Dalton Smith routs Mathieu Germain over 12 rounds

Dalton Smith dropped Mathieu Germain three times but didn’t get a stoppage.

Dalton Smith put Mathieu Germain on the canvas three times, but couldn’t quite secure a stoppage win, going the full, 12-round distance in a one-sided unanimous decision win today in Sheffield, England.

Smith won on scores of 117-107, 119-105, 119-105. Bad Left Hook had it 119-105, a clean shutout for the favored home fighter, who did have a point docked for low blows in the final round, and deserved it.

Smith (18-0, 13 KO) also maintains his status as the WBC’s mandatory challenger in waiting at 140 lbs, and he’ll hope to eventually force a fight with champion Alberto Puello.

Smith may not have been as inspiring as scoring three knockdowns and routing an opponent seems on paper, as much of the fight was pretty pedestrian, and a lot of it boiled down to Germain (26-3-1, 11 KO) being just crafty enough to not get knocked out, often avoiding action.

Whether or not the 28-year-old Smith can truly compete at world level is pretty much the last thing to find out, so he’s as ready as he’s going to get. He’s already handily won the British, Commonwealth, and European titles, and made his way into the high rankings spot with the WBC.

“I want that world title next,” Smith said after the fight. “I did what I had to do. ... I needed those rounds. I’ve got the fitness. What I did in the 11th and 12th I probably should have done a little bit earlier, but it’s hard when someone’s running like that, pinning him down.”

“We called this ‘the fight before the fight,’ and that’s it,” promoter Eddie Hearn said. “There’s nothing that’s going to get in the way of him fighting for the world title, it’s just when. ... I believe he’s a world champion in waiting. I believe the next time you see him fight will be for the world title.”

On the undercard

A three-fight losing streak ended for Josh Warrington, as the “Leeds Warrior” got back in the win column with a wide unanimous decision win over Asad Asif Khan on scores of 97-91, 99-90, and 99-89. Warrington (32-4-1, 8 KO) is clearly past his best days, but it’s clear Matchroom are still in on trying to find him another sizable fight, now at 130 lbs. Can he beat anyone good? It seems unlikely, frankly, but he’s still got a lot of grit to him and won’t lay down for anyone. Khan drops to 19-7-1 (5 KO) with a second straight defeat after losing to Michael Conlan on March 7.

Josh Padley made his official Matchroom debut with a fifth round stoppage of Serbia’s Marko Cvetanovic, who came in unbeaten but at very low level for his opposition prior. Padley (16-1, 5 KO) scored two knockdowns and got the TKO at 1:13 of round five. Cvetanovic drops to 13-1 (6 KO).

Super welterweight Caoimhin Agyarko scored his first win of any real note since 2023, staying undefeated with a majority decision victory over Ryan Kelly. Judges had the fight 95-95, 96-94, and 97-94. Agyarko (17-0, 7 KO) has been sat in career limbo since he and Matchroom parted ways after his win over Troy Williamson in late 2023, but he got a short notice chance to sub in for Ishmael Davis here. You’d hope Agyarko would find a way to keep this momentum going, but if he doesn’t sign with a serious promoter — and there aren’t that many left who really qualify — he could very easily go back to treading water or sitting around. Kelly falls to 19-6-1 (8 KO).