Sheffield Boxer Dalton Smith Dreams of Hillsborough Fight

A kid from Sheffield who dreamed of fighting at his city's football stadium just won a world championship and he's not done yet.

Dalton Smith stunned the boxing world in January when he traveled to New York and knocked out Subriel Matias in the fifth round to become the WBC super-lightweight world champion. Now 26, Smith grew up talking about one day bringing a major fight to Sheffield's Hillsborough Stadium, and he's closer than ever to making that dream real.

"That would be a dream come true. That would be the cherry on top of the cake," Smith told Sky Sports News. "You say it all these years and people just think 'he's saying it, he's saying it' but to make it become a reality, it's unbelievable."

First things first. Smith plans to defend his title this summer in Sheffield against mandatory challenger Alberto Puello, likely in June. It won't be at the stadium yet, but it's a homecoming that matters deeply to the new champion who wants to celebrate his achievement with the people who supported him from the beginning.

Smith isn't intimidated by what comes next. He's prepared for Puello's southpaw style and has trained specifically for this matchup for nearly a year. "He's nothing that's going to catch us off guard," Smith said confidently.

Why This Inspires

Smith's victory over Matias came despite a pre-fight controversy when his opponent tested positive for a banned substance. The fight went ahead anyway, and Smith had a choice: complain about the circumstances or prove he was the better fighter regardless.

He chose the latter. "We knew we were going to get in a firefight," Smith explained. "Sometimes you've just got to find ways to win." His willingness to take on challenges head-on, whether in or out of the ring, shows the mindset that's gotten him this far.

The championship opens doors to even bigger names in boxing like Shakur Stevenson and Teofimo Lopez. But Smith isn't getting ahead of himself. "The only thing I need to do is keep on winning and those big fights will be there," he said. "I'm in the driving seat now."

What's remarkable is how grounded Smith remains despite achieving his lifelong goal. He says becoming world champion hasn't fully sunk in yet, and maybe it won't until his career ends. Instead of celebrating and coasting, he's hungrier than ever.

"I'm more hungry than ever because there's a lot more I can go on to achieve," Smith said. The pressure of chasing a dream is gone, but it's been replaced by something better: the freedom to keep building something special.

For Sheffield, watching one of their own rise from local prospect to world champion creates hometown pride that goes beyond sports.

Smith's story proves that saying your dreams out loud, even when people think you're just talking, can be the first step toward making them happen.