Dalton Smith successfully defended his WBC Silver title against Mathieu Germain and is now hoping for a fight against Alberto Puello.
Sheffield, England – Unbeaten British super lightweight Dalton Smith put in an impressive performance on Saturday night at the Park Community Arena in Sheffield, defeating Canadian Mathieu Germain on points. The fight was part of a gala organized by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing.
Smith, who entered the ring as WBC silver champion, made his mark early on and showed why he is ranked number one and therefore the mandatory challenger to WBC world champion Alberto Puello.
At the end of the second round, the “Thunder” from Sheffield landed a left hook right on the chin of Germain, who went down. The tough Canadian got back to his feet and held his own in the third round, but was again hit hard by an uppercut. Smith extended his lead in round four, scoring with a precise right and another left hook.
The fifth round was calmer, Germain avoided the clear hits. But from the sixth round onwards, Smith took control again. Time and again, he worked over his opponent, who was moving backwards, with body shots. At the start of round eight, Germain fell through the ropes – but referee Victor Loughlin did not call it a knockdown.
Smith continued to turn up the heat in the championship rounds. In round eleven he hit Germain with a straight right body shot and forced him to the floor again – this time the knockdown counted. Smith looked for an early victory, but Germain kept fighting his way back. In the twelfth round, Smith landed a body shot that sent Germain down again, but a subsequent low blow earned Smith a points deduction. In the end, Germain stayed on his feet until the final bell, but was without a chance.
The judges scored it unanimously: 1x 117-107, 2x 119-105 – a clear-cut affair. With this victory, Dalton Smith (now 16-0) remains the official mandatory challenger for the WBC super lightweight world title.
Undercard: Josh Warrington and Josh Padley win
In the preliminary program, former world champion Josh Warrington (32-4-1, 8 knockouts) was able to end his three-fight losing streak. The “Leeds Warrior” put in a commanding performance against India’s Asad Asif Khan (19-7-1, 5 knockouts). With a knockdown in round six and a point deduction for repeatedly spitting on Khan’s mouthguard, the fight was clear – the judges scored it 99-89, 97-91 and 99-90 in the Brit’s favor.
Meanwhile, lightweight Josh Padley (16-1, 5 knockouts) had a strong debut for Matchroom. He stopped the previously unbeaten Marko Cvetanovic in round five and recommended himself for bigger tasks in the division.