Garcia looks at his best against dangerman man Matthysse!

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97

On the undercard of Mayweather-Canelo at the MGM Grand last night, we were treated to a mouth-watering contest between light-welterweight rivals Danny Garcia and Lucas Matthysse, two of the hardest punchers in world boxing today. Despite Garcia being the unified champ and current 140lb king, not many people gave him a chance against the Argentinian who was in fantastic from going into this fight, stopping his previous six opponents in emphatic fashion, the last one being IBF world champ Lamont Peterson.

The One - Weigh-In Results

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97 - @BoxingOpinions1

Its official! Mayweather-Canelo is going down tonight and so are the other three big fights on the bill as all the fighters have made weight. Time to get excited!

Danny Garcia vs Lucas Matthysse - Fight Preview

By Jack Sumner @Jack_Sumner_

A frenzy of hype has surrounded the build-up to the September 14th mega-event entitled ‘The One’, when the eyes of the boxing world once again fall on the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Once again, a certain Floyd Mayweather Jr is the primary reason for the allure, as he takes on Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in the biggest fight of the year and – potentially – the richest fight in history.

The Fans Have Voted: Who should Broner face next?

By Jack Price - @BoxingOpinions1

In the aftermath of another top night of boxing, one man is still on everybody's mind, Adrien 'The Problem' Broner. The brash youngster became a 3-weight world champion at the age of 23, stepping up two weight divisions and winning the WBA welterweight title via split decision against Paulie Malignaggi.

The Sky Is The Limit For Lucas Matthysse!

By Dave Lockey @BoxingViper

On Saturday 18^th May 2013 in Atlantic City New Jersey, the world finally sat up and took notice of a superstar in world boxing. Lucas Martin Matthysse.

For me, it’s a recognition long overdue. His record speaks for itself; 37 fights, 34 wins, 32 knockouts 1 no contest and only 2 defeats.

Those 2 defeats came at the hands of ring veteran Zab Judah in 2010 and Devon Alexander in 2011. Both fights were very contentious decisions though, with two of the judges in the Judah fight scoring the bout 114-113, 114-113 Judah and one judge scoring it 114-113 to Matthysse.

In the Alexander fight, two judges scored the fight 96-93, 95-94 in favour of Alexander and the other judge calling it 96-93 in favour of Matthysse.

What next for Mayweather?

By Adam Canavan @Adam_Canavan

Right now Floyd Mayweather Jr. is in the hotbed of boxing talent in the 140-154lb weight range. So, after a dominant display against welterweight contender Robert 'The Ghost' Guerrero (117-111 on all three of the Judge's scorecards), the world is well and truly his oyster.

So who who will Boxing's P4P king face next? Well firstly there are a few that can be ruled out straight away: Sergio Martinez is not a option after the injuries he sustained after a tough fight with British Middleweight Martin Murray will keep him out of the ring for the rest of the year, Tim Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez will be fighting each other in the same month as Mayweather's next fight, possibly even the same day, and Manny Pacquiao is otherwise occupied with Brandon Rios in November, which means the biggest possible fight of this generation, once again, can not and will not happen. But now lets look at the possible opponents for Floyd.

Fighter Of The Week - Lucas Matthysse

This week we have chosen Lucas Matthysse as our 

fighters of the week...

It was a really tough choice this week as there were tons of impressive and inspirational performances from fighters across the globe. But with Matthhysse Vs Peterson headlining the entire weekend, it always looked as though the winner of that fight was going to be chosen, and Matthysse made certain of it by winning in the fashion he did.

The Argentinian warrior, now 34-2 with 32 KO's, lived up to his reputation of being the pound-for-pound hardest hitter on the planet and stopped IBF 140lb champion Lamont Peterson in just 3 rounds. Just beating a guy like Lamont Peterson would have looked great on Matthysse's record but the fact that he did it so emphatically has almost guaranteed him the super-stardom he deserves in the future. He has now made a serious case for himself of being the No.1 light-welterweight on the planet and the opportunities he so badly deserve will finally come knocking.

Continue reading...

The Fans Have Voted: Peterson-Matthysse

63% picking Matthysse to win. 94% by KO!

This weekend, WBC interim light-welterweight champ Lucas Matthysse takes on IBF 140lb titleholder Lamont Peterson in what is expected by most to be an action-packed 'Fight Of The Year.' The reason for this that you have Matthysse, regarded by many as the hardest pound-for-pound puncher on the planet, getting the opportunity he so badly deserves to prove he can cut it at world level. However, the man opposite him in the ring will not just lay down and act as a stepping stone for the Argentinian. Lamont Peterson is a very, very tough and talented man and he will look to be with Matthysse every step of the way at the Boardwalk Hall on Saturday night.

Here is how the fans see this fight going:

Lucas Matthysse Vs Lamont Peterson - Fight Preview

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.

Will Garcia step up?

