’s a good thing that Puello is fighting on Turki Alalshikh’s card on Saturday because he’ll see him, and he may want to put together a unification bout with Hitchins or WBO champion Teofimo Lopez.
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