Lucas Matthysse?s manager promised his fighter will make Manny Pacquiao retire following their fight Saturday night.
The 39-year-old Pacquiao hasn?t fought in more than a year, yet is slightly favored to beat Matthysse in their 12-round, 147-pound title fight at Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Mario Acano, Matthysse?s manager, is convinced the Philippines? Pacquiao will wish he picked an easier opponent once his hard-hitting champion starts punching Pacquiao.
?As I told you during the press conference two months ago, this fight?s gonna be a war,? Acano told The Manila Times for a story published Wednesday. ?It will. We prepared Lucas to make war. He?s ready to retire Pacquiao, as he promised.?
The 35-year-old Matthysse (39-4, 36 KOs, 1 NC) will make the first defense of the WBA world welterweight title he won in his last fight. Argentina?s Matthysse knocked out Thailand?s Tewa Kiram (38-1, 28 KOs) in the eighth round of that January 27 fight in Inglewood, California, to win a vacant version of the WBA?s 147-pound championship.
Matthysse is 2-0 since an eye injury threatened his career following a 10th-round knockout loss to Ukraine?s Viktor Postol (29-2, 12 KOs) in October 2015.
?Lucas is ready,? Acano said. ?He prepared hard for this fight and [we?re] confident he?s still the champion when we get back to Argentina.?
Pacquiao (59-7-2, 38 KOs) hasn?t boxed since suffering a controversial loss to Australia?s Jeff Horn (18-1-1, 12 KOs) that cost him the WBO welterweight title last July 2 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Horn?s hometown.
The Matthysse-Pacquiao fight will headline an ESPN+ live stream from Malaysia on Saturday night.
It?ll start at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT with a 12-round featherweight title bout between another Filipino southpaw, Jhack Tepora, and Mexico?s Edivaldo Ortega. Tepora (21-0, 16 KOs) and Ortega (26-1-1, 12 KOs) will fight for the WBA?s interim 126-pound championship.
