Pacman ready to regain title, glory
KUALA LUMPUR – Manny Pacquiao comes out of a long layoff to challenge WBA welterweight champion Lucas Matthysse at noon today, eager to prove to the world that at his age, he’s not just a shadow of his former self inside the ring.
The Axiata Arena in this football-crazy nation will be the venue for the fight, which comes a year and 13 days after the 39-year-old Filipino boxing icon lost to a former schoolteacher in Brisbane.
Pacquiao yielded his WBO crown to Jeff Horn on that cold day in July, and was seen by critics as a slow, aging champion who could not finish off an opponent struggling to stay on his feet.
At the 16,000-seat arena, and before President Duterte, who is expected to attend the fight, Pacquiao will try to show
everybody his old self – the fast and furious Filipino fighter.
The senator also personally invited Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad to come to the fight and join the thousands, including a heavy throng of Filipino fight fans.
Pacquiao (59-7-2), who used to be the face of boxing, has lost four of his last nine fights, but has ignored calls for him to retire from the sport.
He is eyeing his 60th victory since turning pro in 1995 against a 35-year-old champion from Argentina who has 36 knockouts in 39 wins.
The fight is also expected to help Pacquiao decide on his future.
“We will see after this fight if I can still continue fighting,” he said on the eve of the biggest boxing event in Malaysia since Muhammad Ali fought here 43 years ago.
Pacquiao insisted that the desire to fight remains.
“I am motivated. I am happy. I am hungry,” said Pacquiao.
Matthysse said fighting Pacquiao was a dream come true, and acknowledged that the Filipino is one of boxing’s true legends.
“But Manny is older now. I will put the pressure on him. My style has always been aggressive. I will not change my style,” Matthysse said. “He’s a great champion. But he has not faced The Machine.”
Pacquiao, the only man to have won world titles in eight weight divisions in a glittering 23-year career, tipped the scales at 146 pounds.
The heavily tattooed Matthysse played up his one-inch height advantage by looking down on Pacquiao as the two came face-to-face for the last time before their 12-round showdown in.
“I am feeling good,” Matthysse said as he was about to demolish a fruit platter for his post weigh-in meal after coming in the heavier man, just under the limit at 146.7 pounds. “I made the weight, I’m ready to eat and I’m ready for the battle.”
The weigh-in was held in mildly chaotic scenes at a packed auditorium in the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Center in Kuala Lumpur.
Hundreds of mainly Filipino fans pushed forward to get a glimpse of the fighters as they left prompting fears the stage might collapse under their weight before order was restored.
Pacquiao has 38 knockouts in his name, including sensational finishes against great fighters like Erik Morales, Oscar dela Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto.
However, he has not stopped anyone inside the distance since the Cotto fight in 2009, when he was at his prime and at the top of the pound-for-pound list.
Pacquiao, the favorite in this fight, says he doesn’t want to make any predictions. “All I can say is that I will give my best and that I will try to win convincingly.”
What he can also guarantee, unless Matthysse does not cooperate, is that there’ll be great action inside the ring.
“I watched him fight (Ruslan) Provodnikov and there was a lot of action inside the ring. We can create a lot of action and make the fans happy. I chose him because he’s a fighter. He’s very aggressive,” Pacquiao said.
If Pacquiao loses the fight, he will face louder calls for him to retire – permanently. But if he wins, he moves on.
There are talks of a bout against Ukrainian lightweight king Vasily Lomachenko or American WBO welterweight champ Terence Crawford by year’s end.
“We’ll see,” Pacquiao said.