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

Gabriela Fundora KOs Marilyn Badillo and Perez Upsets Conwell in Oceanside

Published

8 hours ago

April 20, 2025

David A. Avila

Gabriela-Fundora-KOs-Marilyn-Badillo-and-Perez-Upsets-Conwell-in-Oceanside

It was just a numbers game for Gabriela Fundora and despite Mexico’s Marilyn Badillo’s elusive tactics it took the champion one punch to end the fight and retain her undisputed flyweight world title by knockout on Saturday.

Will it be her last flyweight defense?

Though Fundora (16-0, 8 KOs) fired dozens of misses, a single punch found Badillo (19-1-1, 3 KOs) and ended her undefeated career and first attempt at a world title at the Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, California.

Fundora, however, proves unbeatable at flyweight.

The champion entered the arena as the headliner for the Golden Boy Promotion show and stepped through the ropes with every physical advantage possible, including power.

Mexico’s Badillo was a midget compared to Fundora but proved to be as elusive as a butterfly in a menagerie for the first six rounds. As the six-inch taller Fundora connected on one punch for every dozen thrown, that single punch was a deadly reminder.

Badillo tried ducking low and slipping to the left while countering with slashing uppercuts, she found little success. She did find the body a solid target but the blows proved to be useless. And when Badillo clinched, that proved more erroneous as Fundora belted her rapidly during the tie-ups.

“She was kind of doing her ducking thing,” said Fundora describing Badillo’s defensive tactics. “I just put the pressure on. It was just like a train. We didn’t give her that break.”

The Mexican fighter tried valiantly with various maneuvers. None proved even slightly successful. Fundora remained poised and under control as she stalked the challenger.

In the seventh round Badillo seemed to take a stand and try to slug it out with Fundora. She quickly was lit up by rapid left crosses and down she went at 1:44 of the seventh round. The Mexican fighter’s corner wisely waved off the fight and referee Rudy Barragan stopped the fight and held the dazed Badillo upright.

Once again Fundora remained champion by knockout. The only question now is will she move up to super flyweight or bantamweight to challenge the bigger girls.

Perez Beats Conwell.

Mexico’s Jorge “Chino” Perez (33-4, 26 KOs) upset Charles Conwell (21-1, 15 KOs) to win by split decision after 12 rounds in their super welterweight showdown.

It was a match that paired two hard-hitting fighters whose ledgers brimmed with knockouts, but neither was able to score a knockdown against each other.

Neither fighter moved backward. It was full steam ahead with Conwell proving successful to the body and head with left hooks and Perez connecting with rights to the head and body. It was difficult to differentiate the winner.

Though Conwell seemed to be the superior defensive fighter and more accurate, two judges preferred Perez’s busier style. They gave the fight to Perez by 115-113 scores with the dissenter favoring Conwell by the same margin.

It was Conwell’s first pro loss. Maybe it will open doors for more opportunities.

Other Bouts

Tristan Kalkreuth (15-1) managed to pass a serious heat check by unanimous decision against former contender Felix Valera (24-8) after a 10-round back-and-forth heavyweight fight.

It was very close.

Kalkreuth is one of those fighters that possess all the physical tools including youth and size but never seems to be able to show it. Once again he edged past another foe but at least this time he faced an experienced fighter in Valera.

Valera had his moments especially in the middle of the 10-round fight but slowed down during the last three rounds.

One major asset for Kalkreuth was his chin. He got caught but still motored past the clever Valera. After 10 rounds two judges saw it 99-91 and one other judge 97-93 all for Kalkreuth.

Highly-rated prospect Ruslan Abdullaev (2-0) blasted past dangerous Jino Rodrigo (13- 5-2) in an eight round super lightweight fight. He nearly stopped the very tough Rodrigo in the last two rounds and won by unanimous decision.

Abdullaev is trained by Joel and Antonio Diaz in Indio.

Bakersfield prospect Joel Iriarte (7-0, 7 KOs) needed only 1:44 to knock out Puerto Rico’s Marcos Jimenez (25-12) in a welterweight bout.

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‘Krusher’ Kovalev Exits on a Winning Note: TKOs Artur Mann in his ‘Farewell Fight’

Published

1 day ago

April 19, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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At his peak, former three-time world light heavyweight champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev ranked high on everyone’s pound-for-pound list. Now 42 years old – he turned 42 earlier this month – Kovalev has been largely inactive in recent years, but last night he returned to the ring in his hometown of Chelyabinsk, Russia, and rose to the occasion in what was billed as his farewell fight, stopping Artur Mann in the seventh frame.

