By Steve Kim
Making his debut at the welterweight limit, Lucas Matthysse made an emphatic return to the sport of boxing by stopping the previously sturdy Emanuel Taylor in five rounds at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The fight was part of the Saul Alvarez vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. pay-per-view undercard.
It was his first outing since his stoppage loss to Viktor Postol in October of 2015 where he suffered a slight fracture of his orbital bone.
Golden Boy Promotions matchmaker, Robert Diaz, tells BoxingScene.com - "I'm very excited, I'm very happy because first of all, I'm a big fan of Lucas. I really like him as a fighter, as a person. So to see him back is no surprise. Look, sometimes these fighters need a break, to spend some time with their family. I think in this case coming off strong, tough fights back-to-back-to back, the injury, that's what he needed to find that hunger back within himself and decide whether he wanted to fight or not.
"Once the hunger came back after the layoff, a little rest, I think we're going to see a bigger, better Lucas Matthysse."
Matthysse, who improved his record to 38-4 (35 KO's), flashed his trademark power by scoring knockdowns in the third and fifth rounds. 'The Machine' came out of this fight relatively unscathed.
"I think there was a little cut. Obviously we're going to sit down with our partner Mario Arano, and see how he feels. But as soon as Lucas is ready to come back to the gym and training, we can set up a new date for him."
So is there a chance he could get a slot on the September 16th card that will see Alvarez face Gennady Golovkin?
Diaz answered - "Yes, the fans love him, he's always fun, exciting fights, give-and-take. He makes sense."
Steve Kim is the news editor for BoxingScene.com.