Originally posted by Russian Crushin
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while i think he's got some boxing skills, and does work in the subtleties of the game, i wouldn't classify him as a boxer / puncher. certainly not a terrific one, anyway. a great boxer puncher can and does fight moving laterally and away from contact. he'll create offense by boxing. ray leonard was a boxer puncher, so was tommy hearns. they could fight moving forward or back, rarely doing one or the other for the entirety of the fight. matthysse is usually coming forward and trying to get his opponent to throw with him by shrinking / cutting off the ring. he's more rounded than he might be portrayed, but i'd still describe him as an aggressor, who generates offense off of his aggression.
his successes with judah and alexander didn't come from outboxing them. they came when he landed his gas. he had alexander hurt and on the ropes after pressuring him and throwing that right hand to the chest. he almost stopped him. that was a robbery. the judah fight was closer, imo, but i thought matthysse took it because he was the more effective puncher, even if judah's boxing skills gave him some issues.
he's a boxer puncher he's certainly got an accent on the puncher part. if i had to group him into a category i'd call him a pressure fighter with ample power. he's not that completely, but it's a more appropriate classification than boxer / puncher, IMO.
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