By Nick Giongco
Manny Pacquiao knew that people would roll their eyes if he insisted on getting a weakling for a comeback opponent.
So, Pacquiao got one who is the exact opposite of a deadwood.
Finding one wasn’t difficult and Pacquiao easily saw the right guy: Argentine headhunter Lucas Matthysse.
Matthysse had just won the world title and it was with a chat with the Bulletin in the third week of January in his senate office when the eight-division champion made his choice: Argentina’s Lucas Matthysse.
“I want to prove and show that I am not done yet,” Pacquiao said during a press conference at City of Dreams yesterday formally announcing his shot at the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight title of Matthysse scheduled July 15 in Malaysia.
Pacquiao (59-7-2 with 38 KOs), 39, admits knocking the WBA 147-lb crown off Matthysse’s head would require him to turn the back the hands of time and come up with a performance reminiscent of the time when he took the bull the by the horns.
Gladly, Pacquiao realizes the magnitude of the fight that he has tweaked his training camp as a sign of respect for the threat that Matthysse poses to his title bid.
Instead of the usual eight weeks of training, Pacquiao is adding two more weeks, knowing Matthysse is no stiff and that the gutsy South American, 35, won’t hand the WBA championship on a silver platter.
Matthysse (39-4 with 36 KOs), looking dapper in a Barong Tagalog that he bought in one of the stores while waiting for Pacquiao to appear, feels the Filipino legend made a big mistake in settling for him as his foe.
“This is my time,” Matthysse said through Eric Gomez, president of Golden Boy Promotions (GBP), who translated for him. “I will not go to Malaysia to give up the title.”
Pacquiao will be inactive for over a year by the time he challenges Matthysse at the Axiata Arena but swears he can still compete at an elite level.
The last time he was in the ring, Pacquiao got stunned by Australian Jeff Horn on July 2, 2017 in Brisbane.
Still, Matthysse, though acknowledging that Pacquiao is no longer the lethal puncher he once was, remains wary of the chal
