By Nick Giongco
Training under the searing desert heat of Southern California, Lucas Matthysse and his camp expressed the belief that next month’s defense of the World Boxing Association welterweight title against Manny Pacquiao won’t go 12 rounds.
Less than four weeks before locking horns with the Filipino great, Matthysse opened his training camp and allow a Fil-Am stringer from GMA to watch the hammer-fisted Argentine train alongside Joel Diaz.
“Because of the fighting style of the two fighters, I don’t see it going the distance,” Diaz told correspondent Jhay Otamias, who braved the weather that shot up to over 40 degrees Celsius.
“Someone will go down,” claimed Diaz, who was Tim Bradley’s former trainer.
Diaz noted that the first guy who lands the biggest shots will win the scheduled 12-round battle for the WBA 147-lb belt at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur.
While Team Matthysse is convinced that Pacquiao is no longer the punching machine who wrecked opponents with ease, the 39-year-old eight-division remains someone not to be messed with.
Stressing that while Pacquiao has aged and slowed down dramatically, the fighting senator continues to command respect but Matthysse will be right there to negate whatever he brings to the ring, Diaz added.
