Even
though the bout between IBF welterweight titleholder Randall Bailey
(who suffered a back injury) and Devon Alexander has been pushed back,
Showtime (9 p.m., ET/PT) decided to move forward with its card on
Saturday night. The new main event from the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
in Las Vegas is a tussle for the interim WBC junior welterweight title
between Lucas Matthysse and Ajose Olusegun. It says here that while
Matthysse is just now fighting for a version of a belt, this very
minute, “The Machine” is the world’s best 140-pounder.
Yeah, I said it.
And
when you say it to him, the hard-hitting but humble Argentinean says
(through Golden Boy Promotions publicist Ramiro Gonzalez), “It’s really a
pleasure that you say that about me but honestly, I’m going to prove
that on Saturday. But it’s a great compliment and I need to go out there
and prove it.”
Currently
Matthysse’s record stands at 31-2 with 29 knockouts. But if you ask
most unbiased observers, they might say those two blemishes on his
record against the likes of Zab Judah and Devon Alexander were fights
where he had done more than enough to come out victorious.
Unfortunately, he was on foreign soil for both those fights. Yeah, cry
for me, Argentina.
“Let
me be honest with you; yes, I think I beat both guys. I’ve seen the
video for both fights many times and I’ve come to the conclusion that,
yes, I beat both guys,” he stated. So does he have any regrets in coming
to America and playing his trade? “I felt very bad about both those
decisions because I thought I won both fights. But I never regret that
decision to come to the United States. When they called me to fight one
more time, I said yes because the United States is the first level for
boxing. It’s a whole ‘nother level; most of the best fighters are over
here in the United States and I’m here because I’m a fighter and I’ll
take the good with the bad. Like I said, I felt very bad with those
decisions because I know I won those fights. But I’m here again.”
Many
foreign fighters dream of fighting in the U.S. but for Matthysse, it
was just a part of the process. “I’ve always dreamed to fight for a
world title but eventually, I fought in the United States, which is very
good and I’m fighting for the title. It’s another good thing for myself
but my dream was to fight for a world title anywhere. But it’s
happening in the United States, which is even better for me.”
Matthysse
will perhaps never be a true draw in this country but he has an
exciting, fan-friendly style that resonates across the board. There are
certain things that translate across cultural and nationalistic lines;
one of them is a guy who just comes across the ring, hunts you down with
constant pressure and then assaults you. It’s a beautiful brutality
that he exhibits in the ring. He’s cold-blooded like an assassin and
relentless as a bill collector. You almost couldn’t imagine him in a bad
fight, which is why, at the very least, Matthysse will always make for
good TV. In an era of pound-for-pound skill mavens who box more to avoid
losing than actually ever taking a risk inside the ring, Matthysse and
his ilk are needed more than ever in this business. His outings aren’t
“important” - they’re actually fun and memorable.
Imagine that.
And
this weekend, he takes on the rugged and undefeated Olusegun, 30-0
(14). Unlike other fighters who have been shamefully allowed to duck
this guy - with the blessing of the WBC - Matthysse had no reservations
in facing him. Truth is, as of now, he’s not the type of guy who is even
afforded this luxury or option. He admits, “I don’t know much about
him; we’ve seen a few things on the internet. We know he’s a southpaw;
he has a little speed but honestly, we don’t know anything else.”
It
should be a tough night at the office. If anything, Olusegun is tough
and awkward. A victory should put Matthysse - who’s coming off a
five-round thrashing of the usually durable Humberto Soto in June - in
good position heading into next year. He’s part of what is a very deep,
diverse and talented 140-pound class. At just 29 years old, the Buenos
Aires banger will be right in the mix for years to come.
“I
feel very, very strong, mentally and physically, and I know I’m going
to win,” he stated, “and then, yes, I’m looking for the best fights. I
don’t have any names specifically; I don’t have any opponents that I
want or any champions. I just want the best fights in 2013.”
