On Sunday, July 15th in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, future Hall of Famer Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao will face Argentine knockout artist Lucas Matthysse in a 12-round welterweight clash. The fight, will be for Matthysse’s WBA Welterweight title. Even as little as one year ago, this would be an afterthought of a fight for many. Yet, with the passage of time, a loss by Pacquiao both in and out the ring, the landscape and outlook has changed. The bout suddenly has the makings of a competitive affair. Here are five interesting reasons why.
1. Freddie Roach’s Absence
For the first time in over 16 years, Freddie Roach will not be in the corner when PacMan steps into the ring. A dispute, whose root causes cannot be confirmed led to the split. Pacquiao will be trained instead by Restituto “Buboy” Fernandez and Raides “Nonoy” Neri. Make no mistake, Roach is a master strategist, who can advise a fighter on styles, strategy and help them make real time adjustments needed to be made during a bout. If Pacquiao faces any difficult spots during the bout, the absence of Roach could loom large.
2. Joel Diaz Presence
Conversely, Joel Diaz will be in the corner of Lucas Matthysse. Diaz was the long-time trainer for Timothy Bradley who posted a rare win over Pacquiao. While that decision was due in large part to very questionable judging, Diaz still has a first-hand account of over 35 rounds of Pacquiao boxing. Certainly, an asset to Matthysse.
3. Styles Make Fights
And the styles of these fighters will make for a fight. These two fighters are an even match in height. Both are equally big punchers. Both also have an ability to box yet prefer slugging it out above all else. Point here, is that irrespective of the result, expect plenty of leather to be traded. Making for an entertaining bout, that has a good chance of ending in a knockout.
4. Father Time
It’s one opponent that is undefeated. Pacquiao will enter the ring at 40 years-old. He hasn’t scored a knockout since 2009. In addition, he is also coming off of a loss in his last bout against Jeff Horne. While many feel that fight belongs in the Timothy Bradley category, as the decision was questionable, the notion the that someone like Jeff Horne could even make the bout close illustrates that Pacquiao is no longer in his prime. It is only so long before father time will be demanding his shot at Pacquiao, and he could be an opponent other than Matthysse that decides to show up to face Pacquiao this weekend.
5. A Hungry Matthysse
At 35 years of age Matthysse is no spring chicken either. Additionally, he is coming off of his own lackluster performance, albeit a title-winning one. Notwithstanding this, he has something to prove, he’s hungry and appears to be focused, which makes him dangerous. He’s a way bigger puncher than Jeff Horne and if he makes the fight as competitive as Horne did, it could be short night for Pacquiao.
