A year ago, Subriel Matias held the IBF junior welterweight title and was arguably the most feared man in the division, having taken every single one  of his wins by knockout. Now he is belt-less and back to climbing the ladder in the 140lbs division.

That process continues Saturday with a scheduled 12-round bout against Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela at Coliseo Tomas Dones in Fajardo, Puerto Rico – a matchup to decide a mandatory challenger for current IBF titleholder Richardson Hitchins.

Matias, 24-2 (24 KOs), a 32-year-old from Fajardo, was candid at Thursday’s final press conference ahead of the fight and spoke almost poetically about his quests for personal and professional redemption.

“When I lost the title, I did not give any excuses,” he said. “I promised myself I would regain the title and bring it back to my hometown.

“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.”

Valenzuela, a 30-year-old from Guadalajara, Mexico, has his own motivations for this fight. A winner of five straight, he wants to extend his streak by holding up his end of an always-popular boxing matchup.

“I am extremely anxious to get into the ring and represent Mexico in this new edition of the Mexico-versus-Puerto Rico rivalry,” Valenzuela said. “This is historical, and I feel the weight and honor of representing Mexico. I understand that this fight has two fighters with the warrior spirit.”

In the co-feature, junior welterweight Alfredo Santiago will take on Javier Fortuna in a 10-round bout. Santiago, 30, a Dominican who now resides in Fajardo, is on a three-fight win streak, with wins over Karl Dargan, Angel Fierro and Pedro Campa, all reputable fighters.

“I know Fortuna very well,” said Santiago, 16-2 (7 KOs). “I hope he comes prepared. This is the most important fight of my life, and I will not let him or anybody take my dream away.”

Santiago also has a lot to fight for heading into this bout. He is the No. 1 contender for the WBO title, which is currently held by Teofimo Lopez Jnr. Arnold Barboza Jnr holds the interim title.

Fortuna, 35, a Dominican fighter who lives in Braintree, Massachusetts, is a former junior lightweight titleholder. He held the WBA belt from May 2015 to June 2016, nearly 10 years ago. Fortuna fought twice in 2024, losing to Robbie Davies Jnr by a narrow margin on the scorecard and then a month later bouncing back by knocking out Jonatan Mariano in a regional fight. 

“This fight means so much to me,” said Fortuna, 39-5-1 (28 KOs). “Many people believe I am in the last stretch of my career, and on Saturday I plan to prove them otherwise.”

Also on the undercard, undefeated junior welterweight Nestor Bravo will square off against Xolisani Ndongeni. Bravo, a 31-year-old from Arecibo, Puerto Rico, is eyeing big opportunities in his future.

“Thank you to my opponent for accepting this fight,” said Bravo, 23-0 (16 KOs). “I know he is a good fighter and I respect him, but nobody is taking the food away from my baby.”

Ndongeni, a 34-year-old veteran from South Africa, is 1-4 in his past five fights but last March was able to give lightweight title challenger Raymond Muratalla a difficult night.

“I am very thankful for this opportunity,” said Ndongeni, 32-6 (19 KOs). “I believe I am in the best shape of my career and I can’t wait to prove that on Saturday.”

Weights for the card:

Junior welterweights - 12 rounds

Subriel Matias (139.8lbs)

Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela (139.8lbs)

Junior welterweights - 10 rounds

Alfredo Santiago (139.8lbs)

Javier Fortuna (146.6lbs, almost seven pounds overweight)

Junior welterweights - 10 rounds

Nestor Bravo (140lbs)

Xolisani Ndongeni (140lbs)

Heavyweights

Pryce Taylor (267.2lbs)

Trevor Kotara (235.4lbs)

Junior lightweights

Jean Guerra Vargas (129.8lbs)

Alexander Mejia (129.4lbs)

Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie