HOW HE DID IT: Underrated Technician Matthysse Not Just A Bomber

Published

12 years ago

May 21, 2013

Lee Wylie

Lucas Matthysse (now 34-2 with 1 no contest and 32 Kos) showed why he is arguably the number one junior welterweight in the world –and one of the most avoided men in boxing –with an impressive third round knockout of Lamont Peterson (now 31-2-1 with 16 Kos) in Atlantic City on Saturday night.

Peterson, who had never been stopped in any of his previous 33 fights, was dropped by a left hook in the second round and again in the third. After tasting the canvas once more from yet another left hook, referee Steve Smoger deemed Peterson unfit to continue and wisely called a halt to the action. This is now the sixth fight in a row in which Matthysse has managed to take his opponent out before the final bell.

Everyone and their mother knows that Lucas Matthysse is the owner of some extremely heavy hands, making him pound-for-pound one of the hardest hitters in all of boxing. In this analysis, however, I would like to focus more on Matthysse’s craft and ring acumen, which, I believe, are vastly underappreciated and can be attributed toward many of his knockouts.

It was obvious from the opening bell that Peterson’s game plan was based on controlling and maintaining distance and preventing Matthysse from getting set to hit. For Peterson to have had any kind of success then, he would have had to rely heavily on the jab (boxing’s number one distance regulator) along with lateral movement so that Matthysse would have to keep realigning himself in order to punch effectively and with maximum power. It soon became apparent that neither Peterson’s jab nor any lateral movement were going to be enough to thwart Matthysse’s forward momentum.

Not only did Matthysse successfully block off Peterson’s escape routes via some intelligent footwork and pressure, he also neutralized Peterson’s jab.

It is very important for a fighter to have a varied attack. However, it is equally important that a fighter also has more than one way of defending an attack. Just as a fighter will soon recognize an offensive pattern should an opponent repeat the same technique over and over, a fighter will also be quick to spot and take advantage of an opponent who defends an attack the same way every time. Because Matthysse changed up his defenses for Peterson’s jab throughout the fight, Peterson was unable to time him or lure him into any kind of a trap.

Rear hand parry

Instead of just simply covering up, a skill that all fighters should utilize more often is the rear hand parry to catch and deflect an incoming jab. When attempting to parry the jab, the hand that is on the outside of the attack (elbow side of an opponent’s punch) should redirect the blow either across an opponent’s body, up and over, or down and to the side. Unless a fighter is going up against an opponent who is in an opposite lead to their own, it is not advisable to parry an incoming jab with the lead hand as doing so will leave the lead side exposed for an opponent’s more threatening rear hand. Parrying the jab with the rear hand disturbs an opponent’s rhythm, making it more difficult for them to complete or launch a follow up attack and also creates counterpunching opportunities, particularly for the lead hand (catch and jab).

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Here is Matthysse performing a rear hand parry, catching and redirecting Peterson’s jab at different stages during the fight.

Outside Slip

The outside slip is probably the safest and most efficient way of avoiding the jab. Whereas the rear hand parry often only leaves the lead hand free to counter with (one can also counter immediately after a rear hand parry with the same hand but it is often more difficult to pull off) slipping to the outside of the jab (elbow side) isolates both of an opponent’s weapons (lead and rear hand) while leaving both hands free to counter with.

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Here is Matthysse evading Peterson’s jab by slipping to the outside. In this position, Matthysse has isolated both of Peterson’s weapons (lead and rear hand) leaving both hands free to counter with.

Inside slip

The inside slip is performed much in the same way as the outside slip, only the head is taken to the inside of an opponent’s jab instead of to the outside. Even though both hands remain free to counter in this position as well, the outside slip is preferred and is a much safer option. Still, Matthysse had a lot success by slipping inside of Peterson’s jab.

