Many fighters are feared, but few are feared like Subriel Matias, who will fight Jeremias Ponce this weekend for the vacant IBF super lightweight title that was stripped from Josh Taylor, due to inactivity, this Saturday, February 25th, on Showtime from the Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Matias carries the ugly burden of a tragedy around him, as Top Rank Inc’s Maxim Dadashev passed away shortly after a brutal fight in which Buddy McGirt threw the towel in for Dadashev to stop the bout, yet the damages sustained were inreversible. Matias would lose his next fight, but then with a new entity behind, Premier Boxing Champions start to get some traction over the past few years.
“I am so sorry…,” Matias tweeted on July 24th, 2019, the day after Dadashev passed, as Matias would lose his very next fight to Petros Anayan.
Matias is the type of guy, who fights like a zombie attack. It is the pressure that he lives and dies by. No one will ever have an easy fight with him, this could be a reason why he has only fought three times in the past three years. Yet, Ponce is willing to take on the challenge as it is his first chance for a world title, and a proper reward for beating Lewis Ritson.
“I’m very grateful that there is now a date for this fight so that I can finally realize my dream and become world champion,” said Matías. “I’ve been away from my family for 10 months in Mexico, just preparing and getting ready until the time came to step into the ring. Now that it’s in my sight, there’s nothing that is going to stand in my way.”
With a win, Matias will be stand beside Jonathan “Bomba” Rodriguez and Amanda Serrano as the lone Puerto Rican champions, and beyond all that, Matias’ name is hardly ever brought up by any formidable contenders looking to make a name for themselves in the division.
“This is a great opportunity for me to show the world who I am,” said Matias prior to his last fight in January 2022 against the only man who beat him Petros Anayan, as Matias would stop Anayan in the ninth round. “I’m so excited that my mom is here to watch me fight for the first time in the United States. I’m excited and ready.“
Meet Subriel Matias, the super lightweight who rarely gets mentioned amongst the top names in the division despite fighting for the vacant IBF super lightweight title that was stripped from Josh Taylor due to inactivity.
Matias is in-action this weekend against Jeremias Ponce, as the two will headline the February 25th, Showtime card from The Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Matias explained in the build-up to this fight that he is very excited for this opportunity and has been training for ten-months away from his family in Mexico.
Matias is most commonly remembered for the tragic events that occurred during his fight with Maxim Dadashev, in which Dadashev would pass away from injuries sustained in that bout. Matias would lose his very next fight, but upon his return with a new promotional outfit, Premier Boxing Champions, Matias would avenge his lone career loss and defeat two prospects putting him in position to fight for the world title on Saturday.
