Matias vs. Ponce Preview
The vacant IBF junior welterweight title will be up for grabs Saturday February 25th in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Devastating power puncher Subriel Matias will battle former IBO champion Jeremias Ponce.
Matias (18-1, 18 KO) avenged the only loss of his career in his last fight against Petros Ananyan where he won by ninth round TKO. The Puerto Rican fighter is mostly well known for his victory over Maxim Dadashev back in 2019 where he won by 11th round TKO. After the match Dadashev tragically died due to injuries sustained during the fight.
Despite the tragedy, Matias was able to move on from the incident due to his own personal suffering after being involved in two separate shootings. “You are talking to a dead man who God has brought back to life,” Matias expressed in an interview with ESPN in 2020.
Now that he has moved on, Matias is ready to prove he is a champion. “[This fight] is the most important of my career because it is my first [world] title [fight],” Matias said. “The fight will last for as long as it lasts. I think that the styles lend themselves to the knockout before the last bell.”
“Training has been great but the real answer is on fight night.”
The 30-year-old explained that he is ready for a battle with Ponce. “Anything could happen, but I'm confident in my abilities,” said Matias. “I know what I can do, but I'm ready to fight one or 12 rounds, regardless of what happens.”
Ponce (30-0, 20 KO) is coming off a third round TKO over Achiko Odikadze in April. He won the vacant IBO junior welterweight title in 2019 over Rico Mueller but never defended the belt. He will be making his first appearance in the United States against Matias.
Matias is known for his punching power but Ponce believes he has what it takes to finish the fight. “I do agree that the fight isn't gonna reach the final bell,” said Ponce. “It's gonna end by a knockout. But you know what I think the most? I'm gonna be the winner by knockout.”
The Argentinian fighter respects what his opponent will bring to the ring on. Saturday. “Subriel is a great fighter,” Ponce said. “Someone that always comes out swinging, ready to fight, has a lot of heart. I really admire that from him.”
Ponce went on to explain, “It’s gonna be a high-voltage affair,” Ponce said. “The fans are gonna love it. I expect both of us to come out there, you know, with our heads up high, trying to be aggressive, and everyone’s gonna love what they see.”
The three-bout main card can be seen on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET
