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by David P. Greisman - The boxing business hasn’t been that bad for Lucas Matthysse.
He has fought three times on Showtime in the past seven months, twice in the main event at a Las Vegas casino. He has earned in the low six figures for those fights, at the very least. He is considered to be one of the best fighters in the junior welterweight division.
Yet he feels that this is far from enough, that he is being avoided and disrespected, that he deserves much more.
That’s because Danny Garcia is getting more money.
It’s because Danny Garcia is getting more attention.
It’s because Danny Garcia is getting more acclaim.
And it’s because Matthysse isn’t getting a shot at Garcia.
There are many men who claim to be the most-avoided fighters in boxing. Like many of those men, Matthysse has several factors working against him.
He has two losses on his record — one in 2010 to Zab Judah, the other in 2011 to Devon Alexander — though both were split decisions, and both were debatable. Discounting those bouts, the biggest wins on his record are a 2011 stoppage of DeMarcus Corley and the trio of Showtime victories: technical knockouts of Humberto Soto and Ajose Olusegun, and a one-punch knockout win over Mike Dallas Jr. this past Saturday. Those victories are respectable, and the manner in which he earned them is notable, but none of them carry the kind of cache that he can cash in on.
That can be chalked up to the usual reason: Lucas Matthysse presents far too much risk for far too little reward.
Both of his headline bouts in Las Vegas have come before small crowds. He does not have the star power of Garcia or Amir Khan, nor is he receiving the marketing muscle that is behind them.
But he does have Golden Boy Promotions. He does have a World Boxing Council interim title. And he does have Showtime giving him airtime.
The boxing business hasn’t been that bad for Lucas Matthysse. For it to be better, though, will require a strong advocate, someone to stand up for giving Matthysse the chances he believes he deserves. [Click Here To Read More]
He has fought three times on Showtime in the past seven months, twice in the main event at a Las Vegas casino. He has earned in the low six figures for those fights, at the very least. He is considered to be one of the best fighters in the junior welterweight division.
Yet he feels that this is far from enough, that he is being avoided and disrespected, that he deserves much more.
That’s because Danny Garcia is getting more money.
It’s because Danny Garcia is getting more attention.
It’s because Danny Garcia is getting more acclaim.
And it’s because Matthysse isn’t getting a shot at Garcia.
There are many men who claim to be the most-avoided fighters in boxing. Like many of those men, Matthysse has several factors working against him.
He has two losses on his record — one in 2010 to Zab Judah, the other in 2011 to Devon Alexander — though both were split decisions, and both were debatable. Discounting those bouts, the biggest wins on his record are a 2011 stoppage of DeMarcus Corley and the trio of Showtime victories: technical knockouts of Humberto Soto and Ajose Olusegun, and a one-punch knockout win over Mike Dallas Jr. this past Saturday. Those victories are respectable, and the manner in which he earned them is notable, but none of them carry the kind of cache that he can cash in on.
That can be chalked up to the usual reason: Lucas Matthysse presents far too much risk for far too little reward.
Both of his headline bouts in Las Vegas have come before small crowds. He does not have the star power of Garcia or Amir Khan, nor is he receiving the marketing muscle that is behind them.
But he does have Golden Boy Promotions. He does have a World Boxing Council interim title. And he does have Showtime giving him airtime.
The boxing business hasn’t been that bad for Lucas Matthysse. For it to be better, though, will require a strong advocate, someone to stand up for giving Matthysse the chances he believes he deserves. [Click Here To Read More]
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