THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 12 JANUARY 2026: Dalton Smith Halts Subriel Matias in 5; Kabayel Stops Knyba in 3
By Eric Armit
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 12 Jan 2026
HIGHLIGHTS:
-Dalton Smith wins the WBC super lightweight title as he halts champion Subriel Matias in the fifth round. There are wins for Jeyvier Cintron, Nestor Bravo, Emmanuel Rodriguez and Keith Colon.
- Agit Kabayel stops Damian Knyba in three rounds in a WBC interim heavyweight title defence and Jadier Herrera stops Ricardo Nunez to win the vacant WBC interim lightweight title. Heavyweight Petar Milas halts Granit Shala in the tenth in a fight for the IBF International title.
MAJOR SHOWS:
JANUARY 10
NEW YORK, NY, USA: SUPER LIGHT: DALTON SMITH (19-0) W TKO 5 SUBRIEL MATIAS (23-3). BANTAM: EMMANUEL RODRIGUEZ (23-3) W PTS 10 FERNANDO DIAZ (16-7-1). BANTAM: JEYVIER CINTRON (14-1,1ND) W TKO 1 VICTOR SANDOVAL (38-5). SUPER LIGHT: NESTOR BRAVO (24-1,1ND) W KO 2 PEDRO CAMPA (37-5-1). FEATHER: KEITH COLON (9-0) W TKO 7 ALBERTO GUEVARA (28-9).
Smith vs. Matias
SMITH upsets the odds with a fifth round stoppage of MATIAS to win the WBC title.
Round 1
Confident opening from Smith as he was slotting jabs though the guard of Matias. He was getting his punches off first and Matias was too slow to counter. Matias came forward tying to close Smithy down but Smith was circling away still too quick and was scoring with jabs and rights. Clear round for Smith
Score: 10-9 Smith
Round 2
Smith decided to stand and trade with Matias and got through with a three-punch combination. He was just too quick and was now taking the fight to Matias with Matias not throwing enough. Matias landed a series of hooks and Smith fired back with hooks of his own and was outworking Matias. Another clear round for Smith
Score: 10-9 SmithSmioth 20-18
Round 3
The round opened with a fierce exchanger of hooks and uppercuts with Matias looking a bit sharper. Matias was coming forward and blocking many of Smith’s punches but Smith came inside and forced Matias into a brawl. Matias ended the round landing a series of hooks and uppercuts. A closer round.
Score: 10-9 MatiasSmith 29-28
Round 4
Smith was getting through with jabs and straight rights. Matias kept trying to get close but Smith was landing his shots and moving away before Matias could counter. They stood and trade punches with both landing but Smith was throwing more and landing more. Smith was feeding Matias jabs and landed a couple of hard left hooks but was showing a cut over his left eye from a clash of heads
Score: Smith 10-9Smith 39-37
Round 5
Smith landed a hard right to the head. Matias then drove Smith back with hooks but Smith fired back landing shots with both hands. They brawled then Smith again forced Matias back with a series of punches. Smith was feeding Matias jabs and then drove Matias back with hooks and uppercuts. Two rights from Smith shook Matias and had him badly hurt and an overhand right to the head sent Matias toppling sideways to the canvas on his back. Matias staggered to his feet but stumbled back to the ropes and the referee stopped the fight.
Smith beat Matias at his own game. It was expected that Smith’s speed and movement would be his strengths but after the first round he not only outboxed Matias at distance he also took the fight to Matias and he outfought Matias on the inside. Smith was the WBC mandatory challenger so can look around for a suitable opponent for a voluntary defence unless the WBC order him to fight the interim champion Isaac Cruz. It was a disappointingly flat performance from Matias who suffered his first inside the distance defeat and he has a rebuilding job to do.
Rodriguez vs. Diaz
Former IBF bantamweight champion RODRIGUEZ returns to action with a unanimous decision over DIAZ. Rodriguez made a great start flooring Diaz with a left hook late in the opening round. It was not a heavy knockdown and Diaz was up quickly but was rocked by a left before the bell. Rodriguez settled down to outbox the less experienced Californian. The speed and accuracy of Rodriguez jabs and sharp rights made it difficult for Diaz to get into the fight or apply any pressure to Rodriguez and Diaz spent most of the rounds on the back foot. Rodriguez’s work was solid and methodical and after that knockdown in the first he never had Diaz in any trouble. Diaz upped his pace in the seventh and he was a different fighter finally taking the fight to Rodriguez forcing his way inside and dragging Rodrigues into a brawl. He outworked Rodriguez over the closing rounds as Rodriguez seemed to tire and his jab disappeared as he was forced to fight inside but his early lead was enough to see him get the win. Scores 99-90 twice and 97-92. First fight for Rodriguez since losing his IBF title to Ryosuke Nishida in May 2024. Diaz started his surge too late in this fight.
