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The Pacquiao-Matthysse showdown to define their future By Eddie Alinea PhilBoxing.com Fri, 13 Jul 2018  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.  |
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