Is Dalton Smith Delusional or Has He Found the Key to Beating Subriel Matias?

Dalton Smith says he’s found a “weakness” in the game of WBC light welterweight champion Subriel Matias that he’s going to expose when they fight on November 22nd in Riyadh.

The Eddie Hearn-promoted Smith (18-0, 13 KOs) isn’t giving any hints about what the weakness is, but he says he studied Matias’ loss against Liam Paro last year to spot them. It’s pretty obvious what Dalton observed.

Subriel Matias’s vulnerabilities revealed

• Feet need to be set to punch: He can’t punch on the move. Subriel struggles when his opponents run around the ring, as we saw against Paro and Alberto Puello.
• Vulnerable to roughhouse tactics: Paro shoved him and hit Matias constantly with rabbit punches. He didn’t respond in kind, and the referee who worked their fight did nothing to stop these tactics by Liam. Of course, a quality referee who does his job would prevent the roughhouse stuff if that’s what Dalton will be using as his path to victory.
• Doesn’t jab: Matias focuses too much on throwing power shots, and he can be nailed on the way in.

“Everyone says he’s the boogeyman. When he fought [Liam] Paro, I said, ‘Don’t be surprised if Paro beats Matias.’ I just found this weakness in his style, and obviously, Paro exposed him a little bit,” said Dalton Smith to Ring Magazine, talking about his fight against WBC light welterweight champion Subriel Matias on November 22nd.

Why Smith’s claims sound deluded

Smith, 28, has weaknesses as well, beginning with his lack of experience against elite competition. He’s been well-groomed by Matchroom promoter Hearn, fed a steady diet of C-level opposition his entire career. Dalton’s last two fights against Walid Ouizza and Mathieu Germain were considered significant step-ups in class for him, yet neither were anywhere near the same talent level as Subriel.

Smith has a high regard for himself, saying he’s a “nightmare” for Matias, a comment that is hard to take seriously given his weak resume. If he had actually beaten someone good, that remark would make more sense. With his best career wins coming against Quizza and Germain, all you can say is he sounds deluded.

Dalton’s lack of proper preparation

If Dalton gets blown out by Matias on November 22nd, Hearn needs to view this as a lesson in matchmaking. It doesn’t pay off to match a fighter against weak opposition and then throw them in with a world champion without going through a proper step-up phase to prepare them. In this case, Smith should have already fought these 140-lb contenders:

1. Jamaine Ortiz
2. Ernesto Mercado
3. Lindolfo Delgado
4. Oscar Duarte
5. Arnold Barboza Jr.
6. Sandor Martin
7. Isaac Cruz
8. Keyshawn Davis

All of those fighters would likely beat Dalton Smith with ease. Hearn promotes Ernesto Mercado, and he could have easily made a fight between him and Smith by now. Why hasn’t he? I think we know the answer.