Subriel Matias overcame a rough start in the fight in which his opponent, Jeremias Ponce, threw 96 punches, to win by knockout on Saturday night and become the owner of the IBF super lightweight crown.
At the Armory in Minneapolis, the 30-year-old Puerto Rican fighter captured his first world title by forcing Jeremias Ponce's corner to stop the contest during the break between the fifth and sixth rounds.
"I worked 10 months for this moment, I had nothing to worry about. I wasn't surprised he didn't come out, I wanted to knock him out in the sixth, but his corner stepped up," stated Matias who has a record of 19-1 with 19 knockouts.
Despite a round with a lot of pressure from the Argentinean, Matias kept calm enough to know that by the second round, he could tip the balance in his favor and thanks to his powerful punch he gradually opened spaces to conquer the judges' scorecards, which in the end wasn't necessary.
"They know me (my corner), they made the decision. But it's better to stop a fight a minute earlier than a minute later. It hurts me because I was coming for the win. I hope to have my rematch because I want to be the world champion. It's my dream," explained Ponce, who tonight also lost his 30-fight unbeaten streak.
With this victory "El Orgullo de Maternillo" aspires to be able to land his dream of facing important exponents of his division, especially the American Regis Prograis.
All updates from tonight's event can be found below: