Matthysse: Beating Pacquiao a must

MANILA, Philippines – Defeating Manny Pacquiao has become Lucas Matthysse’s life mission.

Losing is clearly not an option for Matthysse, who will defend the WBA welterweight championship against Pacquiao on July 15 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The 35-year-old pride of Chubut, Argentina emphasized that Pacquiao will be the biggest name in his resume, and it will mean the world to him to become only the eighth fighter to beat the eight-division champion.

"Manny Pacquiao. I want to defeat a legendary fighter like Manny. This is not (Zab) Judah, (Devon) Alexander, (Victor) Postol or (Danny) Garcia,” Matthysse (39-4, with 36 KOs) said from Kuala Lumpur, where he and his team touched down Thursday afternoon.

Interestingly, those four fighters Matthysse mentioned were the only ones who have defeated him. Victor Postol, a Ukrainian who was once a sparring partner of Pacquiao, even scored a knockout over the heavy-handed Argentinean.

But Judah, Alexander, Postol and Garcia are obviously nowhere near Pacquiao’s level in terms of career milestones.

"This is Manny Pacquiao, and this is the quest for anyone in boxing (to defeat Pacquiao)," the defending champion added.

Matthysse arrived in the Southeast Asian nation just in time to acclimatize, confident he has done adequate preparation to complete his mission. He is joined by his trainer Joel Diaz, manager Mario Arano, Golden Boy Promotions public relations head Ramiro Gonzalez and three training assistants — a small company compared to Pacquiao’s.

Pacquiao, for his part, is close to wrapping up his own weeks-long training in General Santos City. He and his huge entourage — which includes his team, family members, supporters and mediamen — are set to arrive in Kuala Lumpur on Monday onboard a chartered plane.