Lucas Matthysse, left, of Argentina falls after receiving a punch by Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines during their WBA World welterweight title bout in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sunday, July 15, 2018. AP
As it turns out, it is Lucas Matthysse who is retiring after his WBA welterweight title bout with Filipino legend Manny Pacquiao last month.
The Argentine, who claimed he would beat Pacquiao into retirement, announced in an Instagram post his decision to end his career at the age of 36.
“I am proud that I maintained my career for 10 years at a world-class level, where I fought with the best in boxing and fulfilled my dream of being a world champion,” he said in a post.
The soft-spoken Matthysse also thanked the sport for “changing my life.”
He rode into the sunset with 39 wins, 36 by way of knockout, and five losses.
His career was marked by spectacular KO wins—albeit over lesser known foes—and equally stunning defeats to A-listers like Pacquiao, Danny Garcia and Viktor Postol.
He was decked three times by Pacquiao in their July 15 match at Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur en route to losing by technical knockout after taking a wicked right uppercut in the seventh round.
“Today I decide to hang up my gloves because another stage in my life is coming,” added Matthysse, who reportedly earned his biggest purse ever from Pacquiao fight amounting to $2 million.