MANILA – Manny Pacquiao’s bout against World Boxing Association welterweight champion Lucas Matthysse of Argentina has been moved to July 8 from June 24.
Both camps decided to delay the fight for a week as the original date conflicted with Ramadan, Ring TV reported. Malaysia, which will host the match, is a Muslim-dominated country.
Pacquiao, an eight-division world boxing champion, said he chose to fight Matthysse next instead of American Danny Garcia because he likes the Argentine’s fighting style.
“I like his aggressive fighting style. That’s what I want – to entertain the boxing fans. Besides, Matthysse is not a dirty fighter, and I highly respect him for that,” said Pacquiao.
This will be Pacquiao’s first match since July last year when he failed to defend his World Boxing Organization welterweight title against Australian brawler Jeff Horn.
Pacquiao, 39, will parade an impressive 59-7-2 win-loss-draw record, with 38 stoppage victories, while the 35-year-old Matthysse has a 39-4-0 card, including 36 knockout wins.
ARUM STILL INVOLVED
Meanwhile Pacquiao clarified that Top Rank chief Bob Arum will still be involved in his next bout even if the promotions will be handled by his MP Promotions and Oscar dela Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions.
Arum will handle the match’s United States distribution through ESPN, Pacquiao said, adding that he intends to sit down with his former promoter after the Matthysse match to discuss his future bouts.
“(Arum) is invited and there’s no problem. I think after my fight with Matthysse, we will talk regarding a possible Pacquiao-(Vasiliy) Lomachenko fight in the future,” Pacquiao said./PN
