Adam Azim has offered his thoughts on whether Dalton Smith, his domestic rival, deserved to emerge victorious against Alberto Puello last Saturday.

The Sheffield man claimed his WBC title in January, dethroning Subriel Matias with a stunning fifth-round finish on away soil.

Very few expected Smith to win his super-lightweight belt in such emphatic fashion, given that he was facing a formidable puncher and had not yet proven himself at world level.

As it happened, though, ‘Thunder’ showed tremendous grit and courage to beat Matias at his own game, before being ordered to defend his strap against mandatory challenger Puello.

While originally scheduled to square off in June, the pair ended up colliding this past weekend after Smith sustained an injury in his initial training camp.

For the first five rounds, it seemed as though Smith would box to a convincing points victory, appearing to be control the contest with consistent right-hand counters.

Puello then began winning rounds with his marginally superior activity and, ultimately, it was a split decision victory in favour of the defending champion.

Speaking with RS Boxing TV afterwards, super-lightweight contender Azim said he felt Smith could have quite easily lost his title.

“It was an okay performance; I wouldn’t say he done the best. I think he wasn’t busy enough. But he still got the job done, and [Smith-Azim is] still a massive fight for the both of us.

“Puello won by one round, in my opinion. But it was still a great performance.”

While both seem to be at different stages in their careers, a domestic dustup between Smith and Azim represents one of the most appealing all-British showdowns that can be made.

Azim will first look to get back active, having not graced the ring since a win over Steve Claggett in May. Promotional company BOXXER is yet to announce his next date.