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Here is Matthysse slipping inside of Peterson’s jab at numerous stages during the fight. For safety reasons, it is better to slip to the outside of a jab, as opposed to the inside. When you slip to the outside, you are basically isolating both of your opponent’s weapons (lead and rear hand). Slipping inside of the jab, however, is considered more dangerous because only the jabbing hand has been isolated and the danger of an opponent’s rear hand is still present. Matthysse got away with slipping inside of Peterson’s jab simply because Peterson was always preoccupied with the threat of Matthysse’s left hook. Despite the fact that Matthysse would often take his head off line and place it in line with Peterson’s right hand, the threat alone of Matthysse’s left hand kept Peterson’s right hand in check.

Defense is taken to a new level entirely when a fighter begins using it offensively. After pretty much eliminating Peterson’s jab with the rear hand parry, the outside slip and the inside slip, Matthysse began simultaneously slipping and countering off of Peterson’s jab.

For a right handed fighter, the body alignment involved in slipping inside the jab is very similar to the starting motions of a right cross. Therefore, slipping inside the jab and throwing the right cross (to the head or body) is a safe and effective counter.

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Here is Matthysse simultaneously slipping inside of Peterson’s jab and landing a right hand underneath. See how the inside slip places Matthysse in a relatively safe position from which to deliver the right hand. Notice also how Matthysse’s head has been taken off line as he’s throwing his right hand. Slipping left while throwing a right cross is an intelligent pre-emptive counter to lead off with.

Here is another example of Matthysse combining defense and offense simultaneously.

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Here, Matthysse lands a cross counter over the top of Peterson’s jab. Because most fighters aim there punches directly toward an opponent’s center, by taking his head off line and to his left, Matthysse lands his right hand (this punch initiated the first knockdown sequence) while Peterson’s jab misses and ends up somewhere near Matthysse’s right shoulder.

The set up

There’s no denying that Lucas Matthysse is one of the biggest punchers in the sport right now. Even glancing blows seem to put his opponents on Queer Street. However, all the knockout power in the world will amount to nothing unless a fighter can set an opponent up and disguise his real intentions. (Nonito Donaire found this out the hard way against Guillermo Rigondeaux very recently). In boxing, basic punches will not land with any regularity unless a fighter can do something which makes an opponent open up (feinting, drawing, pivoting to gain a dominant angle etc.). For me, this is one of the most overlooked aspects of Lucas Matthysse’s game. Matthysse is brilliant at maneuvering his opponents into such a position –using low contact punches, feints and footwork—so to create an opening for a more telling blow.

Here is Matthysse manipulating Peterson’s guard and defenses by throwing not one, not two, but THREE (double jab, straight right) punches in an attempt to create an opening for his left hook.

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Here is Matthysse throwing three “minor” punches in order to set up one “major” blow. As Matthysse shuffles forward after cutting off the ring, forcing Peterson to the ropes, he throws two blinding jabs (jab feints) to occupy Peterson. While the first jab is thrown short (as a distraction) the second one is thrown much deeper, allowing Matthysse to move in behind it and bridge the gap. From there, with Peterson’s guard slightly raised because of the double jab, Matthysse throws a straight right hand to Peterson’s stomach. This does two things;

It positions Matthysse at a more favorable angle to come back with a left hook (spring-loaded his left).

It forces Peterson to adjust his guard slightly to compensate for the body attack.

With Peterson hunching over slightly in anticipation of another possible body attack, Matthysse lands a left hook high on Peterson’s head, sending him to the canvas. Peterson never fully recovered from this attack.

Barely seconds into third round, there was more punching intellect from Matthysse.

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During this sequence, Matthysse first slips inside of Peterson’s jab. As Peterson ducks low in response, Matthysse forces him onto his back foot with a blinding jab. With Peterson backpedalling, Matthysse feints a right hand, which draws Peterson’s lead hand away from his guard, and comes back with a hard left. Again, Matthysse is thinking two and three punches ahead in there.

With Peterson wobbled again, we didn’t have to wait too long before the end arrived.

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As both men find themselves slightly out of position, Matthysse is the first to adjust his feet and manages to connect with a compact left hook to the chin, all but ending the fight for Peterson. Although Peterson made it to his feet, his legs were gone and he soon he hit the canvas for a final time after yet another left hook.

