Subriel Ahmed MatÃÂas Matthew (born March 31, 1992) is a Puerto Rican professional boxer. He is a two-time super-lightweight champion, having held the WBC title from 2025 to 2026, and previously the IBF title from 2023 to 2024.
MatÃÂas made his professional debut against Juan Rojas on December 19, 2015. He won the fight by a first-round technical knockout. MatÃÂas amassed an 8âÂÂ0 record before taking the first step up of his career on August 18, 2018, as he faced Colombian veteran Breidis Prescott. He won the fight by a third-round technical knockout. Prescott was twice knocked down in the third round, with a left hook and an uppercut, before retiring from the bout.
MatÃÂas faced the journeyman Wilberth López in a stay-busy fight on March 2, 2019. He won the fight by a sixth-round technical knockout. MatÃÂas would then face the undefeated Maxim Dadashev in an IBF junior welterweight title eliminator on July 19, 2019. Dadashev retired from the fight at the end of the eleventh round. He suffered a severe brain injury during the bout and passed away a few days later.
MatÃÂas faced Petros Ananyan on February 22, 2020, on the undercard of Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury II. Despite entering the fight as a sizable favorite, he lost the fight by a close unanimous decision. MatÃÂas was staggered back to the ropes late in the seventh round, which referee Roberty Byrd ruled a knockdown. This proved to be the pivotal moment of the contest, as two of the judges scored the bout 95âÂÂ94 for Ananyan, while the third judge gave his opponent a slightly wider scorecard of 96âÂÂ93.
MatÃÂas faced the undefeated Malik Hawkins on October 24, 2020. He won the fight by a seventh-round technical knockout. The contest was stopped a second into the round, on the advice of the ringside physician, who was previously called to check the injuries on Hawkins' face in the fifth round. All three judges had MatÃÂas up 59âÂÂ54 at the time of the stoppage.
MatÃÂas faced Batyrzhan Jukembayev in an IBF junior welterweight title eliminator on May 29, 2021. Jukembayev retired from the fight at the end of the eighth round. MatÃÂas had knocked him down with a left hook in the fourth round and was up 77âÂÂ74, 77âÂÂ74 and 76âÂÂ75 on the scorecards by the end of the final round.
MatÃÂas faced Petros Ananyan on January 22, 2022. The pair previously fought on February 22, 2020, when Ananyan was able to win by a narrow unanimous decision. He was unable to replicate his earlier success however, as he was forced to retire at the end of the tenth round, after he was knocked down with a left hook in the previous round. MatÃÂas was up 89âÂÂ81 on two of the judges' scorecards at the time of the stoppage and 88âÂÂ82 on the last one.
On June 3, 2022, the IBF ordered MatÃÂas to face Jeremias Ponce for the interim IBF super-lightweight title. On July 7, the sanctioning body instead ordered the unified super-lightweight champion Josh Taylor to make a mandatory title defense against Ponce. Taylor refused the fight on August 24 and officially vacated the belt on that same day. The IBF immediately ordered a vacant championship bout between MatÃÂas and Ponce. Although the fight was scheduled to take place on October 15, on the undercard of the Deontay Wilder and Robert Helenius Fox Sports pay-per-view, it was postponed as Ponce was unable to secure a visa in time for the fight. The title bout was rescheduled for February 11, 2023, before being postponed to February 25. It took place at the Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota and headlined a Showtime broadcast card. MatÃÂas won the fight by a fifth-round stoppage, as Ponce's corner decided to retire their fighter at the end of the round.
On June 16, 2023, it was reported that MatÃÂas would make a voluntary title defense against Sergey Lipinets. Twelve days later however, the IBF ordered MatÃÂas to make a mandatory defense against the undefeated Shohjahon Ergashev. As the two camps failed to reach an agreement within the allotted negotiation period, a purse bid was scheduled for August 15, although it was later postponed by a week as both sides requested an extension. The promotional rights were eventually won by Premier Boxing Champions, on behalf of Matias, with a bid of $510,000. The fight took place on November 25. Ergashev retired from the bout at the beginning of the sixth round, citing inability to compete due to a leg injury as the reason for his withdrawal from the fight.
On February 4, 2024 it was reported that Matias would make the second defense of his IBF super lightweight title against Liam Paro in the summer 2024 in Puerto Rico. In February, it was reported that the fight was off, and Elvis Rodriguez was a possible contender. On March 12, it was reported that the fight was back on for June 15, 2024 in Manati, Puerto Rico. On March 27, 2024 the fight against Paro was confirmed for June 15, 2024 in Manati, Puerto Rico. Matias lost the fight by unanimous decision.
MatÃÂas faced Alberto Puello for the WBC super-lightweight title at Louis Armstrong Stadium in New York on July 12, 2025. He won by majority decision with two of the ringside judges scoring the fight 115âÂÂ113 in his favour, while the third had it a 114âÂÂ114 draw.
On November 20, 2025, it was reported that MatÃÂas had failed an anti-doping test with the banned substance Ostarine being found in a urine sample he provided to the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA). On December 3, 2025, the WBC ruled the positive test was caused by contaminated supplements and placed MatÃÂas on probation for one year including further testing to be paid for by the boxer.
MatÃÂas made the first defense of his title against Dalton Smith at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on January 10, 2026. He was knocked to the canvas in the fifth round and, although he got back to his feet, the referee ruled he was not fit to continue and waved the fight off, giving Smith the win by technical knockout.
MatÃÂas was raised in Maternillo, a poor seaside fishing community of Fajardo. He received support from his mother, his grandmother Viviana, and people close to the family, such as father figure Julio de Jesús. MatÃÂas developed an early interest in motorcycling and he was gifted two, a Harley Davidson and a Vespa. He was involved in criminal activities as a youth, suffering a gunshot wound on August 10, 2012, and serving a 19-month term in prison. Afterwards, MatÃÂas took up boxing as a career and signed as a professional in 2015. He credits these experiences with giving him a strong mind, showing him how to deal with adversity and providing the time to find himself and faith. MatÃÂas is married to Yachari Benabe, and has three daughters.
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