Argentina’s Lucas Matthysse speaks as he looks towards Filipino boxing idol Manny Pacquiao during a press conference in Kuala Lumpur on April 20, 2018, ahead of their world welterweight boxing championship bout in July. / AFP PHOTO / Mohd RASFAN
Lucas Matthysse started his professional boxing career in 2004 when his next opponent Manny Pacquiao was already paving his way to superstardom.
Pacquiao was The Ring Magazine featherweight champion, and drew with Juan Manuel Marquez in the year Matthysse made his debut.
After 14 years, the two are set to cross paths in a fight the Argentinian slugger sees as a huge development in his career.
“It will be a great fight, and I expect to see the same Manny Pacquiao I watched on television,” said Matthysse as per BoxingScene.com. “Now I’m going to see him in the ring, this is something very big for me and my career.”
Matthysse (39-4, 36 KOs) will defend his WBA World welterweight belt on July 15 in Malaysia against Pacquiao (59-7-2, 38 KOs) who has won championships in eight weight classes—the most in boxing history.
The Argentinian won his first World title when he scored a 10th round stoppage of Alose Olusegun in 2012 to become the WBC’s interim super lightweight champion, eight years after his professional debut.
From 2004 until 2012, Pacquiao completed his Mexicutioner era—wherein Mexican legends like Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, and Juan Manuel Marquez fell to the Filipino— and amassed World titles in five weight classes with the last being the WBC World super welterweight belt when he defeated Antonio Margarito in 2010.
“I expect the same Manny Pacquiao as always, he is a respectable champion but I’m a champion as well,” said Matthysse. “I’ve been fighting for a long time. I know he has a lot of experience as well.”