Pacquiao vs. Matthysse: Tale of Tape, Fight Records and More for Both Boxers

Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao is playing the role of challenger when he takes on Lucas Matthysse for the WBA "regular" welterweight title at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Saturday night.

Pacquiao is one year removed from a controversial, unanimous-decision loss to Jeff Horn, a match that saw Pac Man outhit his opponent and nearly knock him out late, only to see the judges award Horn a victory in his hometown of Brisbane, Australia.

Matthysse won his world title in January with a knockout win over Tewa Kiram (Keith Thurman is the WBA "super" welterweight champ but has been out of action since March 2017). The Argentine is a pressure fighter with a penchant for stopping bouts early.

The champion should prove a tough test for Pacquiao, who has lost four of his past nine bouts and is also a sitting senator in his native Philippines. 

The fight will be live-streamed in the U.S. on ESPN+, with the undercard beginning at 9 p.m. ET. 

Tale of the Tape

Country: Pacquiao (Philippines) — Matthysse (Argentina)

Records: Pacquiao (59-7-2, 38 KOs) — Matthysse (39-4-0, 36 KOs)

Age: Pacquiao (39) — Matthysse (35)

Height: Pacquiao (5'5 ½'') — Matthysse (5'6½")

Reach: Pacquiao (67'') — Matthysse (69")

Weight: Pacquiao (146 lbs) — Matthysse (146.7 lbs)

Stance: Pacquiao (southpaw) — Matthysse (orthodox)

Boxer information courtesy of BoxRec. Weigh-in info courtesy of ESPN.com's Carlo Pamintuan.

Fight Preview

MOHD RASFAN/Getty Images

For whatever reason, Pacquiao can't bring himself to walk away from the ring for good. Whether it's pride—going out on that loss to Horn would be tough to stomach—monetary concerns or simply an addiction to pugilism, Pacquiao is nearly 40 and still lacing them up.

He's no longer the fearsome fighter he was in his prime, as his last knockout came against Miguel Cotto in 2009. As Andreas Hale wrote for Sporting News, the Pacquiao who lost to Horn was a far cry from the best version of himself:

"Horn should have never been in a position to hang with Pacquiao. But this wasn't the Pacquiao who obliterated the opposition with a devastating combination of power and speed. The point was accentuated by the ease that [Terence] Crawford dismantled Horn when the two met on June 9. It was utter domination by Crawford en route to an emphatic and merciful 9th round stoppage."

Before the loss to Horn, Pacquiao beat Jessie Vargas handily and then toyed around with Timothy Bradley Jr. in the third fight of a trilogy nobody asked for. Prior to those bouts was the megafight with Floyd Mayweather Jr., which Pacquaio lost in deflating fashion in front of the entire globe.

Age is taking its toll, but it hasn't completely sapped Pacquiao of his greatness. 

MOHD RASFAN/Getty Images

With that said, Matthysse is the kind of fighter who could have Pacquiao rethinking his late-career forays between the ropes with just one punch. Matthysse has an 82 percent knockout rate, per BoxRec. Only two of his 39 wins have come by decision, the most recent a split-decision win over Ruslan Provodnikov in 2015. At 35, he's not too far behind Pacquiao in years, but he's still clobbering his lesser opponents. 

Matthysse has never reached the upper echelon of the sport, with losses to Viktor Postol (by way of knockout) and Danny Garcia keeping him from breaking into the top tier. Still, he's a dangerous boxer and his trainer, Joel Diaz, is confident that his power will give Pacquiao trouble.

"All I can say is this...it's not going to be an easy fight for Manny Pacquiao," Diaz said, per the Associated Press (h/t USA Today). "If Lucas lands any punches on Pacquiao, he will hurt him because he hits real hard."

The oddsmakers are going with Pacquiao's pedigree and skill in this one, though not overwhelmingly so. According to OddsShark.com, Pac Man is the -210 favorite (bet $100 to win $210) as of Saturday morning.

Though Matthysse has a recent knockout loss on his resume, it's hard to imagine Pacquiao getting his first KO in nearly a decade in this bout. Matthysse's power will keep the Filipino fighter at bay, and he will have to utilize his speed and quick combinations to score points with the judges. 

Matthysse is too smart to overestimate his opponent and will likely be hoping he can land the big punches and, if needed, the kill shot in the later rounds. If he does, it would be a career-defining victory for him.

If Pacquiao emerges victorious, the only eight-division world champion will have a major belt yet again, though it's not as clear why he needs it and whom he would fight next and when.