By Andrew Gavan @AndrewGavan

The champ, Danny 'Swift' Garcia.

Zab Judah steps into the ring on Saturday the 27th of April at the Barclays Center in New York possibly for a final time. He will be attempting to reclaim the glory days which saw him win 5 world titles at 2 different weights and become undisputed welterweight champion.

Is Zab's time finally up?

His opponent is considered by many to be the top in the division although I disagree, he is the current WBC,WBA  and Ring light welterweight Champion with an undefeated record of 25-0 (16 Kos)  to his name which on paper shows he has power an Zab should be worried. This is a tough Ask for Judah in my opinion who surely will enter as underdog against a younger stronger opponent who is very comfortable and naturally big at the weight. A win propels Judah back into the mix and potential super fights with Peterson also a Kahn and Matthyse rematches.

Garcia however is on the way up and professes to many he is destined for stardom and the P4P No.1 spot and maintains nothing will stop him reaching his goals. Many critics including myself on the other hand are unsure how good this kid is, is he protected? 

The Fans Have Voted: Matthysse & Golovkin the two most feared fighters in the world?

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97.

In one of our most recent debates on Twitter (@BoxingOpinions1) we asked the fans who they believe are the most "feared" boxers in the world today. This is actually a very tough question to answer in this era... There isn't really anyone with that ferociousness and viciousness inside them to cause the amount of fear that previous fighters have. Think back to the days when Tyson was in his prime, the fear he used to strike into his opponents. He won most fights before he even stepped into the ring. There are only really two guys that I think even come close to that nowadays, and they're the two fighters that most of you picked too.

There were the obvious mentions of the pound-for-pound dominators such as Floyd Mayweather, The Klitschko's and Andre Ward but these guys aren't necessarily feared because people are jumping at the opportunity to fight them. It may be a daunting task when you're actually in the ring with them but people aren't scared to take on these guys.

It's no secret that there are avoided fighters in the boxing world and two of the most well-known avoided men around right now are Lucas Matthysse and Gennady Golovkin. Between them they received 65% of the votes, a massive 40% for Matthysse. So let's go through the reasons why barely anyone wants to take the risk of fighting either of these two men:

What could be the real dawning of the 140lb division?

By Jack Sumner @ Jack_Sumner_

http://southpawjacks.wordpress.com/

A couple of years ago, many boxing fans and analysts were proclaiming the light welterweight division as the best in the sport. The quartet of Amir Khan, Timothy Bradley, Devon Alexander and Marcos Maidana headed the pack at 140lbs with mouth-watering unification bouts on offer and the possibility of thrilling match ups between any of the protagonists. However, not everything is always as it seems. 

Khan and Maidana did thrill in their December 2010 clash that scooped fight of the year honours and after surviving a late onslaught, Khan emerged victorious to set up a clash with the winner of Bradley-Alexander a month later. The fight between the unbeaten young Americans was billed as the ‘Perfect Match Up’ with some comparing the magnitude of the event to Hagler-Hearns, but it was an anticlimax and ultimately an ugly spectacle, with Bradley winning via tenth-round technical decision after Alexander claimed lack of vision following a clash of heads. 

Bradley remained undefeated however and on course for a huge summer date with Khan to unify WBO, WBC and WBA titles. But as often is the case in this sport, the fight didn’t materialise. Bradley was stripped of his WBC strap for refusing to fight Khan and eventually moved up to welterweight to defeat Manny Pacquiao, a result that remarkably halted progress in his career due to its controversial and widely contested scoring. Khan meanwhile would go on to lose back-to-back fights against Lamont Peterson and Danny Garcia, whilst Alexander and Maidana would eventually have an uninspiring clash at welterweight over ten rounds.

The hype at that time failed to deliver. Early in 2013, the buzz around the light welterweight division has now returned.

Can Prescott talk his way back to the top?

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97.

priceysboxingthoughts.blogspot.co.uk

Columbian light-welterweight Breidis Prescott (26-4, 20 KO's) has taken it upon himself this week to call out two of the biggest names in the 140lb division in an attempt to squeeze himself back into the world title picture.

Prescott is best known for exposing the chin of British star Amir Khan back in 2008, knocking the 2004 Olympian out in the first round. However, since then the 29-year old has struggled to keep the momentum going, losing to Khan victim Paul McCloskey and Mike Alvarado. His last two fights have been wins and they were decent performances. But unfortunately for the Miami-based power-puncher, it hasn't pushed him anywhere near to a world title shot. Realising this he has gone out there and got some attention from the media by calling out two of the top names at light-welter, starting on Sunday with Lucas Matthysse.

Iron-fisted Argentinian Matthysse proved once again why he is one of the most avoided fighters in the world on Saturday (January 26th) when he blasted out his over-matched opponent Mike Dallas Jr in less than a round. With Garcia Vs Judah being pushed back to April, the chances of Garcia-Matthysse taking place this year have become very unlikely. So the WBC interim champion now has a gap to fill over the next few months and Prescott wants to be the man to fill that gap.

