NEW YORK — For most of the buildup, Dalton Smith promised to strip Subriel Matias of his WBC 140-pound title.

He did just that.

The Englishman, who entered ranked No. 7 by The Ring at junior welterweight, initially refused to take a step back. Eventually he did, and just when Matias appeared to be turning the tide Smith produced a fifth-round KO Saturday night at Barclays Center.

“I’m the best fighter in the division now,” Smith told The Ring before heading to the hospital to treat a cut over his left eye. “You can’t deny me now. I’m the best and I’m willing to prove it against anyone.”

Ring champion Teofimo Lopez is facing three-division champion Shakur Stevenson, who'll be moving up from lightweight, on Jan. 31 on DAZN. The winner will be No. 1 until Smith, or someone else, proves otherwise.

The loss ends the Puerto Rican's reign in his first defense of a belt he'd won from Alberto Puello in July in nearby Queens.

Smith boxed and moved beautifully from the outside while Matias (23-3, 22 KOs) struggled to find his rhythm. The second round turned into a brawl, and the pro-Matias crowd roared in approval.

Smith’s bravado was rewarded with overhand lefts and rights as blood began to flow from Matias' nose.

In the third and fourth rounds, however, Smith diffused the firefight. He jabbed, moved and excessively held Matias, rated No. 2 by The Ring, whenever he got too close.

At the end of the fourth, Smith (19-0, 14 KOs) and Matias slugged against the ropes. Even after the bell rang, they continued to hurl punches until referee Ricky Gonzalez physically forced them to go back to their corners.

Matias let off a five-punch combination at ring center. Smith answered immediately as blood began trickling down his left eye.

With his mouth wide open, Smith bit down and pushed the pace. He stung Matias with a right hand and followed with a two-punch combination as the champion stumbled backward and collapsed on the canvas.

Matias crawled back to his feet, but he staggered into the ropes. Although he claimed he could continue, Gonzalez called a halt to it at 2:24.

Promoter Eddie Hearn rushed into the ring and bear-hugged Smith, who was overwhelmed with emotion.

It was the second short-lived 140-pound title reign for Matias. He lost the IBF belt to Liam Paro in 2024 after making only one successful defense.

He also was taken to the hospital afterwards for undisclosed reasons.

Jeyvier Cintron (14-1, 7 KOs) didn’t have much time to get himself in the flow.

In just a few seconds of the first round, Victor Efrain Sandoval (38-6, 24 KOs) dropped him with a three-punch combination. He may have been unsteady, but Cintron still had plenty of heart. With Sandoval pressing him, he sat down on his punches and began swinging for the fences.

That bombastic style of attack worked in his favor as he sent his opponent to the canvas. Sandoval got back to his feet, but Cintron scored two more knockdowns, forcing referee Eddie Claudio to step in and call a halt with just 20 seconds remaining in the round.

It didn’t take Emmanuel Rodriguez (23-3, 13 KOs) long to get back into the groove. The former two-time IBF bantamweight champion dropped Fernando Diaz with a slick combination in the first three minutes.

Diaz was much sharper and aware in the second. However, that didn’t stop Rodriguez from putting constant pressure on him while backing him up with just a jab.

Rodriguez didn't inflict as much pain on Diaz as he did in the first round, but his consistent work rate and combination punching led him to a lopsided decision of 97-92, 99-90 and 99-90.

He may have been the most experienced opponent Keith Colon (9-0, 9 KOs) ever faced, but Alberto Guevara (28-9, 13 KOs) had very little to offer.

It was a smooth first round for Colon. He boxed with a high guard in those first three minutes and waited for Guevara to make a mistake. Eventually, he did.

In the second and third, Colon came out desperate to land a big shot and spent most of his time chasing Guevara. That pressure eventually paid off in the fifth and sixth rounds as he scored three knockdowns before immediately finishing the fight in the seventh at 1:09.

Nestor Bravo (24-1, 16 KOs) didn’t come to play games. The moment the bell rang, the 32-year-old marched to the center of the ring and made his presence felt.

Pedro Campa (37-5-1, 25 KOs) couldn’t weather the early storm. In the second, Bravo went right back to work. While he was against the ropes, he landed a monstrous left hand that ended it.