Dalton Smith Kept the WBC Title Against Alberto Puello — But the Championship Argument Remains Unsettled

Dalton Smith returned to Sheffield as an unbeaten world champion and left with his WBC super-lightweight title still in his possession. What he did not leave with was a clear answer about whether he had established himself as the better fighter than Alberto Puello.

Smith defeated Puello by split decision on October 24 at Utilita Arena, successfully completing the first defense of the championship he won against Subriel Matias in January. Sky Sports reported that judges Kieran McCann and Jon Llona scored the 12-round fight 115-113 for Smith, while Danseco awarded Puello a considerably wider 116-112 card.

Those scores explain why the result immediately became more complicated than a routine homecoming victory. Two judges believed Smith won by a single round. The third believed Puello won eight of the 12.

That disagreement does not prove misconduct, and the reviewed reporting contains no official finding that the judging was improper. It does show that Smith retained his championship without producing anything close to a consensus.

The official record now lists Smith as the winner. The competitive argument remains open.

Smith Survived a Difficult First Defense

Smith entered the fight carrying the expectations that follow a newly crowned champion returning home. According to Sky Sports, he had defeated Matias in New York in January to capture the WBC title. His mandatory defense against Puello was initially scheduled earlier in the year but was postponed after an injury to the challenger.

When the matchup finally arrived, neither fighter gave the other an advantage at the scale. A published World Boxing Super Series weigh-in report listed both Smith and Puello at 139.6 pounds on October 23.

The fight itself developed into a close tactical contest rather than a showcase for the champion. Puello brought the experience, positioning and composure necessary to prevent Smith from establishing sustained control. Smith had moments of success, but he did not consistently create the kind of separation that would make the scorecards feel inevitable.

After the fight, Smith told DAZN that Puello’s experience made him difficult to handle and said he believed his work in the closing rounds secured the victory, according to Sky Sports. That explanation is consistent with the two cards that decided the result. A 115-113 score does not require a dominant performance. It requires a fighter to win one more round than his opponent.

Smith apparently did enough for McCann and Llona.

That still matters. First title defenses can reveal how a champion responds when an opponent refuses to follow the preferred script. Smith had to manage the pressure of fighting in Sheffield, adjust to an experienced mandatory challenger and continue working through a contest that remained undecided late. He did not overwhelm Puello, but he found enough effective work to persuade two judges.

The Ring listed Smith’s record after the victory at 20-0 with 14 knockouts. His championship remains intact, his unbeaten record survives and he now has a successful defense attached to his résumé.

Those are meaningful accomplishments.

They are not the same as a decisive victory.

Puello Has a Legitimate Case for Another Opportunity

Puello did not receive the official decision, but the cards make it impossible to dismiss his performance as the unsuccessful effort of a challenger who simply fell short.

One judge had him winning 116-112. The other two had him losing 115-113. That means Puello was one round away on either favorable card from turning Smith’s victory into a draw, and two rounds away from taking the decision outright on that judge’s scorecard.

The difference between leaving Sheffield as champion and leaving with a second professional defeat was extremely small.

Media assessments reflected that divide. The Ring concluded that Smith had done just enough to win, while Boxing 24/7 argued that Puello had a strong case and described the verdict as disputed. Those are competing evaluations of a close fight, not evidence that the result was illegitimate.

That distinction is important. Boxing does not need an allegation of corruption every time reasonable observers disagree about rounds. Close contests often depend on how judges weigh clean punching, effective aggression, defense and control of the action. A round that appears clear from one viewing position can look different from another.

But legitimate subjectivity does not make Puello’s grievance meaningless.

Puello entered as a mandatory challenger and performed well enough for one official judge to award him eight rounds. He also kept the margins narrow on both cards that went against him. Whatever weaknesses Smith exposed, the champion did not expose Puello as someone who was out of place at world-title level.

The Ring listed Puello’s post-fight record at 25-2 with 11 knockouts. The second loss will remain on that record, but it should not erase what happened inside the ring. Puello demonstrated that he could compete evenly with the unbeaten WBC champion in the champion’s hometown.

No rematch, appeal or formal challenge to the scoring has been confirmed in the reviewed reporting. Whether Puello’s team will pursue any of those options remains an open question.

His strongest argument does not require paperwork or accusations. It is already visible on the official scorecards.

The Result Preserved Smith’s Position Without Settling His Status

Smith remains the legitimate WBC super-lightweight champion because two judges scored the fight in his favor. That is how the sport determines an official winner when neither boxer produces a stoppage.

The result should be respected.

It should also be understood accurately.

Smith did not receive a unanimous decision. He did not win by comfortable margins. He did not leave Puello without a reasonable championship claim. The fight preserved Smith’s position at the top of the WBC’s super-lightweight picture, but it did not establish a clear competitive gap between the two men.

Both conclusions can be true at the same time.

Smith won the fight officially.

Puello left with a legitimate reason to believe he deserved better.

That distinction matters because champions are evaluated by more than possession of a belt. Smith’s victory over Matias established him as a titleholder. His first defense was an opportunity to begin defining what kind of champion he will become. Instead, the Puello fight raised questions about how clearly Smith can impose himself against an elite opponent capable of disrupting his rhythm.

This does not mean Smith failed. Winning a difficult fight is part of championship development, and a close decision can teach a fighter more than a comfortable stoppage. Smith now has evidence that he can remain composed in a 12-round contest in which every late exchange may affect the result.

The danger would be treating retention as complete validation.

An unbeaten record can suggest certainty that the performances themselves do not always support. Smith is 20-0, but the zero does not eliminate the questions Puello created. If Smith wants to become recognized as more than the man currently holding the WBC belt, he will need performances that produce less disagreement.

Puello, meanwhile, should not be pushed out of the championship conversation simply because two close cards went the other way. He lost the decision, but he did not lose his standing as a credible opponent for the division’s leading fighters.

Smith’s Next Fight Must Provide a Clearer Answer

The most direct way to settle the dispute would be an immediate rematch.

A second fight would give Smith the opportunity to make adjustments, establish greater control and remove the uncertainty surrounding his first defense. It would give Puello another chance to turn a strong performance into an official victory. Most importantly, it would answer the argument through competition rather than continued debate over individual rounds.

That does not make a rematch the only meaningful option.

Before the fight, the WBC reported that promoter Eddie Hearn had proposed matching the winner with interim champion Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz. No fight between Smith and Cruz has been officially confirmed, and the proposal should not be treated as an announced next step.

If that matchup does materialize, it would present Smith with a different kind of test. Cruz’s pressure and physical intensity could force the champion to demonstrate whether he can create clearer separation against another leading opponent. A convincing victory there would strengthen Smith’s credibility even without immediately revisiting the Puello fight.

But moving toward Cruz would not erase Puello’s case. It would postpone the cleanest available resolution.

The WBC has not confirmed Smith’s next opponent, another mandatory defense or a rematch. It also remains unknown whether his next appearance will take place in Sheffield. No verified purse figures for Smith or Puello were disclosed in the reviewed reporting, so any claims about their guaranteed or total earnings would be speculation.

For now, the division has an official result without a definitive conclusion.

Smith has the belt and the unbeaten record. Puello has the performance and the disputed scorecards. What happens next will determine whether October 24 becomes remembered as a difficult night Smith used to improve or the beginning of a championship argument he never fully settled.