At this juncture, I’m hard pushed to think of anyone at 140 pounds that I would favor over Matthysse. Amir Khan certainly has the speed and footwork that may keep Matthysse turning and prevent him from getting set to hit, but ultimately, Khan’s defensive frailties are bound to rear their ugly head at some stage, meaning he would more than likely succumb to Matthysse’s unforgiving power punching. Danny Garcia is a smart counterpuncher with good timing who could possibly hurt Matthysse should he get to him first, but looking at how Zab Judah was able to withstand Garcia’s best and then hurt Garcia himself late in the fight, I have a hard time seeing Garcia coming out on top during any kind of exchange with Matthysse. As I’ve already stated, not only does Matthysse have underrated defense (slipping, parrying etc.), he also has a world class chin –Peterson landed a couple of uppercuts as he was moving inside that would have wobbled many a Jr. welterweight. Matthysse never so much as blinked.

All things considered, it was quite the eye opening performance from Lucas Matthysse –out boxing Peterson from the outside and out fighting him on the inside. Matthysse is not only one of the most damaging punchers currently in boxing, but with his ring intelligence and punch placement, he is also one of the most cerebral. Unlike some punchers who are head over heels in love with their power and aim everything at the head, Matthysse will patiently work the body for a period of time (usually behind straight rights and low jabs), bringing down his opponent’s guard before taking the attack up top. And when he is attacking up top, he is always mixing up straight punches with arcing punches, constantly forcing his opponents to narrow and widen their guard to compensate. Add to this the fact that he almost always takes his head off line while he is punching, and you have a very complete and dangerous fighter indeed.

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Lee Wylie

Mizuki Hiruta Dominates in her U.S. Debut and Omar Trinidad Wins Too at Commerce

Published

11 hours ago

January 18, 2025

David A. Avila

Mizuki-Hiruta-Dominates-in-her-U.S.-Debut-and-Trinidad-Wins-Too-at-Commerce

Japan’s Mizuki Hiruta smashed through Mexico’s Maribel Ramirez with ease in winning by technical decision and local hero Omar Trinidad continued his assault on the featherweight division on Friday.

Hiruta (7-0, 2 KOs), who prefers to be called “Mimi,” made her American debut with an impressive performance against Mexican veteran Maribel Ramirez (15-11-4) and retained the WBO super flyweight world title by unanimous decision at Commerce Casino in Commerce, Calif.

The pink-haired Japanese southpaw champion quickly proved to be quicker, stronger and even better than advertised. In the opening round Ramirez landed on the floor twice after throwing errant blows. On one instance, it could have been ruled a knockdown but it was not a convincing blow.

In the second round, Ramirez again attacked and again was met with a Hiruta check right hook and down went the Mexican. This time referee Ray Corona gave the eight-count and the fight resumed.

It was Hiruta’s third title defense but this time it was on American soil. She seemed nervous by the prospect of getting a favorable review from the more than 700 fans inside the casino tent.

For more than a year Hiruta has been training off and on with Manny Robles in the L.A. area. Now that she has a visa, she has spent considerable time this year learning the tricks of the trade. They proved explosively effective.

Though Mexico City’s Ramirez has considerable experience against world champions, she discovered that Hiruta was not easy to hit. Often, the Japanese champion would slip and counter with precision.

It was an impressive American debut, though the fight was stopped in the eighth round after a collision of heads. The scores were tallied and all three saw Hiruta the winner by scores of 80-71 twice and 79-72.

“I’m so happy. I could have done much more,” said Hiruta through interpreter Yuriko Miyata. “I wanted to do more things that Manny Robles taught me.”

Trinidad Wins Too

Omar Trinidad (18-0-1, 13 KOs) discovered that challenger Mike Plania (31-5, 18 KOs) has a very good chin and staying power. But over 10 rounds Trinidad proved to be too fast and too busy for the Filipino challenger.

Immediately it was evident that the East L.A. featherweight was too quick and too busy for Plania who preferred a counter-puncher attack that never worked.

“He was strong,” said Trinidad. “He took everything.”

