MATTHYSSE UNAFRAID OF ‘MEXICUTIONER’ PACQUIAO

LUCAS MATTHYSSE goes by the e nickname “LaMaquina” (The e Machine), a nickname boxing fans associate with his reputation as a mean punching machine.

There is, however, an interesting g story behind the sobriquet and it t goes back to Matthysse’s days as a tattoo artist in his native Argentina. When he was a member of f Argentina’s national boxing team, Matthysse often brought with him m a miniature tattooing machine (hence the alias ‘The Machine’) that he used to work on the skins of his teammates who were appreciative of his artistic skill.

Today, Matthysse’s body is riddled with tattoos. Matthysse’s hand, followed by some initials. Down the road, he added patriotic c themes that included a map of f Argentina on his back.

This weekend, Matthysse is booked d to defend his World Boxing Association (WBA) ‘regular’ welterweight (147 lbs.) title against Manny Pacquiao in n Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. You can say y announced, Pacquiao was already tattooed on Matthysse’s mind.

Matthysse, who sports a record d of 39- 4 with 36 knockouts, is work opposite Pacquiao. The WBA A champ is the underdog, but not a few see him as a legitimate threat t owing to the cataclysmic power r of his right hand. Pacquiao was untouchable during his prime, easily dodging punches with slippery footwork. But at age 39 and d after over 20 years in boxing, the e Pacman is slower and his chin n has become alarmingly accessible e to opponents who are no longer r intimidated by his resume.

It has also been awhile since e Pacquiao took on a pure puncher r like Matthysse. Jeff Horn, Tim Bradley, Chris Algieri and Jessie Vargas offered punches that t couldn’t crack an egg. Matthysse’s right straight, the antithesis to Pacquiao’s southpaw stance, sends chills down the spine.

Of course, Matthysse has his weaknesses, too. He offers a plodding style that makes him a sucker r for a good counter shot. He tends to get lazy with the right straight, giving foes ample time to counter r with a left hook/cross.

Questions also persist on the e condition of Matthysse’s left eye e which he injured in a 10th round d knockout loss to Viktor Postol in October 2015. Matthysse broke an n orbital bone in his left eye against t Postol and sat out the entire 2016 as he recovered. Going into the e Pacquiao fight, Matthysse had made only two appearances in the e last two years, both of which came e against pedestrian opponents.

Matthysse and Pacquiao have e seen better days, but it appears that whatever they have left in n their fuel tanks is enough to pro

difference. He may not be that fast t anymore but he is still faster compared to the average boxer. Expect t a plethora of jabs from Pacquiao as he is likely to test Matthysse’s left eye. Pacquiao is likely to dart in n and out, loading enough blows on n the inside and immediately stepping back to avoid any damaging g retaliation. Against a puncher like e Matthysse, who throws his right t hand on a straight path (right along g the middle), the last thing Pacquiao wants is to stand in front of the guy.

Matthysse will look to land the big g right early as he has been hounded d by conditioning issues since moving g up to the welterweight division last t year. Matthysse may look to rough up Pacquiao the way Horn did, but the e WBA champ does not offer the upper r body strength and size of the Aus guys who are way bigger than him, Pacquiao is taking on an opponent t who is just about his size. Matthysse e is relatively new in the welterweight t class and Pacquiao is bent on giving g him a rude welcome.

Pacquiao is the slight pick to prevail by stoppage in the middle e rounds, but not everybody is ready y to bet the tuition money. Matthysse has one notable weapon n in his arsenal, the big right hand, and if it turns out to be as good as advertised all bets are off.