DALTON Smith outboxed and outfought Mathieu Germain over 12 rounds in Sheffield, winning by unanimous decision. This was billed as the “fight before the fight” with a shot at the WBC champion Alberto Puello on the line. Smith could not afford to overlook Canada’s Germain.
He didn’t look past the visitor, retaining the WBC super-lightweight Silver title by lopsided scores of 117-107 and a couple of 119-105 verdicts.
“All I want to say is I want that world title next,” said Smith, who later confirmed that he respects Puello but wants his belt.
“He [Germain] moved down for this fight, he’s been up fighting stronger guys. I could’ve done 20 rounds in there tonight. Credit to Mathieu Germain, he was tough. I landed some big shots. We needed these rounds.”
Germain was floored heavily at the close of the second round when Smith planted his feet and launched a powerful counter left hook that caught the Canadian flush on the chin.
Given the size and power differences, it felt like just a matter of time before Smith would land the next big blow. A skimming uppercut had Germain blinking with acknowledgement in round three.
The Canadian had a few patches of success, flurrying while Smith lingered against the ropes. Germain suffered a scratch of blood around the left eye as he moved out of danger. The gritty visitor was doing just enough to stay competitive.
Dalton Smith’s main concern seemed to be switching off at times. Father and trainer, Grant Smith, was busy keeping his son on track. Referee Victor Loughlin kept Smith au fait with the rules when the home fighter strayed low in the fifth round.
Dalton continued his assault on the body, trying to slow down the sprightly Canadian who spent much of the eighth round running around the ring. Mathieu Germain was down for the second time in the contest when Smith landed a prodding right hand in the 11th round.
Germain had some manufactured success in the final round when Smith was deducted a point by Mr Loughlin for another low blow. Germain went down once again in the 12th. Smith waved to the crowd, looking for support, but Germain managed to scrap and scrape his way to the final bell.
While Germain, 26-3-1 (11 KOs), was game and able to last the course, he was significantly smaller than Smith, 18-0 (13 KOS), who perhaps needed a different stylistic test to prepare for the WBC super-lightweight champion Alberto Puello.
Promoter Eddie Hearn later said that Germain told him he’d broken his jaw and looked to survive as a result. “Next time we see [Dalton Smith] we’ll be fighting for the world title,” added Hearn.
