Pacquiao vs. Matthysse Preview

Though Matthysse and Pacquiao were never likely to meet in their primes, due to Pacquiao’s only short stay at Super Lightweight for the Ricky Hatton fight, today it still represents an intriguing addition to a series of recent fights between well past their best welterweight contenders looking to stay relevant. After Ortiz vs Alexander failed to give us a winner they will fight similarly broken down warriors in Brandon Rios and Andre Berto respectively, plus the return of Amir Khan and Kell Brook offers us plenty to choose from on prize fighting’s veterans’ circuit. Manny looks to prove he still has it a year on from an underwhelming display against Australia’s Jeff Horn, while Matthysse wants to see whether he can compete at welterweight now that he has had two preparatory fights at the weight. This fight which takes place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia will tell us who has anything left and hopefully both men will put in performances representative at least in part of their exciting and dramatic careers.

Both men prefer an outside fight that facilitates either Pacquiao’s left or Matthysse’s right, prioritised as their most devastating punches they will likely deal out the most damage, however only Matthysse’s straight punches seem to have the same fight ending power they used to. The orthodox vs southpaw matchup certainly favours Manny, as a southpaw he is entirely familiar with the clash of stances, unlike Matthysse who hasn’t had to deal with a lefty for six years. The battle of the jabs that their stances creates will almost certainly be won by Pacquiao, who’s ability to feint and exploit his opponent’s reaction is an aspect of boxing Matthysse has not mastered to quite the same degree. This tactical component will also not be affected by the age of the fighters as it remains an essentially cerebral facet of the sport. Pacquiao as usual will leap inside with his left before leaping out again throwing as many punches as he can in between. A concentrated Pacquiao should be able to take advantage of Matthysse’s often lazy jab and a static guard which a prime Manny would crash through from every angle. Lesser fighters have been able to get Matthysse out of position, and his tendency to throw wide hooks will present Pacquiao with more than enough opportunities to land his signature never-ending combinations or however many he can now muster.

The issue for Pacquiao at this stage of his career comes from lapses in focus and the risk of jumping in to a well-timed counter as was so perfectly demonstrated by Juan Manuel Marquez. A template Matthysse will likely attempt to emulate, utilising a right hand capable of doing similar damage. At such an advanced stage in his career it is unlikely Matthysse will have tightened up his hooks regardless of his penchant for throwing them. Therefore, his best chance comes from the aforementioned short counter punch or if he can somehow get Pacquiao going backwards. With his opponent on the back foot ‘La Maquina’ flicks a jab at their gloves until they reach to parry it and he lets it go before lining them up again. This may be possible if the two ever get caught inside, neither are particularly well-known for their inside fighting but when coming out of clinches or when Pacquiao pivots away he may be inattentive. If Matthysse can catch Manny facing up or simply beat him to the punch because of his increasingly sluggish footwork when leaping back, the Argentinian may be able to find room for a knockout blow. An overconfident Manny could certainly leave himself open for such an attack, but after the humbling result of the Jeff Horn fight, Pacquiao may be more careful.

Pacquiao’s far superior boxing brain means the fight comes down to how long he can concentrate and whether he has the stamina to keep Matthysse backing up and static. Otherwise we could be in for a bit of a war with Manny trying to fight off a more than game Matthysse who is able to keep up with a very much decelerated Pacquiao. Therefore, depending on the physical state of the fighters this one either ends in a wide points decision for the ‘Pac Man’ or a mid to late round knockout for Matthysse. No matter what, those watching will appreciate a final impressive performance by the Filipino legend or a conclusive and tragic loss executed by one of the division’s biggest hitters.