Philippines, 17 Sep 2025
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


The Pacquiao-Matthysse showdown to define their future


PhilBoxing.com




KUALA LUMPUR ? Argentine World Boxing Association welterweight belt-owner Lucas Matthysse and Filipino challenger Manny Pacquiao face off Sunday at the Axiata Arena here in a 12-round showdown that could determine each other?s future.

The 35-year-old Matthysse is actually putting his 147-pound diadem at stake against the soon-to-be 40-year-old Pacquiao with the winner setting the stage for a possible marquee meeting with the Word Boxing Organization titleholder and current pound-for-pound best Terence Crawford sometime this autumn or early 2019.

It could be the end of an illustrious career, however, for whoever losses although for Pacquiao, the only human being in the history of sweet science to win world titles in eight weight divisions, he still has his boxing promotion to go to depending on the outcome of this fight he himself is offering.

Both Pacquiao (59-7-2, 38 KOs) and Matthysse (39-4, 36 KOs) expect an all-action fight as both are still acknowledged as two of the best and most exciting action fighters today regardless of their age.

Although many believe both are clearly not the same fighters as they were a few years back, particularly the Filipino ring icon who, they said is a far cry from the guy who knocked out Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto one after the other in three consecutive fights that earned him the accolade ?Fighter of the Decade? in 2000.

Pacquiao, 5-4 in his last nine outings, is looking forward to his 60th career victory and rejoin the elite group of boxers with a title of champion before their names.

His last defeat happened only a year ago at the hands of an obscure former school teacher who was fighting for only 18th pro-assignment and wasn?t given a China man?s chance to emerge victor but did shockingly win albeit questionably.

The father of five with former Sarangani Vice Gov. Jinkee, incidentally, held the WBO version of the 147-pound gonfalon taken from him by Horn.

It took him a year of hibernation to decide to climb the ring again and needed to busy himself with his pre-occupation as member of the Philippine Senate to recover from that shock.

Matthysse, on the other hand, is also considered several years past his peak from the time he was known as one of the most dangerous and avoided boxers in his weight.

Following his unanimous decision loss to Danny Garcia in 2013, he fought just six times more and in one of those, he suffered he first knockout of his career to Viktor Postol in 2015.

Since that setback to Postol, he?s fought just twice and scored two knockout victories against the overmatched Emmanuel Taylor and Tewa Kiram from whom he took the WBA plum although he looked like a shell of his former self.

Pacquiao and Matthysse might, indeed, be past their prime, but both, no doubt, can still be entertaining offensive sluggers who can dish out bell-to-bell kind of action that can delight fans no end.

Never mind that this fight should?ve held, say five years ago when both were considered among the best welterweights.

Both acknowledged each other?s talents with the welterweight champion paying his challenger tribute as a great champion, who he vowed to conquer when they square off Sunday.

"He is a great champion but he still hasn't faced 'The Machine'," Argentina's Matthysse told reporters at a the packed press conference ahead of their WBA title clash.

"If he decides to retire after I beat him then that is his decision, I am here to defend my title," he said when asked for comment on his camp?s earlier pronouncement he will retire the Filipino legend.

?His action-packed style, Pacquiao, for his part, said, was one of the reasons the fight attracted him. "When I saw his fight against Tewa Kiram it was a good fight. I believe we can create good action in the ring so the fans will be happy."


Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.


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.