Manny Pacquiao’s sparring partner, undefeated George Kambosos, believes WBA "regular" welterweight champion Lucas Matthysse is the perfect opponent for the Filipino superstar.
Pacquiao will challenge Matthysse for that title on July 14, at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Kambosos, who is a rising talent in the lightweight division, believes Pacquiao is a still a very dangerous fighter with a lot of ability.
There are many who believe that Pacquiao, at 39 years old, is at the end of the road.
Kambosos disagrees after going numerous rounds with the eight division world champion. He not only feels Pacquiao will win, he believes the veteran can do it by knockout.
“I believe Manny (Pacquiao) can knock Matthysse out,” Kambosos told The Manila Times.
“Matthysse’s defense is not superb and he relies only on his offense. This is perfect for a fighter like Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao’s hand speed, combination punching, and power will lead to a knock out over Matthysse. Pacquiao is still at the top of his game.”
“Matthysse is 35 as well, so age won’t play a major role in this fight. Manny is fitter, faster and smarter than Matthysse. I’m confident in the way we are training and sparring. He can keep a very fast pace for the whole 12 rounds if it is to go to a decision. Manny is getting sharper, faster and stronger week by week. We have had an excellent week of sparring and are on perfect track for the July 15th fight.”
Pacquiao is coming off an upset decision loss to Jeff Horn in Brisbane in July 2017 - but the majority of critics felt Pacquiao should have won the fight.
“It was a close fight. And in my opinion, he has done enough to win the fight by at least 2/3 rounds. But that is boxing—it is what it is and you have to move on. There is no weight on Manny’s shoulders for the Matthysse fight more than anything now being the challenger for the title has motivated him more to show the fans he still has more to give to the world," Kambosos said.