By Jack Sumner @Jack_Sumner_
Lucas Matthysse
battles light welterweight titleholder Lamont Peterson this Saturday, but will
not get the chance to lift his rival’s IBF world crown. The fight at a 141lb
catchweight means that neither Peterson’s title, nor Matthysse’s WBC interim
strap are on offer, but nevertheless there are high stakes when the pair meet
at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
The winner is expected to receive a unification bout with
the division’s lineal champion, the WBC, WBA and Ring Magazine titleholder
Danny Garcia. It’s essentially the
second semi-final of a four-man tournament to determine the top dog at 140lbs –
sorry Mike Alvarado – after Garcia’s victory over Zab Judah in April.
Matthysse (33-2, 31
KO’s) is arguably the most ferocious puncher in the sport with a frankly
scary 86.1% knockout ratio and despite being avoided for his power has managed
to smash his way to the fringes of world title contention. The two blemishes on
the Argentine’s record each came by way of controversial split-decision to
Judah and Devon Alexander, both of whom where fighting in home territory and
were put on the canvas by Matthysse.
Peterson (31-1-1, 16
KO’s), who suffered
well-documented adversity as a homeless teenager before his rise through the
sport, achieved a professional dream in 2011, winning a world title at home
with an upset of Amir Khan. His finest hour would be marred by waves of
controversy however, firstly over the scoring of the fight, then by failing a
drugs test ahead of a rematch.
Peterson tested positive for synthetic testosterone to
scupper a return bout with Khan last May and was stripped of his IBF title
ahead of a lengthy lay-off from the sport. Bizarrely however, the IBF
reinstated him as champ in the wake of Khan’s knockout loss to Garcia and
following the findings of an independent physician that suggested innocence on
Peterson’s part, he defended his title against Kendall Holt this February,
earning some redemption with an eighth-round stoppage win.
Matthysse comes off late January’s successful defence of his
interim crown, with a one-punch knockout of Mike Dallas Jr in the first round.
It was a fifth consecutive triumph inside the distance for the 30-year-old,
with the most impressive victory in that spell coming last September, when he
stopped the highly regarded and then undefeated Nigerian brawler Ajose Olusegun
in the tenth.
With a lone loss against Timothy Bradley and a hard-fought
draw with Victor Ortiz, Peterson’s never been stopped in his professional
career though he has been put on the canvas a number of times. With Matthysse’s
record of either dropping or stopping his previous opponents, it would appear
fairly likely that at some point Lamont will taste the canvas here.
Perhaps not exceptional in any department other than heart,
Peterson’s a solid all-rounder, a good boxer with moderate power and a tight
defensive guard. In Matthysse he faces a devastating knockout artist with
underrated boxing skills of his own. That said, a blueprint to beat Matthysse
was perhaps shown by Judah and Alexander in their tussles with the Argentine,
boxing off the back foot and moving, tactics that also gave Olusegun moments of
success.
The Washington native isn’t the most inclined to take a
backward step however and perhaps doesn’t have the expeditious foot speed
required to avoid Matthysse’s pressure. Peterson has a penchant for inside work
and likes to come forward, so even if he does have the ability to outbox
Matthysse, he might not use that endowment to his advantage.
It’s a recipe for toe-to-toe warfare and a thrilling
encounter with Matthysse expected to come stalking forward looking for the
knockout and for both men it’s potentially a pivotal fight in their careers.
Looking beyond this fight there’s Garcia, but there could be even bigger
carrots on offer. As things stand, Floyd Mayweather is still on the lookout for
a September opponent.
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