Puerto Rico's Subriel Matias will defend his WBC junior welterweight title Saturday night in Brooklyn, NY against England's Dalton Smith, but it doesn't look like he'll have a very big crowd on hand for it.
Subriel Matias is ready to make a world title defense in the biggest city in the U.S. but it doesn't look like many will be there Saturday night to see it.
The Puerto Rican Matias 23-2, 22 KOs, will defend the WBC 140 lb. crown at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY against English contender Dalton Smith, 18-0, 13 KOs, but much of the final press conference was spent with discussion and barbs about the apparent lack of fans for this one.
Matias faced criticism Thursday at the final presser from British promoter Eddie Hearn about the seeming lack of interest in him being a headliner in NYC.
"Where have the Puerto Ricans gone?” Hearn said baiting the champ. “I think we will have more Brits in there on Saturday night than there will be Puerto Ricans, and I bet you we make more noise as well.”
Matias is no stranger to Eddie Hearn. The Puerto Rican puncher was briefly aligned with Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing in 2024, a partnership that proved as short-lived lasting exactly one fight. After Matias's stunning loss of his IBF junior welterweight title to Liam Paro in his home country, he would not appear on another Matchroom card.
That history added edge to Thursday, where Matias made it clear that his focus is firmly on the task at hand — not on promotional rivalries.
“My enemy, my opponent, is not Eddie Hearn — it is Dalton,” Matias said through a translator, referring to challenger Dalton Smith. “[Hearn] can say whatever he wants, but if he were a fighter, your face would be smashed.”
Insults aside, the fight at the 18,000 seat arena has a massive amount of seats for sale online Thursday evening in the lower level and could embarrassingly have fewer than 4,000 in attendance.
Still, the match-up in the ring is more prominent, if the crowd won't be.
Matias claimed the WBC championship in July, defeating Alberto Puello by majority decision to become a two-time junior welterweight titleholder. Momentum continued in September when his promoter, Fresh Productions — led by Juan Orengo — outbid Matchroom in the purse bid, earning the right to stage the event. The result surprised many, given Matchroom’s long-standing broadcast relationship with DAZN. But, bigger, they didn't chose to have Matias defend there. Instead, putting him in early January in NYC.
“We thought we were going to Puerto Rico,” Hearn said. “So we are even happier to be in New York, but we would have gone to Timbuktu. It doesn’t matter.”
Ultimately, it won't matter to Matias either. He'll look to dominate the Brit and maintain his title.
Meanwhile, The 28-year-old from Sheffield, England, would be claiming his first major world championship with the upset victory. Smith last fought in April, earning a unanimous decision over Mathieu Germain in his home of Sheffield. Saturday will mark his first bout outside Europe, though Hearn believes the Brit could be well supported by traveling fans.
Matias, meanwhile, had a pointed response to Hearn’s comments about attendance and loyalty.
“It is on my back to back you up,” he said to his supporters. “After the fight, I will have something to say.”
And if Smith were to draw the louder crowd at Barclays Center, as Hearn suggested?
“Even if that is the case,” Matias said calmly, “that is not going to change the result.”