Dalton Smith (19-0, 14 KOs) just stunned the boxing world. He’s the new WBC World Super-Lightweight champion after stopping the feared two-time champ Subriel Matias (23-2, 22 KOs) in Brooklyn.

Smith, only 28, looked sharp right from the opening bell at the Barclays Centre. He didn’t shy away from trading shots with Matias, a guy known for his power, and the action caught fire early. By the end of the fifth round, Smith went on a brutal attack—three huge right hands landed clean, and Matias hit the canvas hard.

Matias managed to beat the count, but he was done. He couldn’t go on, and just like that, Britain had a new world champion in the wildest fashion.

Nobody had ever stopped Matias in 26 pro fights. The guy’s a pressure machine with a 95% KO rate. Now, Smith stands as Britain’s first world champion of 2026.

After the fight, Dalton could barely find the words. “A lifelong dream, hard work and sacrifice – it’s all for this moment. My dad, my granddad, all my family – we’ve all worked for this, and I always believed. It’s a message to anyone that if you believe in yourself, you can go out and achieve your dreams.

“I heard people say Dalton Smith isn’t tough. Honestly, I probably gave my dad a heart attack since that wasn’t the plan, but I took his best shots and thought, ‘You can’t hurt me.’ He was slowing down, so I just kept pushing—persevere, persevere, and I’ll get you. We had plans A, B, and C, and at this level, you need them all.

“It’s not going to sink in for ages, but deep down, we always knew this would happen. We had everything going against us—the build-up, the testing, you name it. But I knew this was my chance. You could throw anything at me; I’ve got the best team and promoter, and this win means everything.

“Show me the money! Let me enjoy this. I’m going to soak it all in—the future is bright.”

Promoter Eddie Hearn couldn’t hide his pride. He’s taken fighters like Anthony Joshua and Katie Taylor to world titles from their debuts, but this night in New York meant something special.

“You think about Darren Barker against Daniel Geale, Kell Brook against Shawn Porter, but honestly, this beats everything. That’s the best away win I’ve ever seen,” Hearn said. “Dalton is a hero. Usually, you try to outbox Matias—Liam Paro showed that—but tonight, Matias was on fire and wouldn’t let Dalton box.

“So Dalton fought him at his own game. Usually, that’s suicide—Matias had never been hurt, never been down. But Dalton battered him, put him down, and became Britain’s newest world champ in New York. The kid’s a hero. There’s a new superstar in boxing, and his name is Dalton Smith.

“He looked great in the first round, then suddenly he’s hurt; he’s cut, but he keeps trading. Both guys were gassed, but Dalton hurt him in the body about a minute before the finish, then those right hands landed, and that was it—this is what dreams look like.

“We always knew Dalton was a star, but to do that on the world stage, in New York, and in that style? People kept talking about other fights, Adam Azim and all that, but Dalton just went out, took on the bogeyman head-on in New York, and stopped Subriel Matias from becoming world champion. Put some respect on his name.”

Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez just keeps climbing. Right now, he’s the lineal and unified super flyweight champ, and his last fight showed why. On November 22, 2025, in Riyadh, he stepped into the ring against the tough WBA champion Fernando Martínez (18-1, 9 KOs). Bam boxed smart, moved beautifully, and made Martínez miss all night. By the 10th round, he was still in total control, and then he finished it—caught Martínez with a counter left hook and dropped him hard. Martínez couldn’t get up, and that was it. Bam added the WBA belt to his WBC and WBO collection.

Now, word’s out—Bam’s a promotional free agent. Eddie Hearn talked to Rob Tebbutt at the Sportsman to clear things up about Bam’s contract.

Hearn explained, “We’ve got some matching and negotiation options on him, but honestly, I’m not too worried. We’re working with Robert Garcia and Jesse to go after the undisputed championship. There’s a lot going on—the IBF belt and Willibaldo Garcia, who just pulled out of a fight, and now he has to face Maloney. So, there’s a bit of a mess to sort out. We have to keep Maloney happy, Bam happy, and Willibaldo Garcia happy—it’s tricky, but we want to do something big for Bam at the Alamodome. Sure, things can change, but I see Bam sticking with Matchroom for the rest of his career.”

Hearn didn’t hide how much Bam means to the team: “He’s huge for us, personally and as a business. We’ve looked after him and paid him well—he’s earned every bit of it. The new deal on the table is big money. He’s one of the top fighters in the sport.”

Is Bam moving up to 118 soon? Hearn said, “Maybe. If he doesn’t get the undisputed fight, he’ll move up. The thing is, Maloney’s about to fight Garcia for not much money, but he could be on the undercard, make a nice payday, and get a guaranteed shot at the winner. Sometimes you have to put the emotion aside and just make the right business move.”

Matchroom has done right by Jesse Bam Rodriguez so far, and Hearn sounds pretty sure they’re not done yet.