Subriel Matias was 8-0 against southpaws prior to his IBF junior welterweight title defense against Australia's Liam Paro a year ago.

That entire event was built around making Matias a star in Puerto Rico, where he was born and raised. Paro was undefeated, but the hard-hitting Matias (22-2, 22 KOs) was favored to retain his title and move on to more marketable bouts within the 140-pound division.

The left-handed Paro upset Matias by unanimous decision at Juan Abreu Coliseum in Manati, Puerto Rico. The surprising loss cost Matias not only his IBF belt, but his promotional deal with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing.

"There was nothing missing or nothing necessarily that I did wrong," Matias told The Ring recently. "[Paro] was just better than me that night."

Matias' loss to Paro didn’t dissuade him from jumping to challenge another top southpaw, Alberto Puello, for his WBC junior welterweight title July 12 at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York.

"Just look at the results," Matias said. "This is gonna be my 10th fight against a southpaw. And of the previous nine, I have knocked out eight of them. So, the proof is in the pudding."

The Dominican Republic's Puello (24-0, 10 KOs) is probably more skillful than any of the nine southpaws Matias has faced. He's the only opponent who has beaten WBA champ Gary Antuanne Russell (18-1, 17 KOs), whom Puello outpointed by split decision in June 2024 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The odds are essentially even on the Puello-Matias match.

"It's gonna be a big challenge for me, definitely something I'm looking forward to, especially having lost to Liam Paro," Matias said. "It's gonna allow me to see where I stand within this division."

Puello, 30, edged Spanish southpaw Sandor Martin (42-4, 15 KOs) by split decision in his last fight, a 12-round match March 1 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Puello will encounter a completely different fighter in the right-handed Matias, whose pressure and power usually wears down opponents.

For Matias, 33, it's an opportunity to regain the leverage and momentum he had before Paro upset him. Paro (26-1, 16 KOs) lost the IBF junior welterweight title to Brooklyn's Richardson Hitchins in his first defense Dec. 7 at Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Matias was still the IBF's No. 1 contender when Hitchins (20-0, 8 KOs) opted for an easier optional defense against another Australian, George Kambosos Jr.

Hitchins battered Kambosos (22-4, 10 KOs) on his way to an eighth-round stoppage June 14 in The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Matias hopes Hitchins will be more eager to fight him if he can beat Puello, which would make for a title unification fight.

"In July, it's gonna have been 13 months since I had that last opportunity to fight for a world title," Matias said. "The way I have fought since then shows that I am resilient, that I can go after things and that now I am focused and ready for July 12th."

Puello-Matias is part of "Ring III," a pay-per-view event DAZN will distribute worldwide from one of the venues where the U.S. Open tennis tournament is played each summer. DAZN's coverage of The Ring's next show will begin at 6 p.m. ET in the United States ($59.99) and 11 p.m. BST in the United Kingdom (£24.99).