It has been a long, winding and controversial road to reach this point, but finally, the moment of a lifetime has arrived for Dalton Smith.

Smith will get his first shot at a world title when he faces WBC 140-pound champion Subriel Matias on Saturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The two fighters were originally planned to fight on November 22 on the undercard of The Ring IV, but a deal didn’t materialize, and the bout went to a purse bid. Matias’ promoter, Fresh Productions, won the purse bid with a $1.9 million (£1.4m) offer.

The fight appeared to be in jeopardy when Matias (23-2, 22 KOs) of Fajardo, Puerto Rico, had an adverse analytical finding for the performance-enhancing drug, Ostarine, in a VADA test on November 9. With his levels being below the threshold, the New York State Athletic Commission and WBC are allowing the fight to proceed.

Smith (18-0, 13 KOs), The Ring’s No. 7-ranked junior welterweight, dropped Mathieu Germain three times in a unanimous decision victory in his last fight. Matias, who is ranked No. 2 by The Ring at 140 pounds, became a two-time champion when he won a back-and-forth majority decision over then-WBC titleholder Alberto Puello (24-1, 10 KOs) on July 12.

Last fight: Defeated Mathieu Germain by unanimous decision on April 19 at Park Community Arena in Sheffield, England.

Odds: Smith is an underdog at +125 odds, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

How does Smith win? Smith is a solid boxer-puncher with a snappy straight right hand and right uppercut. He’s also a more than adequate body puncher, which earned him his most notable win to date, a fifth-round knockout of former title challenger Jose Zepeda.

Smith will need to use all of those tools to the best of his ability if he’s going to get his hand raised.

The blueprint to beating Matias isn’t difficult to put together. Executing it and holding up over as many as 12 rounds is a completely different ballgame.

Smith needs to find a balance between moving and standing his ground. While Matias is a relentless pressure fighter who rarely stops throwing, he needs to have his feet planted to let his hands go and do damage. Smith will have to keep Matias turning or moving back if he’s going to find consistent success.

The Englishman also needs to be content to just land solid shots rather than seeking a knockout, unless he has Matias visibly hurt. Trying to put everything into every punch cost Puello, as he hit a wall early, which allowed Matias to bank crucial rounds before the former champion found a second wind.

Liam Paro executed his game plan of landing solid shots and keeping Matias turning to a tee, and pulled off the upset as a result.

Smith’s ability to punch through Matias’ high guard and land his straight right hand and right uppercut will be vital to determining the tenor of the fight. Investing in the body early and often could also help Smith slow down the frantic pace Matias normally fights at.

What does it mean if Smith wins? A win for Smith would cement him as one of the top 140-pounders in the world. Questions still loom about just how good Smith really is, given the level of opposition he has faced to reach this point.

Those questions can be answered emphatically if he can decisively beat Matias. It can also plant the seeds for an appetizing clash against fellow undefeated Brit, Adam Azim (14-0, 11 KOs), in the near future.

What they’re saying: "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?"

TV/Stream: The card, which begins at 8 p.m. EST, can be streamed on PPV.com for $54.99 USD.