ARGENTINE puncher Lucas Matthysse believes he is getting Manny Pacquiao at just the right time. Matthysse will fight Pacquiao on July 15 at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Matthysse is completely focused on the task at hand. “For Lucas it’s a dream come true. He’s wanted to fight Pacquiao for a number of years now, since a number of years back. But for him this is a career defining moment. It’s a dream fight for him. He’s treating it exactly like that,” Eric Gomez of Golden Boy promotions, who represent Matthysse, told Boxing News.
He pointed out a reminder of the Argentine’s qualities. “He’s had two setbacks in his career, two setbacks. One of them was the Danny Garcia fight,” Gomez said. “Obviously the fight with [Viktor] Postol. That was a mandatory fight, he ended up getting injured in the fight and those were the two setbacks in his career. But Lucas has been one of the top fighters for many years now. He’s very exciting. It’s translated to many fans here in the United States because of his style. He’s an aggressive fighter with a big punch.”
He believes that Matthysse has key advantages going into the Pacquiao fight. “I like his chances. Because I see the way he’s preparing, I like his mental attitude. This for him, like I said, it’s a dream fight. He right now in camp is living, eating, breathing Manny Pacquiao. That’s all he thinks about day and night. I think that’s an advantage for him because Manny’s a little past his prime. He’s still a very good fighter. Probably one of the best, he can beat most. But Manny has a lot of things going on. Manny’s a congressman in the Philippines, he’s got other ventures, business ventures. I think we’re getting Manny at the right time. He’s a little distracted now. I think that’s the advantage Lucas has. He’s already talking about other fights, he’s talking fighting [Vasyl] Lomachenko or any of the other champions out there. I think he’s overlooking Lucas and that could be a mistake,” Gomez said.
Victory would put Matthysse back among the elite of the sport. “He wants to fight the top guys, he would like to fight any of the champions. He’d love to fight a Keith Thurman. But anybody. He wants to fight the best. He wants to be the best but we’ll see. We’re going to take it one fight at a time,” Gomez said. “This is his moment. This is what he’s waited for for years now and that’s all we’re concentrating on right now, is Manny Pacquiao. He’s got to beat Manny Pacquiao. If he loses to Manny, he’s going to have a really tough time whether he can continue. It really depends on this fight. This is everything for him.”
