“Take nothing away from Subriel – he is a terrific champion.
“I did not actually keep on with the techniques tonight. I performed him at his personal sport. I knew I might get to him.
“I gave my dad a little bit of a coronary heart assault in there as that wasn’t the gameplan, however I took all his finest photographs and thought ‘you may’t damage me’.”
Smith joined heavyweight Fabio Wardley, welterweight Lewis Crocker, super-featherweight Jazza Dickens and featherweight Nick Ball because the UK’s fifth present male world champion.
Ticket gross sales have been reportedly modest, however there was no scarcity of noise from travelling supporters as Smith walked to the ring to ‘When the solar goes down’ by Arctic Monkeys, who’re from his house city of Sheffield.
But it felt like a house combat for Matias, with New York’s robust Puerto Rican inhabitants firmly behind the 33-year-old.
He appeared so relaxed that he stopped for selfies with members of the family throughout his ring stroll.
Making the primary defence of the title he received towards Alberto Puello in July, Matias has at instances been a gradual starter and Smith exploited that by banking the opening spherical with sharp, crisp punches to move and physique.
Matias edged the second, forcing Smith on to the again foot as blood trickled from the Briton’s nostril.
After a scrappy third, Smith, remarkably and unexpectedly, selected to commerce with the champion.
With 22 knockouts in his 23 wins, Matias entered with a status for relentless strain and heavy palms. Smith, nonetheless, additionally carried stoppage energy, having recorded 13 knockouts of his personal.
He landed a number of heavy left hooks to shut the fourth spherical. Then got here the career-defining second that actually introduced Smith on the world stage.
After briefly stumbling from a Matias mixture, an unfazed Smith got here roaring again in a fifth-round firefight.
He landed two straight left-right combos that snapped Matias’ head again, earlier than the decisive overhand proper.
There was a short protest from Matias on the referee’s choice, whereas Smith’s coach and father, Grant Smith, rushed into the ring in celebration.
