Dalton Smith is just days away from confirmation on a date and venue before his impending world title fight against Subriel Matias, after the WBC champion's promoter won last week's purse bid with a $1.9m (£1.4m) offer.

Fresh Productions plan to stage Matias' next homecoming sometime in November or December, after a proposed slot on November 22's stacked Ring IV card didn't materialise before unsuccessful negotiations between both camps.

It means Smith is headed 4,000 miles away from home and after his scouting mission in New York this summer, he has another business trip outside Europe to look forward to.

"It's the first time I'm going into a fight as the challenger and an underdog at that, but I'm excited," Smith told The Ring.

"People saying he's at home, got the benefit of his own fans and judges there but I can't worry about it. I just need to be the best Dalton Smith, leave the rest to the judges because it's out of my control, so why stress over that?"

Matias (23-2, 22 KOs) has won three straight since Liam Paro upset him on points in his second IBF title defence last June, most recently edging beyond Alberto Puello via majority decision July 12.

Paro, now campaigning at welterweight, relished his role as a +500 betting underdog.

The savvy Australian produced a career-best display to humanise the relentless two-time champion in ways many hadn't been able to solve during his stateside run, since Petros Ananyan inflicted his first professional loss in February 2020.

Smith has already outlined Paro's performance as one exposing Matias' flaws, while reigning IBF beltholder Richardson Hitchins has been critical of the decade-long pro too in recent months.

Meanwhile the challenger will be emboldened to make a statement of his own, in a weight class weakened by several names venturing up to the 147-pound division.

Longtime contender Jack Catterall has already made a successful, albeit anticlimactic start in the division, while Devin Haney seeks to become a three-weight world champion in November against WBO ruler Brian Norman Jr.

Ring and WBO beltholder Teofimo Lopez has flirted with the idea, while his most recent opponent and former interim titlist Arnold Barboza Jr confirmed he was done squeezing his ageing frame down to the 140-pound limit.

Besides Hitchins, there's no standout names and this matchup could help Smith make a name for himself on the world scene.

The Sheffield man's career didn't explode as he would've liked after a fifth-round body shot finish of longtime contender Jose Zepeda last March. Troublesome upper body injuries and unflattering European opposition on his return haven't exactly helped matters.

It's been five months since Smith's one-sided yet forgettable win over Mathieu Germain in Sheffield.

He floored the Canadian three times, was deducted a point for low blows and still won by scores of 119-105 twice and 117-107 in a stay-busy while waiting to hear news on his world title challenge.

"You can only deal with the style in front of you, it's hard when you've got someone running around the ring but it was good to get championship rounds under my belt - I hadn't done it for a while - so yeah, it was good," he reflects.

Smith went the full 12 rounds with Kaisee Benjamin and snapped his 13-fight unbeaten streak as the away fighter on BOXXER's Manchester show in November 2022, before again defending British honours against Billy Allington three months later.

The week after Smith outboxed Allington in a messy domestic duel, Matias set social media ablaze. He welcomed Jeremias Nicolas Ponce's best work for three rounds before turning up the heat; the Argentine's corner wisely retiring him after five rounds.

Time flies. So while Matias has reached the elite heights, fallen short and rebuilt himself, what has changed for Smith in the two-and-a-half years since?

"I'm investing more into my camps now, flying people overseas for sparring and I'll do that again once we get a date locked in, guys to replicate Subriel's style. I know you'll never get the perfect style but work with what you get, just prepare as best you can."