Philippines, 17 Sep 2025
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


Oscar, Matthysse set to arrive in Manila


PhilBoxing.com




Boxing legend Oscar de la Hoya will accompany his protege WBA welterweight champion Lucas (The Machine) Matthysse in a visit to Manila on April 18-19 with the Golden Boy gracing a press conference to confirm the Argentinian?s title defense against Sen. Manny Pacquiao at the 16,000-seat Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur on July 15.

The bout will be Pacquiao?s first since losing the WBO 147-pound crown to Australia?s Jeff Horn in Brisbane last July. Matthysee won the vacant WBA title via an eighth round knockout over Thailand?s Teerachai Kratingdaeng Gym at the Forum in Inglewood, California, last January and will make his first defense. Pacquiao plans to fight twice this year.

There will be six Filipinos, including Pacquiao, in the bill dubbed ?Fight of Champions.? Four world title matches are in the card. Unbeaten Cebu southpaw Jhack Tepora, 24, is lined up to face a Mexican opponent for the vacant IBO featherweight crown in the chief aperitif. Fighters from Venezuela, South Africa, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan and China will also be featured in the international event, the biggest boxing show in Kuala Lumpur since Muhammad Ali battled Joe Bugner at the Merdeka Stadium in 1975.

It?s a big budget project with each world title fight a guaranteed barnburner. Pacquiao is assembling a card of 10 fights with MP Promotions the lead agency in producing the event. Top Rank will take care of TV distribution in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico while MP Promotions will cover the rest of the world. The four world title fights will be held Sunday morning in Kuala Lumpur for live airing in the US on Saturday evening.

Pacquiao is expected to begin training in General Santos City on Tuesday while the Senate is in recess. The Senate will be back in session on May 14-June 1 with Pacquiao shifting his training to Manila. The Senate will take another break from June 2 to July 22, allowing Pacquiao to step up his training for Matthysse until the fight on July 15. Pacquiao set the bout during the Senate?s recess to avoid a conflict in schedule. President Duterte will deliver his State of the Nation address on July 23 when the Senate returns.

Buboy Fernandez and Nonoy Neri will take charge of Pacquiao?s training with Freddie Roach unlikely to be tapped for the fight. Australian strength and conditioning coach Justin Fortune may be brought in from his base in Los Angeles to work with Pacquiao. Former Philippine national boxing coach Ting Ariosa, who lives in Pasadena, has volunteered to join Pacquiao?s staff on a full-time basis for the Matthysse fight. Ariosa, 59, migrated to the US in 1986 and was in the ABAP coaching pool during former Manila Mayor Mel Lopez? term.

De la Hoya and Matthysse will fly in from the US in the morning of April 18 and later attend a press conference to launch the Kuala Lumpur fight. A full schedule is in the works for the visitors before they leave for Kuala Lumpur with Pacquiao in the evening of April 19. A TV special, to be produced by Arnold Vegafria, will be filmed during the visit. There will be a press conference in Kuala Lumpur on April 20. De la Hoya and Matthysse will return to the US from Kuala Lumpur on April 21.


Click here to view a list of other articles written by Joaquin Henson.


Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • Pakistan's Sameer Khan Set to Battle for UBO Youth World Title in Brico Santig’s Sep 27 Show in Thailand
    By Carlos Costa, , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • Crawford Not the First Lightweight to Distinguish Himself at Super Middleweight
    By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • SAMBO Pilipinas is Southern NSA of the Year 2025
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • Kingsley “The Black Lion” Ibeh To headline historic “Legacy Nights” Inaugural Pro Boxing event in El Salvador
    , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • Smarts over power
    By Joaquin Henson, , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • HALL OF FAME FLIES FLAGS AT HALF-STAFF FOR TWO-DIVISION CHAMPION RICKY HATTON
    , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • Kazakhstan tops the medal table at the inaugural World Boxing Championships 2025 thanks to victory in the final bout of the competition
    , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • THRILLA IN MANILA GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY 13: JOE FRAZIER’S HUMBLE BEGINNINGS AS AN AMATEUR FIGHTER
    By Maloney L. Samaco, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • A New King, A New Challenger: Turki Alalshikh Proposes Crawford-Benavidez While Canelo Alvarez Faces Defeat with Humility
    By Dong Secuya, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Highly Questionable Title Eliminator
    By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Yoseline Perez Earns Silver Medal at Inaugural World Boxing Championships
    , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • 21-year-old Filipino wins at Germany rapid chess tournament
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Nagoya Nightmare: Naoya Inoue Notches One-Sided Decision over Murodjon Akhmadaliev
    , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Inoue’s Philippine Connection: Which Pinoy Super Bantamweight Could Challenge “The Monster?”
    By Carlos Costa, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Yoseline Perez Advances to the Finals at the World Boxing Championships Perez Set to Face Chinese Taipei’s Hsiao-Wen Huang for 54-Kilogram World Title
    , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Canelo Gets Outboxed, Loses Undisputed Title to Crawford
    By Carlos Costa, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • A Masterpiece of Boxing: Terence Crawford Dethrones Canelo Alvarez in Historic Showdown
    By Dong Secuya, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • LEWIS CROCKER IS CROWNED THE NEW IBF WORLD WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION
    , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Battle of Undefeated: Callum Walsh Vanquishes Fernando Vargas Jr.
    By Dong Secuya, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Undercard Inferno: Mbilli and Martinez Deliver a Super Middleweight War Ending in a Thrilling Draw
    By Dong Secuya, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Crawford to defy odds?
    By Joaquin Henson, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Clash of Titans: The Final Predictions for Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford
    By Dong Secuya, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Weigh-In Results: Naoya Inoue vs. Murodjon Akhmadaliev
    , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Inoue and Akhmadaliev Make Weight for Sunday's Battle, Watch it LIVE on Facebook!
    By Carlos Costa, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • IIEE North Cotabato and Metro Central are the Golden Champion on 3x3 Basketball and 3x3 Chess
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025




  •  



     
    PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring
    Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general.
    Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com


    PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
    developed and maintained by dong secuya
    © 2025 philboxing.com.