Lucas Matthysse Vs Mike Dallas Jr - Post-fight Report

By Jack Sumner @Jack_Sumner_

Matthysse continues his devastating reign. 

It was the climax that was expected by many. A big right hand from the Argentine, the American challenger hitting the canvas, unable to continue.

But few expected it to come so early in the contest, as Lucas Matthysse knocked out Mike Dallas Jr at 2.26 of the first round, to bring an abrupt ending to their encounter at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

Matthysse (33-2, 31 KOs) landed a short counter right hand as Dallas attacked with a lazy jab to leave himself wide open. The Bakersfield, California native was out cold as soon as the punch connected and made a Pacquiao-esque fall face first into the mat, but Matthysse also landed a left hook and a right to the body as his opponent was falling to accelerate Dallas’s descent. 

Referee Robert Byrd abandoned his count after realising that Dallas was unable to continue and Matthysse threw his arms aloft in celebration. The one punch knockout sent out a chilling message to his 140lb rivals and in his post fight interview the WBA interim titleholder called out unified champion Danny Garcia. Hours later, word spread that Garcia would be pulling out of his February 9^th title defence against Zab Judah.

Shane Mosley talks about Paulie Malignaggi & Lucas Matthysse

www.esnewsreporting.com

Ring veteran 'Sugar' Shane Mosley talks about sparring Lucas Matthysse and his potential return bout against Paulie Malignaggi. The 40-year old believes that he does still have what it takes to compete at world level. 

Post-Fight Interview With Lucas Matthysse

www.maxboxing.com

Devastating Argentinian puncher Lucas Matthysse talks to Max Boxing immediately after his first round knock out victory over Mik Dallas Jr. The 30-year old talks about rival Danny Garcia and his faithful Argentine fans. 

Selcuk Aydin Vs Jesus Soto-Karass - Fight Preview

By James McKnight @Mcknightjames83

Former world champ Aydin faces a tough test against Karass.

Selcuk Aydin and Jesus Soto Karass will square off this weekend on the undercard of Lucas Mattysse-Mike Dallas Jr at Las Vegas' hard rock hotel and casino in a ten round welterweight non-title bout. 

Aydin (23-1-0, 17 KO's), was born in Turkey and has held the WBC International, EBU (European) and WBC 'Silver' welterweight titles in the past. He last fought in July 2012 against Robert Guerrero which was for the interim WBC welterweight title. Aydin, 29, suffered a career first loss against 'The Ghost' via unanimous decision. Now under new trainer, Adam Booth, he will aim to bounce back in style against the Mexican born fighter. 

Soto-Karass (26-8-3, 17 KO's), was born in Mexico and has more ring experience than Aydin in the pro ranks. In his career he has won the WBC Continental Americas title and NABF and NABC titles, He was involved in a grueling war against Argentinian, Marcos Maidana, last September in a bout he lost after being stopped in the 8th round. That was for the vacant WBA International welterweight title. A win for Soto-Karass, 30, over Aydin would be classed as an upset and it would set him up for bigger fights in 2013. 

Lucas Matthysse Vs Mike Dallas Jr - Fight Preview

By Jack Sumner @Jack_Sumner_

After Golovkin at the Garden last weekend Las Vegas looks to continue where New York left off, as another devastating puncher is in action this Saturday, this time in Sin City.

Hard-hitting Argentine Lucas Matthysse comes to town to defend his WBC interim light welterweight strap against Mike Dallas Jr, in what could prove to be an interesting match-up of styles pitting the exciting pressure fighter against a slick boxer.

In the eyes of many observers, the 30-year-old Matthysse (32-2, 30KOs) should still be undefeated. Both losses on his record were highly contentious, each a split-decision verdict in his opponents backyard against Zab Judah and Devon Alexander. His impressive performances in those encounters raised his profile however, and he's now on a run of four consecutive stoppage victories. Matthysse's last outing was a tenth round knockout of the formerly undefeated brawler Ajose Olusegun, to win his interim title at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in September of last year.

He steps into that same arena on Saturday night knowing that a successful defence could not only land him a shot at the full title, but potentially give him a chance to avenge one of his 'defeats'. Judah challenges Danny Garcia for his unified 140lb titles in February, though fans will be hoping Garcia can emerge victorious from that one with a battle between Matthysse and the Philadelphia native currently one of the most sought-after fights in boxing.

Danny Garcia says he'll fight anyone! Talks Rios, Judah, Khan.

www.hustleboss.com

Unified light-welterweight champion Danny Garcia believes that he has at least a few more fights left in him at light-welterweight. In this video he talks about "rival" Brandon Rios and next opponent Zab Judah (February 9th). 

"This guy touches you and you go to sleep!" - Paulie Malignaggi on Lucas Matthysse

@IFILMLONDON