Subriel Matías
' career
as a boxer has all the ingredients to become a novel.
He was born in
Puerto Rico 30 years ago
and although he tried out in baseball, he showed no conditions for that sport.
Shortly after turning 12, he found a practice tailored to him in boxing.
At 17 he was already an amateur and went into the ring more than once to fight drunk
.
They tried to kill him twice and he made his professional debut at 23, shortly after he was released after two years in prison.
His most remembered fight is the one that had a tragic ending: his rival fainted and
died two days later
.
Tonight he will go for the vacant world title of the International Boxing Federation (IBF) in the super lightweight category (up to 64 kilos) against the Argentine
Jeremías Ponce
, in the United States.
If he was not a professional before, it was because of the rhythm of his life.
At 20 he was shot for the first time: they tried to kill him and a projectile lodged in his buttock and another in his right thigh.
After recovering, a burst from an AK-47 passed close to him and again a bullet hit him, this time in the left thigh.
Two months later, he was arrested.
He never explained why they made an attempt on his life or why he ended up in jail for two years until he posted bail.
Released, Matías began his career with a knockout on December 19, 2005 and five other fights followed with the same result.
In this way he got his first exit abroad: first
the Dominican Republic
and then the
United States
.
At 28 he lost his first fight.
It was against
Petros Ananyan
, according to the cards.
Eight months later he dropped
Malik Hawkins
before the last round.
In his career he was measured against some Argentines:
Fernando "Vasco" Saucedo
, in 2018, and
Jonathan "Potro" Eniz
, in 2019. None could with the Puerto Rican.
But the news that traveled the world the most was another.
In July 2019 he stepped into the ring at MGM National Harbor Oxon Hill, Maryland to face
Maxim Dadashev
.
The Russian took a beating and suffered a concussion.
As he was leaving the ring he collapsed and was rushed to
Prince George's
Hospital Center , where he died two days later.
They say that he was so mortified by what happened that it was difficult for him to prepare adequately for the combat that followed that tragedy, which coincidentally was that solitary defeat after the failure of the cards against Ananyan.
The Russian Maxim Dadashev, who died after being beaten by Matías.
AFP photo
Tonight's fight is for Matías the closing of a circle, the one that prevented a start in the younger professionalism, with assassination attempts, jail and even that tragic Dadashev fight.
The opportunity to be world champion made him reflect.
“On October 10, 2012, I entered Federal jail receiving another hard blow in my life, in which I wondered and questioned why? Ignoring that God was working in my life, strengthening me in many ways, but impacting my mind more, to make me strong in the face of adversity and find myself. I thought that I would never box again. I am released on bail in April after almost 2 years without freedom and God gives me the opportunity to debut on December 19, 2015 and thanks to Heavenly Father 7 years and 2 months later I will have the opportunity to dispute the IBF World Title. To everyone who has dreams, never abandon them, blows are part of life (SIC)”
, he published on his Facebook account.
The new version of Matías is anchored to religion.
He found in that space the serenity that he did not have in his childhood in Central America and in a life forged with fist blows.
"When I win on February 25, it will only be the beginning of a glorious year for Puerto Rican sports. Not only will I be a world champion, but hopefully we will win the World (Baseball) Classic so that we can all celebrate in a big way," anticipated
the boxer.
How do you see your Argentine rival?
"Ponce is a great boxer, I would compare him to Marcos Maidana. I don't see many people similar to him in boxing today. I respect both him and Argentina. But my goal is not to let this fight go until the last round "
, he anticipated.
"Being in this place has helped me find the peace and focus I needed to be ready. I've had great training that has helped prepare me for many different styles and I've been running six times a week," he said of
his preparation for the momentous fight.
After losing the only fight on his record to Russian Ananyan, Matías rebounded by stopping two previously undefeated boxers,
Malik Hawkins
and
Batyrzhan Jukembayev
, before taking revenge on Ananyan by knocking him down in the ninth round.
Now it is the turn of the Argentine Jeremías Ponce, one more chapter in the life of the Puerto Rican.
look also
Jeremías Ponce, the man from Buenos Aires who was formed in a cradle of champions and wants to give boxing another world title
A Russian boxer who agonized for four days died
Video: The trainer's dramatic plea to the Russian boxer to stop the fight that led to his death
