Lucas Matthysse wants Manny Pacquiao matchup after Viktor Postol bout
Lucas Matthysse is looking to improve to 38-3 with a victory over Viktor Postol, who is 27-0.
What has sustained Lucas Matthysse during his 11 years as a pro boxer is the anticipation of a world-title belt being strapped across his waist.
Saturday night, when Argentina’s Matthysse (37-3, 34 knockouts) meets unbeaten Ukrainian Viktor Postol (27-0, 11 KOs) at StubHub Center in Carson, that moment is at hand.
The HBO-televised fight will be for the vacant World Boxing Council super-lightweight (140-pound) belt. And for Matthysse, there could be a substantial victory bonus — a lucrative fight with Manny Pacquiao.
Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, will be in attendance to watch the bout.
“Lucas against Pacquiao would be such an exciting fight, it’d give the fans all the action they want to see,” said Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions’ executive/matchmaker. “If this kid [Matthysse] after his last couple of performances does [ratings] numbers we think he’s capable of, he has a great shot” to fight Pacquiao.
Arum says Matthysse is among those in consideration to be Pacquiao’s next opponent during the first quarter of 2016, along with Amir Khan, Juan Manuel Marquez and Terence Crawford.
“Of course, it gives me motivation,” Matthysse said of the Pacquiao possibility. “The plan is to win and have many big fights in the future.”
Matthysse is an aggressive puncher and the Boxing Writers Assn. of America voted Matthysse’s 2014 bout against Covina’s John Molina as the fight of the year. In that bout, both men whaled away and scored two knockdowns apiece before Matthysse knocked out Molina in the 11th round.
In April, Matthysse took on power puncher Ruslan Provodnikov in New York and produced another classic slugfest, recording a majority decision victory that prompts the question how many wars one boxer can endure.
“If we train hard — and I’m very well prepared — we can have many wars,” Matthysse, 33, answered with a grin. “People like my style and have seen me fight tough fights. The intention is always to give my best in the ring, to fight tough. It’s for a championship, so … .”
The bout with Postol, 31, is expected to be a test. The Ukrainian has logged more than 200 amateur fights, and he’s 5-foot-11 compared to the 5-6 1/2 Matthysse.
“I know he’s tall,” Matthysse said, after sparring against bigger foes in training. “I know [Postol] likes to fight outside and moves well, too.”
Postol is a talented defensive boxer who also has the experience of training at Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood under cornerman Freddie Roach. His time at Wild Card has included an estimated 50 rounds of sparring against Roach’s prized student, Pacquiao.
“To me, that’s a factor — great experience to prepare for this fight,” Postol said through a translator. “And Freddie’s always there for me. That’s more great experience.
“Freddie does teach more offense, but he doesn’t try to change his students. I’ve always had defense, so if I’ve added a little more to my offense, that only makes me better. I feel I’m a top-notch fighter and can fight anyone in my division.”
The title bout pits Matthysse’s aggression against Postol’s disciplined approach.
“My amateur background gave me all of the technical skills that I have in the pros. As a pro, I’ve been adding to that with more power in my punches, more accent punches, putting combinations together in a way that I have more power,” Postol said. “These are 12-round fights now, so I’ve adjusted.”
The Saturday fight card includes a 10-round super-lightweight bout between Mexico’s veteran former two-division world champion Humberto Soto (65-8-2, 35 KOs) and unbeaten San Diego product Antonio Orozco (22-0, 15 KOs). And unbeaten Julian Ramirez of East Los Angeles (14-0, eight KOs) fights Mexico’s Hugo Partida (20-5-2, 15 KOs) in a featherweight bout.
BOXING
Who: Lucas Matthysse (37-3, 34 knockouts) vs. Viktor Postol (27-0, 11 KOs) for the vacant World Boxing Council super-lightweight (140 pounds) title.
Where: StubHub Center, Carson.
Television: HBO.
When: Saturday, doors open at 2 p.m.; television card begins at 7:15 p.m.
Tickets: $25-150
Undercard: Humberto Soto (65-8-2, 35 KOs) vs. Antonio Orozco (22-0, 15 KOs), super-lightweights; Julian Ramirez (14-0, eight KOs) vs. Hugo Partida (20-5-2, 15 KOs), featherweights; Nick Arce (4-0, four KOs) vs. Juan Hernandez (3-0) super-featherweights.
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