Cintron vs. Sandoval
CINTRON climbs off the floor and drops SANDOVAL three times for a first round win. With just 20 seconds gone in the round Santiago dumped Cintron into the ropes with a savage right/left combination. Cintron bounced up but the ropes had stopped him going down and he was given a count. Sandoval surged forward throwing wild punches but was wide open and was put down by a counter right to the head. He made to his feet but was floored twice more and the referee waived the fight over. Southpaw Cintron had lost a decision against Kazuto Ioka for the WBO super flyweight title in 2019 but was then inactive until returning to the ring in June 2024 and this is his third win since coming back. Sandoval suffers his second inside the distance loss.
Bravo vs. Campa
BRAVO rebounds from his first loss as he wipes out CAMPA in two rounds. Bravo was finding the target regularly in the first and ended it early in the second. Campa was rolling forward after the retreating Bravo but walked onto a devastating left hook that sent him face down on the canvas with no count required. Seventeenth inside the distance wins for Bravo who lost on a split decision against Xolisani Ndongeni in March. Four of Campa’s five losses have come by KO/TKO.
Colon vs. Guevara
COLON scores four knockdowns on the way to a victory over GUEVARA. Colon had problems early with the elusive Guevara but kept pressing and attacking the body. That paid off in the fifth as he twice floored Guevara with body punches. Guevara survived but was down again late in the sixth from a combination. Colon ended it in the seventh connecting with two rights that dropped Guevara and the referee just waived the fight over. All nine of Colon’s wins have come inside the distance and this is the first time he has had to go past the third round for a win. Guevara, a pro since 2009, is 1-6 in his last 7 outings.
OBERHAUSEN, GERMANY: HEAVY: AGIT KABAYEL (27-0) W TKO 3 DAMIAN KNYBA ( 17-1). LIGHT: JADIER HERRERA (18-0) W TKO 8 RICARDO NUNEZ (26-8). HEAVY: PETAR MILAS (20-1) W TKO 10 GRANIT SHALA (18-2) MIDDLE: GLEB BAKSHI (7-0) W TKO 1 Juan Rodriguez (21-2 ). HEAVY: NELVIE TIAFACK (3-0) W TKO 2 PIOTR CWIK (9-6). HEAVY: ROMAN FURY (6-0) W TKO 4 KEVIN GREENWOOD (6-12).
Kabayel vs. Knyba
KABAYEL retains the interim WBC title with a controversial stoppage of KNYBA. The fight started badly for Kabayel as he was cut on his right eyelid in the first round. In addition the 6’7” Knyba made good use of his height and reach advantages to make it difficult for Kabayel to get inside and he also landed some good right hand counters. Knyba was still scoring well in the second but Kabayel was getting inside and hurting Knyba with body punches and already the pace looked to be getting to Knyba. In the third a right rocked Knyba and Kabayel connected with some hurtful body punches and Knyba was also cut. Kabayel continued to drive forward landing rights to the head rocking Knyba and when another overhand right crashed against Knyba’s head the referee stopped the fight. Knyba was hurt but it certainly looked a very early stoppage. Kabayel is now hoping the WBC will order Oleksandr Usyk to defend against him but holding the interim title and being a mandatory challenger are not the same thing so he will have to wait and hope. Knyba was in trouble before the stoppage and he would probably been stopped a round or two later at best.
Herrera vs. Nunez
Cuban southpaw HERRERA suffers an early scare but finally stops NUNEZ in the eighth. A right from Nunez dropped the retreating Herrera at the end of the first round but he was up quickly and saw out the remaining seconds of the round. Nunez built on that looking dangerous and taking the second and third rounds as Herrera regrouped. There was plenty of back-and-forth action with Herrera mainly on the front foot firing his jabs with Nunez looking to get close and connect with rights. Herrera was catching Nunez with some useful left counters using his better skills to build as lead. It was still a close fight but Herrera broke though in a big way in the eighth. He launched a fierce attack that had Nunez reeling and taking heavy punishment against the ropes. The referee stepped in to make a well-timed stoppage but Herrera stepped back unbalancing the referee and sending him down. The referee was up quickly and made it clear he had stopped the fight and it was over. Herrera wins the vacant WBC interim title with his sixteenth inside the distance win. Nunez had scored victories over Pablo Vicente and Jezzrel Corrales
Milas vs. Shala
MILAS comes from behind to score a dramatic last round win over SHALA. After some early sparring Shala connected with a right that had Millas dropping back to the ropes. Shala tried to follow up on that but Milas was not hurt and he in turn forced Shala to the ropes. A right from Shala in the second shook Milas but Milas quickly recovered. Shala was boxing sensibly behind his jab and countering well and had probably taken those first two rounds. Milas was trying to put Shala under pressure in the third and fourth and connected with some good rights but Shala had the edge with his higher work rate and clever jabbing. Milas upped his output in a close fifth and sixth as Shala looked to be tiring. Shala took the seventh. He was back to outworking Milas who was too slow and one-paced in a fight that lacked any real excitement. Shala looked to have taken the eighth and ninth as Milas was almost sleep walking getting outboxed and letting the fight slip away. Milas woke up in the tenth coming forward forcing Shala back around the ring and connected with a huge right hook. Shala fell to the canvas on his side. He beat the count but looked in a bad shape. Milas pinned him against the ropes and unloaded punch after punch with Shala ‘s head being snapped from side to side. Shala stumbled off the ropes and Milas landed a left hook that had Shala out on his feet. Milas signalled to the referee that Shala was helpless and that the fight should be stopped. The referee did nothing and Milas landed another big right that sent Shala crashing to the canvas on his back. Instead of stopping the fight the referee started counting over the fallen Shala who dragged himself to his feet and was draped over the top rope with the referee still counting until Shala’s team climbed in the ring to get the flight stopped. Croat Milas wins the vacant IBF International title. He had lost on a seventh round stoppage against Tony Yoka in 2021 but has rebuilt with five inside the distance wins and will be hoping this victory gets him a rating with the IBF. Shala was knocked out in two rounds by Oleksandr Zakhozhyi in a challenge for the European title in April 2024 and had scored three wins over modest opposition.
