It’s going to be “war” in Malaysia as WBA welterweight champion Lucas Matthysse isn’t hiding his intention of defending his championship belt by retiring boxing’s living legend Manny Pacquiao here, nine days from now.
Right after landing, following a gruelling 18-hour journey from the other side of the Pacific, Matthysse and his team buckled down to work, hitting the gym and trying to shake off the effects of jet lag in his system on Thursday evening.
Fight day will be on 15 July at the Axiata Arena with three other world championship fights adding drama to the roadshow presented by Pacquiao’s own MP Promotions.
So focused is Matthysse that he only has Pacquiao on his mind. How to beat the fighting Senator from the Philippines – the only eight-weight division champion of boxing, is the only order of business for him.
“Manny Pacquiao. I want to defeat a legendary fighter like Manny. This is not Judah, Alexander, Postol or Garcia,” said Matthysse, who flew in together with manager Mario Arano, trainer Joel Diaz, Golden Boy Promotions PR man Ramiro Gonzalez and three others who are helping out in training.
Matthysse has a 39-4 win-loss record with 36 of these fights ending by spectacular knockouts. Incidentally, (Zab) Judah, (Victor) Postol, (Devon) Alexander and (Danny) Garcia are the only boxers who have beaten the 35-year-old fighter in the past.
For Arano, Matthysse has gotten over these losses and has become a more dangerous and complete fighter since last losing to Postol in 2015. His lean but mean entourage pales in comparison to Pacquiao’s own team, which will arrive on Monday – a whole plane-load of trainers flying on a chartered flight from General Santos City, including utility persons and fans and supporters.
Matthysse’s early arrival signified his desire to leave nothing behind and ensure victory for Argentina. “This is Manny Pacquiao, and this is the quest for anyone in boxing (to defeat Pacquiao),” said Matthysse.
Be sure not to miss Malaysia’s most exciting boxing matchup in decades on 15 July 2018 at Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil. Get your tickets now by visiting www.myticket.asia/.
There are sevencategories of public tickets – RM488 for Bronze, RM988 for Silver, RM1,388 for Gold, RM1,988 for Platinum, RM3,988 for Diamond, RM7,988 for VIP and RM19,888 for the VVIP ticket. There will be a RM5 ticketing fee applied to all tickets sold.
Tickets are available online via the MyTicket.Asia site. Purchases can be made using credit and debit cards from MasterCard and Visa only. For fans who prefer to buy tickets at the arena, ticket sales are available at the Axiata Arena Box Office.
For more information, contact MyTicket.Asia’s hotline at +603 8605 0195 or email them at sales@seatadvisor.my. Information is also available on the Fight of Champions Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/FightOfChampionsKL/ or the Manny Pacquiao Official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/MannyPacquiao/
