Dalton Smith Withdraws from WBC Title Defense

Dalton Smith, the WBC junior welterweight champion from Sheffield, has withdrawn from his first title defense against mandatory challenger Alberto Puello due to an injury sustained during training camp, forcing organizers to reshuffle the card for the June 6 event at Sheffield's Utilita Arena.

The 29-year-old Smith captured the belt in January with a fifth-round stoppage of Subriel Matias at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. That victory, which proceeded despite questions over Matias's pre-fight anti-doping test, positioned Smith as a leading figure at 140 pounds and set the stage for a homecoming defense in front of local fans. Puello, a 31-year-old Dominican who previously held the title before losing it to Matias, was installed as the mandatory opponent.

Promoters Matchroom Boxing confirmed the change in a statement: "Dalton Smith has been ruled out of his scheduled WBC world superlightweight title defence against Alberto Puello following an injury sustained during camp. The event on Saturday, June 6 at Sheffield's Utilita Arena, live worldwide on DAZN, will go ahead, however, headlined by Galal Yafai's WBC and WBA world flyweight unification championship challenge...