Just less than a year and a half ago, a hard-hitting Argentinian made his United States debut on HBO. He was introduced to American audiences as a “knockout artist,” having won all but one of his twenty-four victories by way of knockout. The boxer: Marcos Maidana. The result: a sixth round TKO victory over then-unbeaten Victor Ortiz.
On Saturday night at Newark’s Prudential Center, another hard-hitting Argentinian “knockout artist” will make his American debut on HBO. The boxer: Lucas Matthysse. The task: derail the ‘comeback’ of Zab Judah, whose last three fights have led the boxing world to believe he has recaptured his championship form.
Matthysse will try to mirror the winning efforts of Maidana in his American and HBO debut, and if successful, will help avenge his brother, Walter Matthysse’s, HBO debut loss, which marked the beginning to the end of his career.
In late 2005, an undefeated Walter Matthysse easily won his first fight on American soil with a first round knockout against Xavier Tolliver. Less than a year later, the heavy-handed Argentinian found himself on HBO trading blows with fellow undefeated contender, Paul Williams.
In a spirited effort, Matthysse hung in with the “Punisher” for nine-plus rounds before the fight was stopped by referee Jack Reiss in the tenth. Matthysse never recovered from his loss to Williams, losing four out his next five bouts, three of them by knockout.
Having had two Argentinian “knockout artists” in their HBO debut’s blaze two very different trails before him, the importance of this fight with regards to the direction of Matthysse’s career is clear.
In preparation for Saturday night’s showdown with Judah, Matthysse set up camp at the World Crown Sports gym in Oxnard, California, where he trained alongside fellow Argentinian and middleweight champion, Sergio Martinez.
Matthysse, who sports both a ponytail, as well as a tattoo of his mother, is primarily trained by Luis Dionicio “Cuty” Barrera; but while in Oxnard, also worked with Martinez’s trainer, Gabriel Sarmiento.
Undoubtedly, with Martinez and Sarmiento will benefit the hungry Argentinian. A win over Judah would simultaneously propel Matthysse into title contention and all-but end Judah’s ‘comeback’ campaign.
There is little chance Matthysse outboxes “Super” Judah and an even slimmer chance he’d be awarded a close decision in Newark if he did.
It is for this reason that the Argentinian “knockout artist” will need to win in his usual fashion and do so by landing power punches with the precision of a da Vinci portrait.
With regards to his ponytail, Matthysse told AOL Fanhouse’s Elie Sechback through a translator, “It is a promise to myself that when I win a world a world title, I will cut it off.”
A win will put Matthysse’s hat in the ring of 140 lb. contenders, while a loss would sabotage any plans for a haircut.
For more on Argentinian boxing, I urge you to read Anson Wainwright’s comprehensive piece titled “State of the Game,” that first ran on 15Rounds.com on Oct. 27.