After 10 redundant rounds all three judges scored for Trinidad 100-90 twice and 99-91. He retains the WBC Continental Americas title.

Other Bouts

Ali Akhmedov (23-1, 17 KOs) blasted out Malcolm Jones (17-5-1) in less than two rounds. A dozen punches by Akhmedov forced referee Thomas Taylor to stop the super middleweight fight.

Iyana “Roxy” Verduzco (3-0) bloodied Lindsey Ellis in the first round and continued the speedy assault in the next two rounds. Referee Ray Corona saw enough and stopped the fight in favor of Verduzco at 1:34 of the third round.

Gloria Munguilla (7-1) and Brook Sibrian (5-2) lit up the boxing ring with a nonstop clash for eight rounds in their light flyweight fight. Munguilla proved effective with a slip-and-counter attack. Sibrian adjusted and made the fight closer in the last four rounds but all three judges favored Munguilla.

More Winners

Joshua Anton, Tayden Beltran, Adan Palma, and Alexander Gueche all won their bouts.

Photos credit: Al Applerose

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 309: 360 Promotions Opens with Trinidad, Mizuki and More

Published

2 days ago

January 16, 2025

David A. Avila

Avila Perspective, Chap. 309: 360 Promotions Opens with Trinidad, Mizuki and More

Best wishes to the survivors of the Los Angeles wildfires that took place last week and are still ongoing in small locales.

Most of the heavy damage took place in the western part of L.A. near the ocean due to Santa Ana winds. Another very hot spot was in Altadena just north of the Rose Bowl. It was a horrific tragedy.

Hopefully the worst is over.

Pro boxing returns with 360 Boxing Promotions spotlighting East L.A.’s Omar Trinidad (17-0-1, 13 KOs) defending a regional featherweight title against Mike Plania (31-4, 18 KOs) on Friday, Jan. 17, at the Commerce Casino in Commerce, Calif.

“I’m the king of L.A. boxing and I’ll be ready to put on a show headlining again in the main event. This is my year, I’m ready to challenge and defeat any of the featherweight world champions,” said Trinidad.

UFC Fight Pass will stream the Hollywood Night fight card that includes a female world championship fight and other intriguing match-ups.

Tom Loeffler heads 360 Promotions and once again comes full force with a hot prospect in Trinidad. If you’re not familiar with Loeffler’s history of success, he introduced America to Oleksandr Usyk, Gennady “GGG” Golovkin and the brothers Wladimir and Vitaly Kltischko.

“We’ve got a wealth of international talent and local favorites to kick off our 2025 in grand style,” said Loeffler.

He knows talent.

Trinidad hails from the Boyle Heights area of East L.A. near the Los Angeles riverbed. Several fighters from the past came from that exact area including the first Golden Boy, Art Aragon.

Aragon was a huge gate attraction during the late 1940s until 1960. He was known as a lady’s man and dated several Hollywood starlets in his time. Though he never won a world title he did fight world champions Carmen Basilio, Jimmy Carter and Lauro Salas. He was more or less the king of the Olympic Auditorium and Los Angeles boxing during his career.

Other famous boxers from the Boyle Heights area were notorious gangster Mickey Cohen and former world champion Joey Olivo.

Can Trinidad reach world title status?

Facing Trinidad will be Filipino fighter Plania who’s knocked off a couple of prospects during his career including Joshua “Don’t Blink” Greer and Giovanni Gutierrez. The fighter from General Santos in the Philippines can crack and hold his own in the boxing ring.

It’s a very strong fight card and includes WBO world titlist Mizuki Hiruta of Japan who defends the super flyweight title against Mexican veteran Maribel Ramirez. It’s a tough matchup for Hiruta who makes her American debut. You can’t miss her with that pink hair and she has all the physical tools to make a splash in this country.

Mizukii Hiruta

Two other female bouts are also planned, including light flyweight banger L.A.’s Gloria Munguilla (6-1) against Coachella’s Brook Sibrian (5-1) in a match set for six rounds. Both are talented fighters. Another female fight includes super featherweights Iyana “Right Hook Roxy” Verduzco (2-0) versus Lindsey Ellis (2-1) in another six-rounder. Ellis can crack with all her wins coming via knockout. Verduzco is a multi-national titlist as an amateur.

