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. โFor Lucas itโs a dream come true. Heโs 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. Itโs a dream fight for him. Heโs treating it exactly like that,โ Eric Gomez of Golden Boy promotions, who represent Matthysse, told Boxing News.
He pointed out a reminder of the Argentineโs qualities. โHeโs had two setbacks in his career, two setbacks. One of them was the Danny Garcia fight,”ย 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. Heโs very exciting. Itโs translated to many fans here in the United States because of his style. Heโs an aggressive fighter with a big punch.”
He believes that Matthysse has key advantages going into the Pacquiao fight. โI like his chances. Because I see the way heโs preparing, I like his mental attitude. This for him, like I said, itโs a dream fight. He right now in camp is living, eating, breathing Manny Pacquiao. Thatโs all he thinks about day and night. I think thatโs an advantage for him because Mannyโs a little past his prime. Heโs still a very good fighter. Probably one of the best, he can beat most. But Manny has a lot of things going on. Mannyโs a congressman in the Philippines, heโs got other ventures, business ventures. I think weโre getting Manny at the right time. Heโs a little distracted now. I think thatโs the advantage Lucas has. Heโs already talking about other fights, heโs talking fighting [Vasyl] Lomachenko or any of the other champions out there. I think heโs overlooking Lucas and that could be a mistake,โ Gomez said.
Victory would put Matthysse back among the elite of the sport. โHe wants to fight the top guys, he would like to fight any of the champions. Heโd love to fight a Keith Thurman. But anybody. He wants to fight the best. He wants to be the best but weโll see. Weโre going to take it one fight at a time,โ Gomez said. โThis is his moment. This is what heโs waited for for years now and thatโs all weโre concentrating on right now, is Manny Pacquiao. Heโs got to beat Manny Pacquiao. If he loses to Manny, heโs going to have a really tough time whether he can continue. It really depends on this fight. This is everything for him.โ