By Nick Bellafatto
In what first appears as slight of hand by the IBF in wanting to allow its current 140-pound champion Lamont “Havoc” Peterson (31-1-1, 16 KO’s) to retain his belt, this by way of not coming to terms with Argentinian opponent Lucas Martin Matthysse (33-2, 31 KO’s), rather this weekends much anticipated showdown has been deemed a non-title affair due primarily to Matthysse himself.
A certain catalyst, Lucas would steadfastly refuse to relinquish his WBC interim distinction, of which the IBF would have none of. By it’s own set of rules the IBF refuses to allow or recognize interim titles so that the fight would have been off entirely save for it now taking place at 141 pounds, or welterweight, a quirky situation guaranteeing that no title whatsoever will be at stake.
No matter though, this Saturday nights event taking place inside of Atlantic City, New Jersey’s Boardwalk Hall is no less a stellar match up between two top fighters at or near the peak of their game. What’s more is that neither contestant seems to care much about hardware at this point.
Stated Peterson, “with me I always thought that we were fighting for my belt until a few weeks ago. But as far as where I’m trying to be in this sport and trying to be the best fighter at the weight class and possibly another weight class, those belts mean nothing.”
Matthysse’s outlook, “obviously an agreement couldn’t be reached for the title but I’m fine with it. Everybody knows two top guys [are] fighting each other [and] that this is an important fight.”
Political maneuvering aside, it’s hoped that this situation will not prevent the emergence of an undisputed junior welterweight champion. For if in fact the Argentine knockout artist is to prevail, it’s at this juncture he’s assured a shot at WBA/WBC, and Ring Magazine 140-pound champion Danny “Swift” Garcia, while there’s no guarantee that Peterson as the remaining IBF representative will ever enter the picture to face either man with belts intact.
I mean the point of Golden Boy formulating a four-man tournament I thought was to establish a solitary champion. Of course if Peterson gets by Matthysse then the above scenario may take a back seat. If not, then the division could very well remain fragmented as is the entire watered down sport of boxing, robbing fans yet again of a true unified champion. We shall see.
But one cannot deny that on paper this bout looks to be a doozy. And after a less than thrilling effort on the part of Robert Guerrero to upend the sports premier figure in Floyd Mayweather Jr. earlier this month, this leaves the door wide open as far as a fight of the year candidate, which this contest has written all over it.
That’s to say neither of these two men seem to know how to take a backwards step in what looks to be a collision course consummated. And its this very aspect that could in fact determine the outcome. Who indeed will force the other backwards when the bell rings on Saturday night?
All told, in a fight that could go either way I’m leaning towards rising star Lucas Martin Matthysse. Seeming to as of late display some of the subtle skills of great champions past, he after certain setbacks would vanquish his most recent opponents. This would include two wins in his native Argentina, while more importantly Lucas would rack up three consecutive victories on U.S. soil.
Of course his latest adversary, that being Michael Dallas Jr., was really an untested quantity at the A-level., so that the ensuing one round blow out in the Argentinian’s favor really doesn’t say much at all as regards his chances against Peterson. This save for the Jersey Joe Walcott move that would turn the trick.
Another of those aforementioned opponents, one Humberto Soto, although highly skilled as a former two-division world champion, had no doubt seen better days after nearly 16 years in the pro ranks. Nevertheless, Matthysse would impressively pound Soto into submission, demonstrating the same power that would eventually propel him past prime foe and long time WBC mandatory title challenger Ajose Olusegun.
And it’s the Olusegun bout that is perhaps the best marker of where the Argentine is really at nowadays as well as belongs, which is at the doorstep of a major title. But in failing to stop recognizable opponents Zab Judah or Devon Alexander in what amounted to step-up bouts, coincidentally the only two losses on his resume, whether controversial or not Lucas Matthysse would come up short on the scorecards.
So will Matthysse short of a knockout yet again find himself at the mercy of the ringside judges? If so the process thus far hasn’t been kind to him. But despite this Lucas doesn’t seem to feel he absolutely needs the kayo.
“I’m not coming in with that mentality” [the kayo mentality], stated Matthysse. “I know that I’m going up against a very experienced fighter [so] I’m going to work just like I’ve been working hard for the fight and I believe the judges will give a clear decision.”
That said, Peterson after a lengthy layoff looked impressive enough against a less than impressive Kendall Holt to perhaps get it to the scorecards. To do this Lamont’s chin will have to hold up unlike 31 of Matthysse’s 33 previous opponents. If indeed it does go the distance, Peterson may get the nod much in the same way he did against Amir Khan.
Because let’s face it, Lamont’s bout against Khan was just as controversial in the overall scoring as it was controversial concerning the referee’s handling of the affair. I had Amir winning the majority of rounds in that bout so that despite point deductions Khan could have easily been awarded an outright victory if not a draw. But that was in Peterson’s hometown so let’s see how things are handled in New Jersey.
In summing up, Matthysse by all outward appearances looks to have a marked edge in power of which the most intriguing part of this bout may be how well Peterson responds to it. “I normally don’t worry about anybody’s punching power before the fight,” said Lamont. “I understand that it’s boxing and I’m going to get hit. [But] even if a person can’t punch that hard, if he hits you clean you can go out. So I mostly concentrate on not getting hit clean and that’s what I’ll do in this fight.”
Whether Peterson avoids a pivotal blow from the Argentine is definitely at issue. But for what it’s worth, I see “Havoc” able to wreak some havoc of his own. This may very well allow him to get through the storm so that whether Matthysse looks to be the better fighter over the long haul, short of delivering the coup de gras Lucas as the foreign fighter combined with Peterson having the luck of the draw may in all likelihood see a closely contested bout awarded to Lamont.
All the more important Lucas Matthysse in my opinion land some heavy leather if he plans on meeting up with Danny Garcia. Catch all the action live on Showtime Championship Boxing beginning at 9pm ET/PT from the Boardwalk Hall Convention Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
This card also features International Boxing Federation (IBF) welterweight champion Devon Alexander “The Great” (24-1, 13 KO’s) of Saint Louis, Missouri defending against Kell Brook-replacement Lee Purdy (20-3-1, 13 KO’s) of Colchester, Essex, United Kingdom.
