An injury sustained during training has led to Dalton Smith being ruled out of his WBC super-lightweight title defence against Alberto Puello. The bout, initially set to take place on June 6 in Sheffield, was meant to be Smith's first title defence following his victory over Subriel Matias in January. Smith's win had made him a current male world champion alongside British counterparts Fabio Wardley, Lewis Crocker, Jazza Dickens, and Nick Ball.
The cancellation of Smith's fight means that Galal Yafai's WBC and WBA world flyweight unification championship challenge against Ricardo Sandoval will now serve as the main event at the Utilita Arena. Smith had secured the title with a fifth-round knockout of Matias in Brooklyn, extending his unbeaten record to 19-0.
The win came after a right hook dropped Matias, prompting the referee to call for a stoppage despite Matias' attempt to rise. Smith had previously rocked his opponent with another right hand in the same round.
The fight had been in jeopardy after Matias tested positive for a banned substance in November, but it was later determined that he was not guilty of violating the drug policy. Matias had presented a challenge to Smith early on with his uppercuts and combination punches, but the Brit ultimately rallied to secure the win, handing Matias his first knockout loss and dropping his record to 23-3.