Former IBF light welterweight champion Subriel Matías (21-2, 2 KOs) battles #4-ranked Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela (30-3, 17 KOs) in a title eliminator for that belt in the 12-round main event this Saturday, March 1st, at the Coliseo Tomas Dones, Fajardo, Puerto Rico. The event will be shown live on DAZN at 7:00 p.m. ET.

Road to Hitchins

The winner of Saturday’s fight between #3 IBF-ranked Matias and Valenzuela will be the mandatory for IBF 140-lb champion Richardson Hitchins. However, it’s unclear how soon they’ll get to challenge him for his belt, as his promoter, Eddie Hearn, is interested in matching him against Teofimo Lopez or George Kambosos Jr..

Matias, 32, is fighting for the second time since losing his IBF belt to Liam Paro in a 12-round unanimous decision defeat last June 15th. That fight showed that Matias has to get in the mud with fighters who use roughhouse tactics, such as shoving, rabbit punching, and wrestling, as we saw in this bout.

Subriel playing it nice resulted in him losing his IBF belt to Paro in a fight he could have won if he’d used the same tricks. He kept looking at the referee to enforce the rules, but it wasn’t happening. It was a good lesson for Matias.

Undercard Fights:

– Alfredo Santiago vs. Javier Fortuna
– Nestor Bravo vs. Xolisani Ndongeni
– Pryce Taylor vs. Trevor Katara

In the co-feature bout, light welterweight Alfredo Santiago (16-2, 7 KOs) faces former WBA super featherweight champion Javier Fortuna (39-5-1, 28 KOs) in a 10 round bout. Fortuna, 35, is a well-known veteran, who has had an up and down career since losing his WBA belt in 2016. He’s suffered losses since then to Robert Easter Jr, Joseph Diaz, Ryan Garcia, and Robbie Davies Jr. Fortuna lacks the power and size to fight at 147 at his age. He’s just the B-side opponent for this fight.

“I am happy to be a part of this title elimination fight. When I lost the title, I did not give any excuses,” said Subriel Matias about his loss to Liam Paro. “I promised myself I would regain the title and bring it back to my hometown. I respect my opponent, but I understand the great rivalry between Puerto Rico and Mexico.

“People have seen me fall and get up again. If you have followed my life, you would know that being a fighter was not in the stars for me. I thought I would either be dead or in jail for a long time. I had the opportunity to turn my wrongs into rights.”

When you fight in Puerto Rico, you gotta walkout with some sabor latino 🎶 🇵🇷 🏝️#MatiasValenzuela | Live on DAZN Tomorrow pic.twitter.com/5xGpFnRIXV

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) February 28, 2025