Winning a world title is one thing. Keeping it is commonly much harder. Mandatory challengers normally spend months studying the champion’s strengths and weaknesses, they usually enter the fight with every thing on the road. Puello suits that description.
Although many fans remember him for losing his title to Subriel Matias, the Dominican southpaw stays one of the vital awkward fighters within the division. His movement, defensive style and left-handed stance present different problems than the pressure Smith handled when he stopped Matias to win the belt. Smith knows he isn’t overlooking the task.
“Becoming World Champion was something I’d dreamed about my whole life, but winning the belt was never the top goal. I would like to construct a legacy, and that starts with defending the title against the most effective challengers within the division,” said Dalton.
“Puello has been a World Champion before and earned his mandatory position, so I do know exactly how tough this fight might be. I’ll be giving him the respect he deserves in training, but once that first bell goes, it’ll be about showing why I’m the WBC World Champion.”
The postponement can have worked in Puello’s favor. As an alternative of meeting Smith in May, the previous champion received several extra months to arrange while Smith recovered. Additional preparation time rarely hurts an experienced challenger, particularly one who has already won a world title.
Smith will still should be the favourite fighting in front of his hometown crowd, but homecoming fights bring their very own pressure. Sheffield fans will expect one other impressive performance after his title-winning knockout of Matias, while Puello arrives with nothing to lose.
If Smith defeats Puello, attention will shift to unification fights and the division’s biggest names. If he underestimates an experienced former champion, those plans could disappear before they ever start.