Bakshi vs. Rodriguez
BAKSH puts away Mexican RODRIGUEZ in the first round. Rodriguez connected with a hard right early in the round and with his 19 wins by KO/TKO looked as though he might be dangerous. That impression did not last long as Rodriguez came forward throwing punches Bakshi met him with a beautiful left hook that put Rodriguez down on his back. He struggled to his feet but staggered back towards the ropes and the referee rightly stopped the fight. Bakshi moves to five inside the distance finishes. He won a gold medal at the World Championships in 2019 and a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics. Rodriguez’s record is heavily padded with poor opposition.
Fury vs. Greenwood
FURY stops GREENWOOD in the fourth. Southpaw Fury had the better skills and was able to outbox the willing if limited Greenwood over the first three rounds. The fight had become one-sided and the referee came in to stop the fight in the fourth. Southpaw Fury, the brother of Tyson Fury, has three wins by KO/TKO.
Tiafack vs. Cwik
A ridiculous mismatch sees Olympic bronze medallist Tiafack stop Pole Cwik in the second round. Tiafack was taller and 15 years younger than the obese Cwik and scored two knockdowns in the second round to end the farce. The Cameroon-born Tiafack has won all three of his fights inside the distance. He also won a bronze medal European Games and gold at the European Championships. His amateur record includes a victory over Frazer Clarke and two wins over Delicious Orie. Cwik is 42, 5’10 ½” and weighed around 280 lbs
JANUARY 9
PORTSMOUTH, VA, USA: HEAVY: JERRY FORREST (30-6-2) W TKO 1 WALTER BURNS (8-4).
FORREST blasts out BURNS in the first. Forrest took Burns to a corner and kept him there whilst unloading with punches until Burns collapsed to the canvas. Burns got up but after starting the count the referee waived the fight over. Forrest had a seat at the big table when he was fighting draws with Michael Hunter and Zhilei Zhang but losses to Kubrat Pulev and Jared Anderson curbed his ambition and he has only one medium level win each in years 2023, 2024 and 2025.
JANUARY 10
CEBU CITY, PHILIPPINES: FEATHER: LIENARD SARCON (15-0) W TKO 1 MARK GERALDO (40-15-3)
Impressive display from unbeaten SARCON as he floors veteran GERALDO three times for a first round blow out. The 25-year-old southpaw wins the vacant Philippines title and gets his seventh inside the distance win. Geraldo, a pro since 2007, is nearing the end of the line.
FIGHT OF THE WEEK: Jeyvier Cintron vs. Victor Sandoval It lasted less than three minutes but was full of fierce exchanges and four knockdowns.
FIGHTER OF THE WEEK: Dalton Smith for his destruction of Subriel Matias
PUNCH OF THE WEEK: The Nestor Bravo left hook that flattened Pedro Campa
UPSET OF THE WEEK: Smith was an outsider in New York but destroyed Matias
ONE TO WATCH: Featherweight Keith Colon 9-0 9 wins by KO/TKO
OBSERVATION:
Rosette(s): Smith and his team who’s decision to take the fight to Matiaswas unexpected and Matias never really came to terms with that change.
Red Card: The referee of the Milas vs. Shala fight who should never allowed Shala to take such horrendous punishment.
About the Author
Born in Scotland, Eric Armit started working with Boxing News magazine in the UK in the late 1960’s initially doing records for their Boxing News Annual and compiling World, European and Commonwealth ratings for the magazine. He wrote his first feature article for Boxing News in 1973 and wrote a “World Scene” weekly column for the magazine from the late 1970’s until 2004. Armit wrote a monthly column for Boxing Digest in the USA and contributed pieces to magazines in Mexico, Italy, Australia, Spain, Argentina and other countries. Armit now writes a Weekly Report covering every major fight around the world and a bi-weekly Snips & Snipes column plus occasional general interest articles with these being taken up by boxing sites around the world. He was a member of the inaugural WBC Ratings Committee and a technical advisor to the EBU Ratings Committee and was consulted by John McCain’s research team when they were drafting the Ali Act. He is a Director and former Chairman of the Commonwealth Boxing Council. Armit has been nominated to the International Boxing Hall of Fame the past two years (2019 and 2020) to which he said, “Being on the list is an unbelievably huge honour.”
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eric Armit.
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