By Ian S Palmer
North American boxing fans can tune into HBO this Saturday night October 3rd when Lucas-Matthysse of Argentina takes on Viktor-Postol of Ukraine for the vacant WBC Super Lightweight Title at the StubHub Center in Carson, California. British fans can also catch the live action from the on BoxNation. Matthysse has long been known as one of the sport’s heaviest punchers while Postol is regarded as an excellent boxer who throws his punches in bunches. Since Matthysse has had problems with boxers in the past, this should be a fine test for both men.
The 33-year-old Matthysse enters the ring with an impressive record of 37-3 along with 34 Kos while the 31-year-old Postol is unbeaten with a perfect mark of 27-0 with 11 Kos to his name. Matthysse’s last fight was a classic with Ruslan Provodnikov back in April and he’s hoping for the same outcome, a win, on Saturday night. When it comes to power this bout may look like a mismatch, especially since Postol has fought mainly in Ukraine and is taking a huge step up in class.
Postol made a name for himself in the U.S. back in May of 2014 when he beat Selcuk Aydin by out boxing him all night long and then stopping him in the 11th round. It was the first time Aydin never made it the distance in 28 contests. That stoppage could have been a flash in the pan though, or Postol’s power could be underrated. Matthysse will find out on Saturday, but the Argentine has a good chin even though he’s been dropped a couple of times, so should be able to handle Postol’s best shots.
Postol is trained by Freddie Roach, so that may also help him out once the bell rings. In addition, Postol has quite a height advantage as he stands 5-feet-11-inches tall while Matthysse is just over 5-foot-6. Matthysse has struggles against taller fighters in the past and his three losses have come against Danny Garcia, Devon Alexander and Zab Judah, and all by controversial decisions. Postol had a fine amateur career with more than 300 bouts and is as technically sound as they come.
Matthysse prefers opponents who stand in front of him and attack, but Postol is more likely to use his boxing skills instead of getting into a toe-to-toe brawl. Postol also possesses better-than-average defensive qualities and is quite mobile in the ring. Matthysse is going to have to work his way inside in this fight to get close to Postol and do some damage. This means fans could see a bit of a cat-and-mouse-match.
Matthysse is usually a slow starter and he can’t afford to do that Saturday night. He needs to get out of the gate early and establish his power. He’ll have to let his hands go early on to match Postol’s output or he’ll find himself down on the scorecards early on and he could end up needing a knockout to win. If this is the case and it doesn’t come, Postol could box his way to a points victory.
Prediction
This is a huge fight for both boxers as they’re looking for their first world title. It could be more important for Matthysse since he’s already been beaten three times in big bouts. Another loss here could lead him down the path of becoming just an opponent or a journeyman. Even if he falls behind, he has the power to turn things around in a hurry and that’s why he should walk away with the belt on Saturday night.
