Dalton Smith has suffered an injury in training camp, forcing him to pull out of his WBC super-lightweight title defense against Alberto Puello. The bout was initially set to take place on June 6 in Smith's hometown of Sheffield, marking his first title defense after defeating Subriel Matias in January. Smith's victory over Matias made him a world champion, joining fellow British boxers Fabio Wardley, Lewis Crocker, Jazza Dickens, and Nick Ball. However, with Smith's fight now canceled, Galal Yafai's WBC and WBA world flyweight unification championship match against Ricardo Sandoval will headline the event at the Utilita Arena.
Smith had previously maintained his unbeaten record with a fifth-round knockout of Matias in Brooklyn, capturing the title with a right hook that dropped Matias. The win extended Smith's record to 19-0. Smith's American debut was initially in jeopardy after Matias tested positive for a banned substance, but it was later determined that Matias was not guilty of violating the drug policy. Matias had challenged Smith early on with uppercuts and combination punches, but Smith rallied to secure the victory, handing Matias his first knockout loss and dropping his record to 23-3.