SHOWTIME MAIN EVENT EXPECTED TO BRING FIREWORKS
Los Angeles, Ca– One thing is expected in Saturday’s Showtime main event when IBF 140lb champion Lamont Peterson (31-1, 16 KOs)faces WBC interim champion Lucas Matthysse (33-2, 31 KOs) on Showtime.
Peterson vs Matthysse
Neither will take a backward step. Peterson, a boxer early on his career has become an effective come forward pressure fighter. His opponent Lucas Mattysse of Argentina is a vicious power puncher who has only been the distance four times as a professional. Saturdays fight is a non-title bout that will be waged at a catchweight of 141 lbs.
MATTHYSSE BETTER THAN 2-1 FAVORITE
Surprisingly the Argentine is the slight favorite, although Peterson has the better resume overall. Matthysse does have a mystique about him. He is considered by most as one of the 5 best punchers in the sport. However if you take a look a little deeper into his resume though, there’s holes in his game. He tends to give away rounds and in his two biggest fights he lost both by close decisions, one to Zab Judah(42-8, 29 KOs), and another to Devon Alexander(24-1, 13 KOs). While always dangerous, and though many thought he won those fights, his limitations as a prizefighter can be exposed if you can avoid his hard punches for large stretches. Even though he dropped both fighters in his losses he still would up on the wrong end of decisions. It remains to be seen if Peterson’s aggressive style is a foil or will just play right into the Argentines hands.
PETERSON IS NOT ONE-DIMENSIONAL
Peterson, a Washington DC native, can fight effectively off the back foot, as well as coming forward. How will Matthysse deal with an opponent who may try to push him back? Can the Argentine fight off the back foot? It’s clear that the he can be somewhat methodical in the ring, and predictable. These are attributes that I feel the DC native will try to exploit, all the while trying limit his own mistakes.
MATTHYSSE HAS THE ERASER!
The biggest question mark is can he stop Peterson? Peterson has been down and hurt in a few fights, mainly his fights with Timothy Bradley (30-0, 12 KOs) and Victor Ortiz (29-4, 22 KOs). He fought valiantly in a one-sided loss to Bradley, but came back from two knockdowns to squeeze out a draw with Ortiz. It appears he has improved considerably since then and so has his confidence. It’s riding high after victories over Amir Khan(28-3, 19 KOs) and a stoppage win over Kendall Holt(28-6, 16 KOs) this year.
PREDICTION
This fight is probably even on paper, and when I have to choose between a puncher and the boxer-puncher type as is Peterson, I tend to favor the boxer in this matchup. I also believe Peterson has enough pop to keep his foe honest. The DC native has a stronger upper-body than Judah or Alexander, and while he doesn’t employ as much movement, I feel he’s dynamic enough to squeak out a close victory over Matthysse who won’t be able to land the big shot he will need to win the fight. I also believe the Argentine will be surprised by the strength and resolve of the DC native. The winner is in line to fight undefeated WBC and WBA champion Danny Garcia(26-0, 16 KOs) in a battle for 140lb supremacy.
-Kevin Perry