I can beat the Pacman – Matthysse

MANNY PACQUIAO may be the superstar but WBA World welterweight champion Lucas Matthysse is confident of defending his crown in the ‘Fight of Champions’ at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.

“I’m just enjoying everything I’m doing,” he told theSun in an exclusive interview. “All the hard work has already been done. Now I’m just maintaining, basically just tuning up. Just getting ready and resting.

“I have a positive mentality. I’ve prepared myself really, really well. My goal is to go home with a win. This fight is not about the money, but it’s about the fight itself. I secluded myself away from my family for three months before this fight to train.

“I have a 12-year-old daughter and she’s my biggest motivation. And I always tell myself that all I do now I do it for her, and for the better future of my family.”

Hailing from a family of boxers, it is no surprise that Matthysse ended up becoming a boxer himself. “My father, uncle, mother and even my sister are boxers. I quit school when I was 11 years old and my mom told me I was going to be a boxer.

“Boxing was a way to get myself off the street and away from trouble.”

This will be the first defence for the 35-yearold Argentine and a fight that might have aroused more interest if had taken place a decade ago. Filipino legend Pacquiao, now 39, came out of semiretirement to train for the bout having devoted himself to his political career in recent years.

Pacquiao has had 59 wins with 38 KO’s, seven losses and two draws while Matthysse’s record is 39-4, 36 KOs.