MANILA, Philippines — Tuluyan nang nagretiro si Lucas Matthysse ng Argentina.
Ito ay matapos siyang talunin ni Filipino world eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao via seventh-round TKO noong Hulyo 15 sa Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Inagaw ng 39-anyos na si Pacquiao (60-7-2, 39 KOs) sa 35-anyos na si Matthysse (39-5-0, 36 KOs) ang suot nitong World Boxing Association welterweight crown.
Kahapon ay opisyal nang isinabit ni Matthysse ang kanyang boxing gloves.
“Thanks to all those who followed me in my career, for all of their love, because that is the most beautiful thing in this sport of boxing, which is a nice environment,” wika ni Matthysse sa panayam ng BoxingScene.com. “Today, I decide to hang up the gloves because another stage in my life is coming. And many thanks to all of the people that I met thanks in boxing.”
Ang TKO victory ni Pacquiao laban kay Matthysse ang unang pagpapabagsak ng Filipino boxing icon.
Huling nagtala ng knockout victory si Pacquiao noong Nobyembre ng 2009 matapos pasukuin si Miguel Cotto sa 12th round para angkinin ang World Boxing Organization welterweight belt.
Si Matthysse ang ikalawang world champion na pinagretiro ni Pacquiao matapos si Oscar De La Hoya noong taong 2008.
“I am proud that I maintained my career for 10 years at the world level, where I fought with the best in boxing and I fulfilled my dream of being a world champion,” ani Matthysse.
Nakamit ng 5-foot-6 na si Matthysse ang bakanteng WBA welterweight belt matapos talunin si Tewa Kiram ng Thailand via eight-round TKO noong Ene-ro 27 sa The Forum sa Inglewood, California.