SHUFFLE
The
bout between WBC super bantamweight beltholder Abner Mares and the
highly regarded Anselmo Moreno has bounced around more than a Super Ball
(remember those things?). Originally, it was scheduled to take place on
October 13th at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, then switched to October 27th at the Honda Center in Anaheim (so it wouldn’t get overshadowed by the
HBO card at the Home Depot Center). According to Lance Pugmire of the L.A. Times on Thursday afternoon, Mares-Moreno has now landed on November 10th at the Staples Center in Los Angeles (http://www.latimes.com/-boxing-mares-angulo).
This
means this little gem of a fight could be going up against a Top Rank
pay-per-view card on that same evening in Las Vegas in what looks to be
another missile lobbed in the “Cold War”-gone-nuclear between Golden Boy
and Top Rank. But to be fair, Golden Boy and Showtime had originally
planned on moving this card to November 10th but then backed
off when it looked like Manny Pacquiao would be fighting on this night.
But as the “Pac-Man” waffled more than an Eggo, Golden Boy naturally
jumped on the chance to return to the Staples Center where they have
staged a number of events with varying degrees of success. I’ll say it
again; yeah, it’s great when there’s more quality boxing (with the
emphasis on “quality”) but a match-up like Mares-Moreno deserves as much
of the spotlight as possible (as of now, Top Rank has a bunch of TBAs
vs. TBDs on this date). It has to be noted that when Mares faced Joseph
Agbeko for the second time at the Honda Center on December 3rd,
right around a thousand tickets were sold as this card was completely
overshadowed by the pay-per-view rematch between Miguel Cotto and
Antonio Margarito at Madison Square Garden.
Bob Arum tells Maxboxing that they still plan on doing a show of some sort on November 10th.
LOGJAM
Listen,
I completely respect that Pacquiao wants to take his time and make the
best deal for himself as it relates to his next outing. He’s earned that
right; he’s meant so much to the sport and the business of boxing and
guys like him, they’ve absolutely earned the right to play by their own
rules. But really, it’s coming to that point where he’s now holding up a
lot of people with his indecision and he should - for want of a better
word - piss or get off the pot.
Because
there are networks, boxers, promoters, managers, trainers and venues
waiting to see what their next steps will be - but they can’t do
anything till it’s decided when (or is it really “if”?) Pacquiao decides
who to fight. From there, hook-ups like Orlando Salido-Mikey Garcia,
Erislandy Lara-Vanes Martirosyan, Miguel Vazquez-Mercito Gesta among
others need to find dates and networks on which to land. And until
Pacquiao makes up his mind, none of this can or will happen. Yeah,
there’s a lot of lunacy in this business but nobody is crazy enough to
really want to go up against a Pacquiao event. And then there’s the
whole issue of December 8th - the third date Pacquiao has
chosen to fight on - where it looks like Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will
perform to end the year (of course, he still has to get by Josesito
Lopez next week in Las Vegas).
There
is some speculation that perhaps Pacquiao really doesn’t want to fight
during the remainder of 2012. That’s certainly his right but, really,
can he make up his mind, one way or the other? Arum told me on Thursday
afternoon that “significant progress” been made regarding Pacquiao’s
next fight. Perhaps it’s just coded phrase for “Another week has gone
by.”
FINAL FLURRIES
I’ll
say it again, Matthysse-Olusegun is the fight I’m most looking forward
to this weekend. And forget Sasha Vujacic; this guy is truly “The
Machine”...Glad to hear that one of my all-time favorites, Mark “Too
Sharp” Johnson, will be the analyst for Showtime’s broadcast this
weekend alongside Mauro Ranallo...It looks like Showtime/CBS is still planning on showcasing the debuts of the 2012 Olympians on October 13th... Lots of boxing on this Saturday from WealthTV, FoxDeportes, Telefutura,
Azteca, HBO and Showtime. Yeah, my DVR will be in overdrive...Big
litmus test for UCLA against Nebraska this weekend in the Rose
Bowl...Can the Al Golden ‘Canes go to the “Lil Apple” and come out with
an upset win over K-State?...I thought this past season of “Hard Knocks”
on HBO with the ‘Phins was the best thus far. The access granted was
better than ever...Now the countdown has begun for the return of
“Boardwalk Empire”...
