By Thomas Gerbasi

He doesn’t speak English, but English speakers don’t care. He doesn’t possess the menace of (Carlos) Monzon or the suave of Sergio (Martinez), but it doesn’t matter to those who show up to watch him fight or make sure they’re in front of the television when he’s scheduled to perform.

There is no courting of the media, even though he is courteous in such situations, and no desire to leave his native Argentina, despite the fact that his last eight fights have been held in the United States.

On the surface, there is really no explaining the Lucas Martin Matthysse phenomenon, but it’s there, and on Saturday, it will be on display for all to see as he fights Stateside for the ninth consecutive time against unbeaten Ukrainian Viktor Postol at Carson, California’s StubHub Center.

The 31-year-old Postol, 27-0 with 11 knockouts, is nicknamed “The Iceman.” Matthysse goes by “La Maquina,” or “The Machine,” and if it sounds like a Hollywood action movie about to take place in southern California, it may very well be if Matthysse has his way. The Trelew product has ended 34 of his 37 wins by knockout, so action is what he craves on fight night, and if you are willing to engage, he will definitely hurt you and almost always get rid of you.

Of course some, like his most recent opponent, Ruslan Provodnikov, are made of stock that defies normal standards of toughness. So for 12 rounds in April, tucked away in a casino in Verona, New York, an Argentinean and a Russian took turns hitting each other, but Matthysse’s punches were harder and more frequent. He got the decision win, his third in a row and ninth in his last ten bouts. It’s a nice run, especially since the only loss in that stretch was to unbeaten Danny Garcia in September of 2013.

Both Garcia and Matthysse have moved on, though Matthysse occasionally talks of meeting the Philadelphian again. That’s as close to an impossibility as you will find in the fight game these days, with Matthysse signed to Golden Boy Promotions and Garcia competing under the rival PBC banner. There are fights for The Machine though, beginning with his high profile HBO date against Postol, a good fighter, one with championship potential, but not likely on Saturday night.

There is also a toughness to Postol, a quiet confidence that comes with having never lost a professional fight and, befitting his nickname, he’s not likely to get rattled by the StubHub faithful screaming for his head as their man tries to remove it. Yet he doesn’t have what has troubled Matthysse before. If there’s a blueprint to upsetting the Argentine knockout artist, it’s either having the firepower to get his respect, or the speed and slickness to take him out of his comfort zone and force him to chase, not pressure.

Zab Judah and Devon Alexander had that speed and slickness, and they were southpaws, to boot, allowing them to pile up enough points that when knockdowns by Matthysse were still factored into the equation, they were able to take controversial split decisions. Garcia, while not a puncher like Matthysse, had enough pop and a solid enough game plan to win their bout. Leaving Matthysse with one eye for much of the fight didn’t hurt either.

Postol, who has all the fundamentals down, doesn’t have what Floyd Mayweather used to call “special effects.” He’s not blessed with the speed of Judah or the punch of Garcia or even John Molina, who put Matthysse on the deck twice in April of 2014. Postol’s gift is to lull opponents into a false sense of security, beat them with the basics, and by the time the final bell rings, it’s a loss for them and a win for him. Garcia wanted no part of Postol, the living embodiment of too much risk for too little reward, and if there is a glimmer of hope for the Kiev product, it’s that he is 5-foot-11 to Matthysse’s 5-foot-6 ½.

But does size matter to Matthysse? Some point to his loss to Garcia (5-foot-8 ½) as proof that taller fighters will give him trouble. Ortiz, Lamont Peterson and Mike Dallas Jr. (all 5-foot-9) and Molina (5-foot-10 ½) all wish that were the case in their knockout losses.

So there will be the possibility of Postol staying outside and keeping Matthysse at bay for 12 rounds, but don’t speak of such technical matters to the faithful. They see one thing, and one thing alone – The Machine marching forward, deflecting blows off his tattooed arms and adding another victim to his highlight reel. Then it’s a smile for the camera, a post-fight interview through a translator that produces nothing remotely quotable, and then it’s back to Argentina until the next fight.

In that way, Matthysse’s appeal becomes clear.

There is no need to monitor his Twitter or Instagram accounts, no constant Google searches to see who he’s calling out next. His own mother has called him “solitary. In that way, he’s even further removed from his sporting peers and even some of his more notable countrymen. There is no checking the police blotter or gossip columns as was necessary with Carlos Monzon, and he’s not a worldwide celebrity with matinee idol looks like Sergio Martinez.

He’s a fighter. He’s here to fight.

It’s not something he chose, but something that is in his blood. It’s a part of him. His brother Walter was a dangerous contender for a short spell a few years ago. His sister Edith recently upset Jelena Mrdjenovich for WBC / WBA featherweight titles. And his father, mother and nephew have all tasted life inside the squared circle. It’s almost as if he never had a choice in the matter, but he doesn’t complain, doesn’t wish for something other than what he already has.

He is content. At least everywhere but in the ring, where his relentless pursuit of victory captivates across all demographic lines. The thudding body shots, the whipping power punches to the head, all second nature at this point. What’s coming at him doesn’t matter; only what he’s dishing out. And if you put him down, you better keep him there, and no one has done that yet.

On Saturday, the 33-year-old Matthysse, in his 42nd professional fight, can put a world championship belt around his waist for the first time. There is no “interim” tag attached to this one, only the real article. So will it change him? It will likely boost his public profile at home and add to his bank account, but change the man?

His fans know the answer to that one.