Unbeaten Sheffield star Dalton Smith has long been angling to become the city's next world champion - and has his chance in New York tonight
05:00, 10 Jan 2026Updated 08:40, 11 Jan 2026
Dalton Smith has baited his hook and is primed to reel in a whopper.
The unbeaten Sheffield star has long been angling to become the city's next world champion. He has his chance to land a trophy catch in New York tonight when he takes on super-lightweight king Subriel Matias. And Smith, 28, hopes his hours of solitude by the river have primed him to capture the biggest prize of his career.
"I've been fishing since I was 14; my brother-in-law does it loads so I joined him and loved it," he said. "It can be quite an expensive hobby because whatever I get into I end up buying the best as I'm all in! I’ve even bought a camper van so I can fish further away. One day I want to go to Norway and Iceland, because they’ve got the monster trout and salmon.
"Fishing lets me think about absolutely nothing apart from catching fish which makes it a great switch-off from boxing. Boxing can take over your life if you’re not careful. I find the same thing with golf which I started a couple of years ago - when I'm playing golf I focus on that and nothing else.
"I haven't caught any trophy fish; I’m mediocre if I’m being honest. But I don’t do it to be the best, I do it because I enjoy it and can switch off. I leave the competitiveness to my boxing."
Smith will challenge Matias despite the Puerto Rican failing a drug test last November. Matias, who has denied cheating, tested positive for Ostarine which can be taken to support muscle growth. But the New York State Athletic Commission cleared him to fight after deeming the concentration of the banned substance was below their threshold.
And Sheffield Wednesday fan Smith is focused only on dethroning his rival in the Big Apple - and then supporting the relegation-bound Owls by defending his title at Hillsborough. "I always believed with the right commitment and team around me I’d be in this position," he added.
"Becoming world champion will mean everything to me. The six-year-old Dalton who started boxing with his dad would be so proud of where we are today. We've spoken about it quite a bit over the past year, but I know that it doesn’t stop at becoming champion. "I've always had great support from the club, so it would be great to bring a huge stadium fight to Sheffield once I’m champion."