A very intriguing matchup takes place on July 12th in Queens NY when former IBF super lightweight champion Subriel Matias meets tough undefeated WBC champion Alberto Puello in an attempt to regain top honours in a mouthwatering division. Back in 2023 Matias was the black sheep of the division whose name was rarely uttered by fellow champions, due to risk reward factor and the fact that all of his 22 victories were by knockout. Matias had picked up the IBF title from Jeremiah Ponce in 2023 and after making a single defence, ran into tough undefeated Aussie Liam Paro, halting his hopes of mega fights with the likes of Devin Haney or Ryan Garcia after only a year as champion. His opponent Alberto Puello is undefeated in 24 fights but isn’t a noted puncher, he shot to prominence back in March when he won the WBC title on the Davis v Roach card in Brooklyn by earning a split decision over Sandor Martin. A win over Matias would solidify his claims on his portion of the championship whilst a win for Matias would likely springboard him into some exciting matchups, I expect the Puerto Rican to come out fast in an attempt to surprise Puello, however recent performances have shown Matias get frustrated when when his power doesn’t take immediate effect. It’s a fight worthy of top billing but finds itself hidden within 3 other high end matches featuring Shakur Stevenson v William Zepeda, David Morrell v imam Khataev and Hamza Sheeraz v Edgar Berlanga. The show is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and is being broadcast on DAZN PPV.