Others scheduled to perform are Ali Akhmedov, Joshua Anton, Adan Palma and more.

Doors open at 4:30 p.m.

Boxing and the Media

The sport of professional boxing is currently in flux. It’s always in flux but no matter what people may say or write, boxing will survive.

Whether you like Jake Paul or not, he proved boxing has worldwide appeal with monstrous success in his last show. He has media companies looking at the numbers and imagining what they can do with the sport.

Sure, UFC is negotiating a massive billion dollar deal with media companies, as is WWE, both are very similar in that they provide combat entertainment. You don’t need to know the champions because they really don’t matter. Its about the attractions.

Boxing is different. The good champions last and build a following that endures even beyond their careers a la Mike Tyson.

MMA can’t provide that longevity, but it does provide entertainment.

Currently, there is talk of establishing a boxing league again. It’s been done over and over but we shall see if it sticks this time.

Pro boxing is the true warrior’s path and that means a solo adventure. It’s a one-on-one sport and that appeals to people everywhere. It’s the oldest sport that can be traced to prehistoric times. You don’t need classes in Brazilian Jiujitsu, judo, kick boxing or wrestling. Just show up in a boxing gym and they can put you to work.

It’s a poor person’s path that can lead to better things and most importantly discipline.

Photos credit: Lina Baker

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Boxing Trainer Bob Santos Paid his Dues and is Reaping the Rewards

Published

3 days ago

January 15, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Boxing-Trainer-Bob-Santos-Paid-his-Dues-and-is-Reaping the Rewards

Bob Santos, the 2022 Sports Illustrated and The Ring magazine Trainer of the Year, is a busy fellow. On Feb. 1, fighters under his tutelage will open and close the show on the four-bout main portion of the Prime Video PPV event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Jeison Rosario continues his comeback in the lid-lifter, opposing Jesus Ramos. In the finale, former Cuban amateur standout David Morrell will attempt to saddle David Benavidez with his first defeat. Both combatants in the main event have been chasing 168-pound kingpin Canelo Alvarez, but this bout will be contested for a piece of the light heavyweight title.

When the show is over, Santos will barely have time to exhale. Before the month is over, one will likely find him working the corner of Dainier Pero, Brian Mendoza, Elijah Garcia, and perhaps others.

Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) turned 28 last month. He is in the prime of his career. However, a lot of folk rate Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) a very live dog. At last look, Benavidez was a consensus 7/4 (minus-175) favorite, a price that betokens a very competitive fight.

Bob Santos, needless to say, is confident that his guy can upset the odds. “I have worked with both,” he says. “It’s a tough fight for David Morrell, but he has more ways to victory because he’s less one-dimensional. He can go forward or fight going back and his foot speed is superior.”

Benavidez’s big edge, in the eyes of many, is his greater experience. He captured the vacant WBC 168-pound title at age 20, becoming the youngest super middleweight champion in history. As a pro, Benavidez has answered the bell for 148 rounds compared with only 54 for Morrell, but Bob Santos thinks this angle is largely irrelevant.

“Sure, I’d rather have pro experience than amateur experience,” he says, “but if you look at Benavidez’s record, he fought a lot of soft opponents when he was climbing the ladder.”

True. Benavidez, who turned pro at age 16, had his first seven fights in Mexico against a motley assortment of opponents. His first bout on U.S. soil occurred in his native Pheonix against an opponent with a 1-6-2 record.

While it’s certainly true that Morrell, 26, has yet to fight an opponent the caliber of Caleb Plant, he took up boxing at roughly the same tender age as Benavidez and earned his spurs in the vaunted Cuban amateur system, eventually defeating elite amateurs in international tournaments.

“If you look at his [pro] record, you will notice that [Morrell] has hardly lost a round,” says Santos of the fighter who captured an interim title in only his third professional bout with a 12-round decision over Guyanese veteran Lennox Allen.

