DALTON SMITH has effectively booked himself a ticket to Puerto Rico after his promoter, Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn, failed to win yesterday’s purse bid.
The plan, it seemed, was to win the auction or, better still, reach a deal that would allow Smith, 18-0 (13 KOs), to enter his first stab at world honours in Sheffield, England.
According to Hearn, talks had taken place – prior to the WBC purse bid hearing, that was – with a view to convince Subriel Matias, the newly-crowned super-lightweight champion, to travel for his title defence.
It is mandatory challenger Smith, however, who now looks likely to catch a long-haul flight, with Puerto Rican-based outfit Fresh Productions, Matias’ promoter, securing the right to stage their showdown.
It was an offer of $1,900,000, in fact, that trumped Matchroom’s bid of $1,710,000, confirming the purses for what should deliver a compelling spectacle towards the end of this year.
And due to the 70-30 split, which is standard for such fights, Matias, 23-2 (22 KOs), will earn himself a payday of $1,197,000, while Smith should come away with $513,000.
The WBC has also taken a 10% cut from the overall purse bid offer, setting it aside as a winner’s bonus for when their clash eventually rolls around.
Originally, the pair were set to collide on November 22, with boxing paymaster Turki Alalshikh promising that much shortly after Matias dethroned Alberto Puello, albeit via a highly-contentious majority decision, in July.
With both sides failing to reach an agreement, though, Smith – whose most notable victory saw him engineer a fifth-round finish over a faded Jose Zepeda in 2023 – must instead leap head-first into the lion’s den.
But still, given that Liam Paro demonstrated the blueprint to dethroning Matias, a two-time world champion, in his back yard, perhaps it is not all doom and gloom for the Sheffield man.
