Top Rank boss Bob Arum is far from convinced it will happen, while if it does, Freddie Roach may not be involved. Will a Manny Pacquiao-Lucas Matthysse clash take place in June as Pac Man says it will? According to Manny, the fight – one that would see Argentine banger Matthysse defend his version of the WBA welterweight title (we all know who the real WBA champ is at 147) – will take place in Malaysia.
Again, not everyone is convinced the fight will take place, maybe not in June in Malaysia, maybe not ever, not in any place, but if it does come off, chances are the action will prove memorable. Both men are past their best yet at the same time still have a fair amount to offer. And of course, Pacquiao and Matthysse remain big names, big draws; Pacquiao especially.
Pacquiao has not won a fight in some time, not since he widely decisioned Jessie Vargas in November of 2016, while in his own most recent outing, in January (against the largely unknown Tewa Kiram, Matthysse scoring his second comeback win following his stoppage loss to Viktor Postol; Matthysse winning the regular WBA belt) 35 year old Matthysse only looked good in scoring the KO. Pac Man, pushing close to his fortieth birthday, still has speed, while Matthysse still has power – which wins in the summer if the fight takes place?
Oscar De La Hoya, who promotes Matthysse, says the fight has Fight of The Year potential, and it is indeed hard to imagine a dull encounter between these two – Pacquiao and Matthysse having a combined 74 KO’s. Manny actually stated how he sees himself as the underdog in this fight. While many fans will not agree with that logic, the fight does have the look of an interesting one, and a Matthysse win cannot in any way be ruled out.
If Pacquiao did win this one he would be back as a “world” champion, while if the all-time great lost it would likely mark the end of his thrilling ring career. Pretty high stakes.