At long last, Subriel Matias has arrived at the first defense of his second title reign.

Matias will make the first defense of his WBC 140-pound title on Saturday night, when he faces undefeated Englishman Dalton Smith at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Matias and Smith were originally planned to fight on Nov. 22 on the undercard of “The Ring IV,” but a deal didn’t materialize, as the bout went to a purse bid. Matias’ promoter, Fresh Productions, won the purse bid with a $1.9 million offer.

The fight appeared to be in jeopardy when Matias 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.

Matias (23-2, 22 KOs) is The Ring’s No. 2-ranked junior welterweight and won the WBC title in his last bout with a majority decision victory over Alberto Puello. The decision victory was the first of Matias’ career.

The Fajardo, Puerto Rico native previously held the IBF junior welterweight title. He defended it once before losing by unanimous decision to Liam Paro in June 2024.

Smith (18-0, 13 KOs), of Sheffield, England, is The Ring’s No. 7-ranked junior welterweight. He dropped Mathieu Germain three times in a unanimous-decision victory in his last fight April 19.

Last fight: Defeated Puello by majority decision on July 12 at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens.

Odds: Matias is a -160 favorite, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

How does Matias win? It isn’t hard to figure out what Matias’ game plan will be against Smith.

Matias is one of boxing’s most relentless pressure fighters, and he routinely breaks his opponents because of it. If he’s going to retain his title, it’ll be because he broke Smith or outworked him en route to winning by decision.

Matias gradually builds up to a frantic pace with which his opponents can rarely keep pace. He should follow that same plan, as his best path to victory would be by dragging Smith into deep waters and exposing his lack of experience against this level of opposition. It may behoove Matias to pace himself a little more this time around, as he tired and showed signs of slowing down for the first time in his career against Puello.

Once he’s gotten into the flow of the fight, he needs to overwhelm Smith, 28, with his pressure and volume, keep him on the back foot and get him along the ropes. Attacking the body will also be vital to Matias’ effort to slow Smith down as the fight progresses.

If Matias can push a frantic pace and consistently find the target to the head and body, there’s a strong chance he’ll have the inside track to successfully make the first title defense of his second title reign.

What does it mean if Matias wins? A victory would prove Matias is still among the best in one of boxing’s deepest divisions. At 33 years old, though, Matias is closer to the end than he is the beginning. If he is going to get the big fights or unification bouts that eluded him in his first title reign, now is the time to do it.

A bout against interim WBC 140-pound champion Isaac Cruz (28-3-2, 18 KOs) has all the makings of a “Fight of the Year” contender. The fact that it'd add another chapter to one of boxing's most illustrious rivalries, Puerto Rico versus Mexico, only makes it that much more appetizing. A potential unification bout against IBF champion Richardson Hitchins (20-0, 8 KOs) would also make for an intriguing contrast in styles and give both guys a chance to earn one of, if not the biggest, win of his career.

A win over Smith would also mark the seventh time Matias has beaten an undefeated fighter.

What they’re saying: “This is real and you’re gonna see that on January 10th,” Matias said to Smith. “Don’t run.”

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