When an undercard bout on a boxing card has a good chance of outshining the main event, you know a memorable evening is likely–especially when that main event is being referred to as the biggest bout of the last several years.
Danny Garcia vs. Lucas Matthysse, chief support to the Floyd Mayweather-Saul Alvarez main event on September 14, is a bonus thrown in for the long-suffering hardcore fans. So, while ell eyeballs will be on Mayweather and Alvarez, the real fans will know to stay glued to the set for the hour before the main event as well. Those “in the know” expect one of two things from Garcia-Matthysse: A memorable execution or a thrilling war. The chance of anything else developing is extremely slim.
Heavy-handed war machine, Lucas Matthysse (34-2, 32 KOs) walks with the confidence of a man with dynamite in his hands and carnage on his mind. The native of Argentina has torn a path to no. 1 contender status with brutal knockouts of fighters such as Lamont Peterson, Mike Dallas Jr., and Humberto Soto. The only two blemishes on his record— split decision losses to Zab Judah and Devon Alexander in 2010 and 2011, respectively— were highly controversial and featured him scoring knockdowns on both opponents. Matthysse, who has registered 23 knockdowns in his last ten fights, sits atop the list of boxing’s most avoided fighters and many felt it would be nearly impossible to lure one of the division’s top stars into giving him a shot.
To his credit, though, WBA and WBC junior welterweight champ, Danny Garcia (26-0, 16 KOs) stepped right up to face his mandatory challenger despite speculation that he may try to opt out for a safer fight. A Philadelphia fighter through and through, Garcia has won his spot atop the junior welterweight division with wins over champs like Amir Khan, Erik Morales, and Zab Judah and doesn’t plan on being just another notch in Matthysse’s belt. As a matter of fact, he seems to think that his Argentine foe is a bit on the overrated side.
“To me Matthysse is just a regular fighter,” Garcia recently told the media. “He already has two losses. I don’t consider him one of the best. He doesn’t even have a world title and when he fought for one, he lost. Let’s see what happens when I show him different looks, back him up, work angles. I can fight backing up. Can he? I’m definitely not going to give him something easy. He’s going to have to earn anything he gets in the ring that night. Let’s see if he knows how to earn it.”
Garcia’s father and trainer, Angel, was less diplomatic about his feelings on Matthysse:
“Now we’re fighting a little bum and ya’ll making a big [expletive] out of it,” the elder Garcia remarked in a recent video interview. “Nobody’s beating us. Not right now, not tomorrow, not in the future. Matthysse, September 14, is gonna get his [expletive] whupped!”
Matthysse, however, true to his reputation as a cold-hearted assassin, wasn’t a bit frazzled by the big talk coming from Team Garcia.
“It doesn’t bother me,” he told the media. “It just shows that they’re worried. That’s why they’re talking so much. Nothing worries me. I’ve trained very hard and I’m ready for anything?I’ve been hit before and been able to withstand it. But if Danny drops me, I’m going to get up?I have a feeling that we’re both going to be very aggressive and, like I said, we’re going to beat each other up. It will be a great fight?It’s the fight of my life and I’m going to take advantage of it.”
And while the spoils of war for this particular clash will be two world title belts and top dog status at 140 lbs., both Garcia and Matthysse have a bigger prize in mind.
“I know that winning is going to open doors,” Matthysse told the assembled media. “So, I am taking this fight seriously. Hopefully, it means a future fight with Floyd Mayweather?Of course I want to fight Floyd.”
Paul Magno was a licensed official in the state of Michoacan, Mexico and a close follower of the sport for more than thirty years. His work can also be found on Fox Sports and as Editor-in-Chief of The Boxing Tribune. In the past, Paul has done work for Inside Fights, The Queensberry Rules and Eastside Boxing. For breaking news, additional analysis, and assorted crazy commentary, follow him on Facebook, @TheBoxingTribune or on Twitter, @BoxingBTBC.
