Matias takes WBC title from Puello, Morrell edges past Khataev

Subriel Matias once again has a world title, as he and David Morrell picked up very close, action-packed wins.

Subriel Matias is once again a world champion at 140 lbs, as he nicked a majority decision to take the WBC super lightweight title from Alberto Puello, and also has his next fight set to go.

Matias (23-2, 22 KO) had to go the distance for the first time in a victory, and took two cards of 115-113 to lift the belt from the previously-unbeaten Puello, with the third card even at 114-114.

All three cards were plenty reasonable, and a 115-113 score for Puello (24-1, 10 KO) would have been a fair result, too, but he got the short end from two judges in this one.

A rematch would probably be welcome for most, but mandatory challenger Dalton Smith is waiting in the wings, and was in-ring to accept a fight with Matias, whom he congratulated. It was really quite a civil display to announce what should be a terrific fight, though it’s hard for the action-minded Matias to have anything less than a good one.

Also on tonight’s card, David Morrell Jr edged a very close split decision over Imam Khataev, coming off the canvas in round five. Morrell (12-1, 9 KO) won two cards, 95-94 and 96-93, and Khataev took the other one, 95-94.

It’s the first loss for Khataev (10-1, 9 KO), but quite a showing, and the sort of effort that will get him more chances, or could see him avoided by many fighters. The new money in boxing, largely coming from the Turki Alalshikh camp, may help him out, if Alalshikh was happy with the performance, and it’s hard to imagine anyone not being happy with the way Khataev fought.

This one was even more debatable an outcome than Matias vs Puello, with many instant reactions believing Khataev deserved the nod more, and not just because he scored a knockdown. That’s definitely one you could imagine demanding a rematch, and I think anyone who watched this fight would welcome it, because it was a hell of a battle and both guys showed tremendous toughness and determination.