Sheffield has a rich boxing history, having produced world champions including Prince Naseem Hamed, Johnny Nelson and Kell Brook, and those in attendance gave their latest champion a hero’s welcome.
Wearing the blue and white of his beloved Sheffield Wednesday, he made his ring walk to AC/DC’s Thunderstruck.
The contest began cagily, with neither fighter willing to overcommit as both showed sharp defensive skills.
Smith had beaten the fearsome puncher Matias by standing and trading, but Puello posed a different challenge – a slick southpaw relying on movement and counter-punching.
The champion dictated the pace in the early rounds. He landed a right in the fourth, but Puello, 32, found his range with his left before Smith connected again just before the bell.
Puello – whose only career loss came against Matias last year – came alive in the sixth, landing a series of straight lefts to take the round. The challenger then slipped to the canvas, briefly raising hopes of a knockdown among the home crowd.
The atmosphere resembled a football terrace, with a drummer and trumpeter accompanying fans singing Sheffield Wednesday songs.
A superb double jab and right hook from Smith in the ninth was answered by an uppercut and hook to the body from Puello, showcasing the quality of both fighters.
With the contest – originally scheduled for June before an elbow injury forced Smith to withdraw – finely poised, both men had everything to fight for heading into the championship rounds.
Cut below his right eye, Smith traded blows with Puello, perhaps edging the exchanges through his higher work-rate.
Smith played to the crowd in the final 20 seconds, before leaping into his father’s arms at the final bell.