Things you didn’t know about Alberto Puello

Things you didn’t know about Dalton Smith’s next opponent, Alberto Puello

Mandatory challenger Alberto Puello (24-1, 10 KOs) is all set to challenge the WBC world super-lightweight champion Dalton Smith (19-0, 14 KOs) in his home city of Sheffield on October 24, live on DAZN.

A two-time world champion, Puello lost the WBC belt in July 2025 by a narrow mixed decision to Subriel Matias, ending a brief title run that never had time to settle.

British boxer Smith claimed that same belt by stopping Matias in the fifth round, 10 days into 2026, a result that reordered the division and immediately pulled him into the mandatory cycle.

Puello is the polar opposite to Smith’s last foe; far less aggressive and powerful, he is a tricky, mobile southpaw who prefers space, range and movement, constantly circling, changing direction, waiting, breaking rhythm, calculated and intelligent.

Their impending collision will be more like a chess match than the tear-up that took place in New York in January.

GBN have listed as much information that can be found on the mandatory challenger below.

Alberto Puello Facts

He was born Alberto Puello Calderón on 22 July 1994 in San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic. In Spanish tradition, Puello is the paternal name and Calderón is from the maternal side.

His nickname is “La Avispa”, which translates to “The Wasp”.

The 32-year-old is a former two-time world super-lightweight champion, having held the WBA belt from 2022-2023 and the WBC title from 2024-2025.

Not much is known about his amateur career or record, but he represented his country and competed in several regional and international competitions.

Puello made his professional debut against Marcos Hernandez on 7 March 2015, winning via first-round technical knockout in just 173 seconds.

Alberto amassed a 10–0 record, before being scheduled to fight for his first title just shy of his two-year anniversary in the paid ranks, in February 2017.

The unbeaten prospect defeated Abrahan Peralta for the vacant WBA Fedelatin and WBC Latino super-lightweight titles on 24 February 2017.

Puello decisioned undefeated Jonathan Alonso for the WBA Interim super-lightweight title in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on 27 July 2019.

Then followed a 17-month absence from the ring, as he made his first WBA Interim title defence against Cristian Rafael Coria on 17 December 2020, getting back to business with a seventh-round stoppage. He made a second successful defence in July 2021.

On 25 August 2021, Puello was stripped of his Interim title, as the WBA eliminated their Interim champion designations.

Puello defeated VeShawn Owens by unanimous decision in his United States debut in December 2021.

Undisputed super-lightweight ruler Josh Taylor was ordered by the WBA to make a mandatory defence to Puello, but the pair failed to come to terms and the champion was stripped of his belt as a result.

Puello was ordered to face WBA (Regular) super-lightweight title challenger Batyr Akhmedov instead, for the now vacant super-lightweight belt on 20 August 2022. Puello won the fight by split decision and made history as the first-ever super-lightweight champion from the Dominican Republic.

Alberto was meant to make a maiden title defence to world title challenger Rolando Romero on 13 May 2023, but he tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance on 19 April, and was handed a six-month suspension and named champion-in-recess.

Puello came back to defeat Gary Antuanne Russell by split decision to win the WBC Interim super-lightweight title at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on 15 June 2024.

On 24 June 2024 it was announced that Devin Haney was declared “WBC World Champion in Recess”, and Puello was duly elevated to a full champion.

Puello made the first defence of his title against Sandor Martín at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on March 1, 2025, retaining his title via split decision.

In his second title defence, he lost the belt by majority decision to Subriel Matías in New York on July 12, 2025.