Can an old Pacquiao outmatch Matthysee?

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

When Welterweight pug Manny Pacquiao hit with his successive left power punches the left check and chin of Australian Jeff Horn at the 9^th Round of their 12^th Round championship fight for the Welterweight Title of the World Boxing Organization at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia on July 2, 2017, Horn did not crumble just like Emmanuel Lucero (July 2003), Antonio Barrera (November 2003), and Eric Morales (November 2006) who did not know what hit them on that technical knocked outs  and knocked out’s decisions.

Instead, Horn took the diadem from the Filipino on that bout that many people saw a declining Pacquiao who was cut on that WBO’s title fight.

“He ain’t got no more knocked out power!” I heard a Yank cried.  

Manny Pacquiao versus Martin Lucas Matthysse for the World Boxing Association's World Welterweight Title. Photo Credit: Box Nation

The last knock-out unleashed by the Filipino before the wildly cheering spectators around the world was ten years ago against Puerto Rican’s Miguel Cotto when he mauled the balding prize fighter at the 55^th second of the 12 Round of their November 2009 marquee fight.

Just like Oscar Dela Hoya, the gaunt and sunken eyed Cotto was suspected to be weaker on that bout as he reduced weight from his real weight in the Super Welterweight (154 pounds) to Welterweight (147 pounds) to chase the twelve million dollars purse dangled to him by Promoter Bob Arum at the vacant World Boxing Council’s Diamond Welterweight Title.

From that Cotto’s bout, Father Time (or was it Pacquiao debating streaks in Congress?) had snapped out the explosiveness of the left hand bomb of the 39 years old boxing sensation and senator.

 That money punch did not only give him a cult-like personality before the Filipino voters who even want to reward him as the successor of the country feisty president Rodrigo Duterte when the latter exit the Palace in 2022.

Any Looming Upset?

What if the 35 years old Argentinian Martin Lucas Matthysee (39 wins – 4 loses – 0 draws with 86 percent Knocked Out (KO) ratios) outpoints or knocked out Manny Pacquiao (59-7-2 with 56% K.O’s ratio) on Sunday, would the dazzle and mystify Filipinos still relish for a Pacquiao’s presidency?

Unlike the wild hay makers of Horn, the offensive fighter Matthysee is more calculating before he threw his stiff left jab and fires his signature looping right punch to the opponent’s face.

The difference of Pacquiao, however, to the Argentinian, the former knocked out marquee boxers like Oscar dela Hoya (December 2008), and Ricky Hatton (May 2009) while Matthysee TKOd lesser known opponents that included some drivers of public utility vehicles (PUVs) in various parts of the world but defeated prominent pugilists  Lamont Peterson (TKOd, May 2013)  and the hard hitting Ruslan Provodnikov (April 2015).

In the Danny Garcia’s bout, he gave the American (who is rated No. 6 at the Pound for Pound List of Ring Magazine) a competitive roller coaster fight in the first half of the 12 rounds for the World Boxing Association’s Super World Super Lightweight Title, but Garcia’s jarring power right and left punches on the head and body of Mathysee zapped out his power and Garcia’s dominated him at the second half.

Just like the soccer team of Argentina who succumbed to fatigue in the second half versus Croatia (3-0) at the 2018 World Cup’s elimination in Moscow last month, Matthysee faded in the second half of the rounds and lost the war with Garcia who knocked him down at the 11^th Round.

If the heavy punching Garcia won that Mathysee match in a unanimous decision, can the worn-out Pacquiao do a Garcia by emasculating the Argentinian on Sunday?

Without his K.O power, Pacquiao is pitted with a heavy puncher Matthysee although the latter prowess had been compromised by wear and tear.

The wear and tear that came from his wars with hard hitting Garcia, John Molina, Provodnikov, and Viktor Postol who knocked him out in Round 10 in the vacant World Boxing Council’s World Super Lightweight Title  in October 2015.

Without his explosive KO power, Manny’s saving grace is his excellent foot speed and the now slower but calculating hand speed.

They are his remaining fire powers that the hoi polloi in his country continue to lionized him, they are his remaining weaponry that will not disappoint President Rodrigo Duterte, 73, who will personally attend the fight to cheer him up or to salvage his (Duterte) plunging poll numbers at the recent Social Weather Station. And yes, the 93 years old Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad will probably be seated with Duterte buoying up the once whirling dervish Asian Phenom just like other Asian countries cheering the South Korean strikers who outsmarted and defeated soccer powerhouse Germany in Moscow. Mahathir, to those PUV’s drivers who read this article, had just knocked out one of the heavyweight stars – World Corruption Division in disgraced former PM Najib Razak for the prime minister post of the former British's colony.


READ: DRILON KNOCKED OUT PACQUIAO

(You can read my selected columns at mortzortigoza.blogspot.com and articles at Pangasinan News Aro. You can send comments too at totomortz@yahoo.com)