Hearn sees a different Dalton Smith after Matias

Smith did not win by movement. He won by contact management.

Early on, Smith tied up Matias repeatedly, disrupting the rhythm and killing rallies before they could build. He would land, step in and stall. Again and again. It was the same approach that troubled Matias before, and once again, Matias found it difficult to respond. Once free, Matias landed hard and clean, snapping Smith’s head and reminding everyone why he built his reputation. These moments were real. They were also brief.

Hearn praised Smith for deciding that distance boxing wouldn’t work and choosing to trade instead. This explanation doesn’t quite fit what happened. Smith traded in spots, but he never stayed long. The plan was simple and effective. Hit. Socket. Reset. Repeat.

“No one did this to Matias,” Hearn said Aftercelebrating both the overthrow and the arrival. This part is right. Matias was never arrested and Smith took something from him that night. The leap Hearn subsequently made was more ambitious.

Calling Smith a superstar based on a controlled but messy title fight is promoter optimism doing his job. Smith proved he could execute a difficult plan under pressure. He also showed that his margin against elite fighters under pressure remains narrow when the clinch isn’t there to save him.

Hearn’s enthusiasm is understandable. His fighter won a world title in hostile conditions. Still, the performance felt more like a clever solution to a specific problem than a radical arrival, and how Smith follows this will tell the real story.