Super Lightweights Matías and Ponce Face Off for the Vacant IBF Title 

Puerto Rican Subriel Matías and undefeated Argentine Jeremías Ponce are each on the verge of becoming a world champion. Their fight is scheduled for February 25th at the Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where the vacant super lightweight IBF belt will be in dispute.

The title has been vacant since August of last year, when Scottish southpaw Josh Taylor (19-0, 13 KOs), then the undisputed champion at 140 pounds, relinquished all four of his most resplendent belts: WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF. Ponce (30-0, 20 KOs) and Matías (18-1, 18 KOs) are currently ranked first and second, respectively, by the IBF.

Matías (pictured) won 80 of 100 fights (20 by knockout) during his time in the amateur ranks. He first entered the ring at the age of 12 and credits boxing with turning around his uncontrolled life. “I was always fighting in school until I started in boxing,” said Matias. “Boxing changed my way of thinking and behaving.  I can say that boxing changed my life completely.”

An admirer of the Puerto Rican star and International Boxing Hall of Famer Félix “Tito” Trinidad, Matías has made his power evident since he made his professional debut in December 2015.  His first victory was obtained in the opening round of a scheduled four round fight against Puerto Rican Juan Rojas at the Tomás Dones Coliseum in Fajardo, Puerto Rico.

After displaying the impressive strength of his punches, and with a streak of 13 consecutive knockouts, Matías had a disheartening experience in store for him when he faced Maxim Dadashev on July 19, 2019, in Oxon Hill, Maryland.

Dadashev, 28, was undefeated in 13 bouts, 11 of them concluding within the distance. In this fight, Matías gave Dadashev a bad beating, and due to the punishment he received, Dadashev’s corner stopped the fight after the 11th round. Before making it to the dressing room, Dadashev collapsed and began vomiting.

Dadashev begged his American trainer James “Buddy” McGirt not to stop the fight, but McGirt overruled him and threw in the towel in surrender. However, the irremediable damage was already done to the brain of the Russian boxer who underwent surgery for a subdural hematoma at the UM Prince George’s Medical Hospital in Cheverly, Maryland, and died three days later.

Four months later, in December, and undoubtedly still affected by the trauma of the tragedy, Matías defeated Jonathan Eniz, also a Puerto Rican, in five rounds in Fajardo, Puerto Rico.

In his next fight, in February 2020, Matías suffered the only defeat to date in his career, by unanimous decision against Armenian Petros Ananyan at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. After almost a year, in January 2022 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Matías got revenge against Ananyan in a match that was stopped after nine rounds by the ringside physician.

Commenting on his upcoming matchup against South American Ponce, Matías expressed, “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.”

Matías, who will turn 31 on March 31st, noted that he has been away from his family and training in Mexico for 10 months. He stated, “Now that it (stepping into the ring) is in my sight, there’s nothing that is going to stand in my way.”

Ponce, four years younger and born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, has won his last three fights within the distance, just like Matías. In his last brawl, Ponce applied chloroform in the third round to Japanese Hachiko Odikadze, in Hamburg, Germany.

“I promise that I’m coming into this fight prepared to do whatever it takes to reach my dream and become a world champion,” Ponce said. “In my mind, this is my fight, and that title is already mine. Anyone who’s standing in my way is going to see why I’m undefeated and why I’ve earned this position that I’m in.”

Photo credit: Esther Lin / SHOWTIME

Article submitted by Jorge Juan Álvarez in Spanish.

Please note any adjustments made were for clarification purposes and any errors in translation were unintentional.

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE