Dalton Smith’s title shot still hangs in the balance

The Sheffield boxer was due to challenge WBC super-lightweight champion Subriel Matias on January 10 - but that showdown is now in serious jeopardy.

Matias tested positive for Ostarine in a Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) administered test, and the WBC has launched a formal investigation.

Ostarine has been described as a performance-enhancing drug designed to mimic some of the muscle-building effects of anabolic steroids, but in a more targeted way.

Promoter Eddie Hearn hasn’t held back. “It’s a mess,” he said, arguing that Matias should be suspended and stripped of the belt so that Smith gets his shot as planned.

He pointed out that his Matchroom outfit had pushed for extra VADA testing - beyond what the WBC’s Clean Boxing Programme required - and he feels vindicated in the current circumstances.

Hearn also raised the prospect of Smith facing Alberto Puello instead, if the B-sample confirms the drug finding and Matias is stripped.

“You’d think it will be Dalton against Puello for the vacant title,” he said, predicting Puello’s camp will push for that fight.

He was blunt about a broader issue, too: “There’s a rampant problem with PEDs (performance-enhancing drugs) in every sport; there’s a lot of money in it,” Hearn said, warning that many lower-level fighters rarely face the same testing scrutiny.

For now, the ball is in Matias’s court. He has until December 1 to request a B-sample test.

If that confirms the adverse finding, the WBC could strip him. Smith may well be next in line, whether fighting Puello or otherwise.

If Puello isn’t the option, other potential contenders could include Sandor Martín, Isaac Cruz Jr, Arnold Barboza Jr, or Liam Paro.

Smith won't mind who he gets...as long as he gets his chance at the famous green and gold belt.