Former junior welterweight titleholder Subriel Matias has some goals he wants to accomplish moving forward. First, he wants his IBF title back.
Matias fights in an IBF eliminator March 1 against Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela at Coliseo Tomas Dones in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, which is Matias’ hometown.
Matias, 32, returned to the ring to stop Roberto Ramirez in November. This was Matias’ first appearance since losing his IBF title earlier in the year to Liam Paro. Before Matias devises any form of revenge against Paro, he wants to keep his word with the IBF and become a number-one contender for the belt. The belt is currently held by IBF titleholder Richardson Hitchins.
“I gave my word, and my word is the most important thing,” Matias told BoxingScene via a translator. “I am going to get that title back.”
“Fighting for the mandatory position is very significant for a fighter of Matias’ caliber,” Dmitriy Salita, Matias’ promoter, told BoxingScene. “There’s always been a link with Puerto Rico in New York City. Richardson Hitchins is from New York, from Brooklyn. So to become the mandatory to that champion, and to title fight in New York City would be absolutely enormous.
“I believe that Subriel Matias has a little bit of [Felix] Trinidad in him, has a little bit of Miguel Cotto in him.”
Matias may have lost to Paro, but Paro in December lost the belt to Hitchins. The IBF title has had three titleholders in the past three fights.
Matias, who has scored knockouts in all of his victories, is focused on getting in position to be the mandatory challenger.
“The most important thing right now is to just state the fact that I gave my word; I’m going to stand by it,” Matias, 21-2 (21 KOs) said. “But I am not looking past Valenzuela.”
Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela, 30, enters on a five-fight winning streak. Valenzuela of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, lost to Montana Love in 2022. Valenzuela, who holds a record of 30-3-1 (17 KOs), fought two times in 2024.
Matias says that, after he faces Hitchins, he has some unfinished business to settle.
“I’m going to look for the rematch and avenge my loss,” Matias said of a future fight with Paro.
Lucas Ketelle took an unconventional path to boxing, eventually finding his stride in gyms and media. For the past decade, he has hosted the “Lukie Boxing” podcast, filmed training camps for fighters like Arnold Barboza Jnr, Mikey Garcia and Caleb Plant, and worked with top professionals such as Mike Bazzel. Ketelle is also an author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for ProBox TV, BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @LukieBoxing.
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