Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya has advised his fighter, WBA "regular" welterweight champion Lucas Matthysse, to force the action on Manny Pacquiao when they collide on Sunday night [Saturday in America] in Malaysia.
De La Hoya himself was battered and stopped by Pacquiao back in 2008, and it was the final fight of De La Hoya's career.
Now the two former foes are co-promoters of the upcoming event.
Pacquiao, 39-years-old, has been out of the ring since losing a twelve round decision to Jeff Horn in a big upset in July 2017 in Brisbane.
The Filipino boxer's style has frustrated numerous opponents over the years, which is why De La Hoya wants his boxer to remain mentally strong when Pacquiao starts letting his hands go.
"If I were Lucas, I would not get frustrated because Pacquiao can frustrate you. He can do that because he throws so many punches. Lucas has to be cool, calm and collected. He has to force the action. He has to show Manny that he is younger, stronger and fresher. If you don’t show that to Manny, he can walk all over you. That’s who he is. That’s why he’s so good," De La Hoya said.
Most insiders are picking Pacquiao by decision or Matthysse by knockout - but De La Hoya says his boxer is far from being a simple puncher.
Matthysse showed off his boxing skills a few years ago, when he was forced to box and slug to secure a victory over dangerous puncher Ruslan Provodinikov.
"A lot of people think that Lucas Matthysse is just a knockout artist. But he’s an intelligent fighter too. He knows how to box and counterpunch. This fight is interesting in terms of styles. The people who really know boxing know that Matthysse can change his style and even confuse him. He may even be able to confuse him and land some counterpunches," De La Hoya said.
