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by Cliff Rold - In the 00s, a pair of brutal warriors gave us a brutal trilogy. There were no titles on the line. They didn’t need any.
It was the defining rivalry of the decade at 140 lbs.
Does Jr. Welterweight have its heir to Arturo Gatti-Mickey Ward this weekend? It has some of the same ingredients and a few that rivalry didn’t. Both men make good fights; they can both punch.
Unlike Gatti-Ward, this isn’t a rivalry of men at the end or even past their primes. We could see a brief, explosive affair, a war of attrition, or a slow building war.
It’s almost impossible to think anything we see will be disappointing on HBO Saturday night (9:45 PM EST/PST).
Of the two, Matthysse is the more technically developed fighter. He’s got a better jab, throws from more unorthodox angles, and works off the counter better.
Will any of that matter?
Matthysse may be more technically sound, but he’s ultimately a puncher. It’s his bread and butter. It’s what bailed him out last year against John Molina. It’s what made him appear to be the most fearsome man at 140 until Danny Garcia came along.
He’s not going to get on his toes and make Provodnikov chase him like Chris Algieri did. He’s not going to sit in the pocket and pick away at the Russian, outboxing him intelligently like Mauricio Herrera. [Click Here To Read More]
It was the defining rivalry of the decade at 140 lbs.
Does Jr. Welterweight have its heir to Arturo Gatti-Mickey Ward this weekend? It has some of the same ingredients and a few that rivalry didn’t. Both men make good fights; they can both punch.
Unlike Gatti-Ward, this isn’t a rivalry of men at the end or even past their primes. We could see a brief, explosive affair, a war of attrition, or a slow building war.
It’s almost impossible to think anything we see will be disappointing on HBO Saturday night (9:45 PM EST/PST).
Of the two, Matthysse is the more technically developed fighter. He’s got a better jab, throws from more unorthodox angles, and works off the counter better.
Will any of that matter?
Matthysse may be more technically sound, but he’s ultimately a puncher. It’s his bread and butter. It’s what bailed him out last year against John Molina. It’s what made him appear to be the most fearsome man at 140 until Danny Garcia came along.
He’s not going to get on his toes and make Provodnikov chase him like Chris Algieri did. He’s not going to sit in the pocket and pick away at the Russian, outboxing him intelligently like Mauricio Herrera. [Click Here To Read More]
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