Bob Santos is something of a late bloomer. He was around boxing for a long time, assisting such notables as Joe Goossen, Emanuel Steward, and Ronnie Shields before becoming recognized as one of the sport’s top trainers.

A native of San Jose, he grew up in a Hispanic neighborhood but not in a household where Spanish was spoken. “I know enough now to get by,” he says modestly. He attended James Lick High School whose most famous alumnus is Heisman winning and Super Bowl winning quarterback Jim Plunkett. “We worked in the same apricot orchard when we were kids,” says Santos. “Not at the same time, but in the same field.”

After graduation, he followed his father’s footsteps into construction work, but boxing was always beckoning. A cousin, the late Luis Molina, represented the U.S. as a lightweight in the 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, and was good enough as a pro to appear in a main event at Madison Square Garden where he lost a narrow decision to the notorious Puerto Rican hothead Frankie Narvaez, a future world title challenger.

Santos’ cousin was a big draw in San Jose in an era when the San Jose / Sacramento territory was the bailiwick of Don Chargin. “Don was a beautiful man and his wife Lorraine was even nicer,” says Santos of the husband/wife promotion team who are enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Don Chargin was inducted in 2001 and Lorraine posthumously in 2018.

Chargin promoted Fresno-based featherweight Hector Lizarraga who captured the IBF title in 1997. Lizarraga turned his career around after a 5-7-3 start when he hooked up with San Jose gym operator Miguel Jara. It was one of the most successful reclamation projects in boxing history and Bob Santos played a part in it.

Bob hopes to accomplish the same turnaround with Jeison Rosario whose career was on the skids when Santos got involved. In his most recent start, Rosario held heavily favored Jarrett Hurd to a draw in a battle between former IBF 154-pound champions on a ProBox card in Florida.

“I consider that one of my greatest achievements,” says Santos, noting that Rosario was stopped four times and effectively out of action for two years before resuming his career and is now on the cusp of earning another title shot.

The boxer with whom Santos is most closely identified is former four-division world title-holder Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero. The slick southpaw, the pride of Gilroy, California, the self-proclaimed “Garlic Capital of the World,” retired following a bad loss to Omar Figueroa Jr, but had second thoughts and is currently riding a six-fight winning streak. “I’ve known him since he was 15 years old,” notes Santos.

Years from now, Santos may be more closely identified with the Pero brothers, Dainier and Lenier, who aspire to be the Cuban-American version of the Klitschko brothers.

Santos describes Dainier, one of the youngest members of Cuba’s Olympic Team in Tokyo, as a bigger version of Oleksandr Usyk. That may be stretching it, but Dainier (10-0, 8 KOs as a pro), certainly hits harder.

Dainier Pero

This reporter was a fly on the wall as Santos put Dainier Pero through his paces on Tuesday (Jan. 14) at Bones Adams gym in Las Vegas. Santos held tight to a punch shield, in the boxing vernacular a donut, as the Cuban practiced his punches. On several occasions the trainer was knocked off-balance and the expression on his face as his body absorbed some of the after-shocks, plainly said, “My goodness, what the hell am I doing here? There has to be an easier way to make a living.” It was an assignment that Santos would have undoubtedly preferred handing off to his young assistant, his son Joe Santos, but Joe was preoccupied coordinating David Morrell’s camp.

Dainer’s brother Lenier is also an ex-Olympian, and like Dainier was a super heavyweight by trade as an amateur. With an 11-0 (8 KOs) record, Lenier Pero’s pro career was on a parallel path until stalled by a managerial dispute. Lenier last fought in March of last year and Santos says he will soon join his brother in Las Vegas.

There’s little to choose between the Pero brothers, but Dainier is considered to have the bigger upside because at age 25 he is the younger sibling by seven years.

Bob Santos was in the running again this year for The Ring magazine’s Trainer of the Year, one of six nominees for the honor that was bestowed upon his good friend Robert Garcia. Considering the way that Santos’ career is going, it’s a safe bet that he will be showered with many more accolades in the years to come.

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