Kovalev hit his peak during his first run as a world title-holder. He was 30-0-1 (26 KOs) entering first match with Andre Ward, a mark that included a 9-0 mark in world title fights. The only blemish on his record was a draw that could have been ruled a no-contest (journeyman Grover Young was unfit to continue after Kovalev knocked down in the second round what with was deemed an illegal rabbit punch). Among those nine wins were two stoppages of dangerous Haitian-Canadian campaigner Jean Pascal and a 12-round shutout over Bernard Hopkins.

Kovalev’s stature was not diminished by his loss to the undefeated Ward. All three judges had it 114-113, but the general feeling among the ringside press was that Sergey nicked it.

The rematch was also somewhat controversial. Referee Tony Weeks, who halted the match in the eighth stanza with Kovalev sitting on the lower strand of ropes, was accused of letting Ward get away with a series of low blows, including the first punch of a three-punch series of body shots that culminated in the stoppage. Sergey was wobbled by a punch to the head earlier in the round and was showing signs of fatigue, but he was still in the fight. Respected judge Steve Weisfeld had him up by three points through the completed rounds.

Sergey Kovalev was never the same after his second loss to Andre Ward, albeit he recaptured a piece of the 175-pound title twice, demolishing Vyacheslav Shabranskyy for the vacant WBO belt after Ward announced his retirement and then avenging a loss to Eleider Alvarez (TKO by 7) with a comprehensive win on points in their rematch.

Kovalev’s days as a title-holder ended on Nov. 2, 2019 when Canelo Alvarez, moving up two weight classes to pursue a title in a fourth weight division, stopped him in the 11^th round, terminating what had been a relatively even fight with a hellacious left-right combination that left Krusher so discombobulated that a count was superfluous.

That fight went head-to-head with a UFC fight in New York City. DAZN, to their everlasting discredit, opted to delay the start of Canelo-Kovalev until the main event of the UFC fight was finished. The delay lasted more than an hour and Kovalev would say that he lost his psychological edge during the wait.

Kovalev had two fights in the cruiserweight class between his setback to Canelo and last night’s presumptive swan song. He outpointed Tervel Pulev in Los Angeles and lost a 10-round decision to unheralded Robin Sirwan Safar in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Artur Mann, a former world title challenger – he was stopped in three rounds by Mairis Briedis in 2021 when Briedis was recognized as the top cruiserweight in the world – was unexceptional, but the 34-year-old German, born in Kazakhstan, wasn’t chopped liver either, and Kovalev’s stoppage of him will redound well to the Russian when he becomes eligible for the Boxing Hall of Fame.

Krusher almost ended the fight in the second round. He knocked Mann down hard with a short left hand and seemingly scored another knockdown before the round was over (but it was ruled a slip). Mann barely survived the round.

In the next round, a punch left Mann with a bad cut on his right eyelid, but the German came to fight and rounds three, four and five were competitive.

Kovalev had a good sixth round although there were indications that he was tiring. But in the seventh he got a second wind and unleashed a right-left combination that rolled back the clock to the days when he was one of the sport’s most feared punchers. Mann went down hard and as he staggered to his feet, his corner signaled that the fight should be stopped and the referee complied. The official time was 0:49 of round seven. It was the 30^th KO for Kovalev who advanced his record to 36-5-1.

Addendum: History informs us that Farewell Fights have a habit of becoming redundant, by which we mean that boxers often get the itch to fight again after calling it quits. Have we seen the last of Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev? We woudn’t bet on it.

The complete Kovalev-Mann fight card was live-streamed on the Boxing News youtube channel.

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 322: Super Welterweight Week in SoCal

Published

2 days ago

April 18, 2025

David A. Avila

Avila-Perspective-Chap-322-Super-Welterweight-Week-in-SoCal

Two below-the-radar super welterweight stars show off their skills this weekend from different parts of Southern California.

One in particular, Charles Conwell, co-headlines a show in Oceanside against a hard-hitting Mexican while another super welter star Sadriddin Akhmedov faces another Mexican hitter in Commerce.

Take your pick.

The super welterweight division is loaded with talent at the moment. If Terence Crawford remained in the division he would be at the top of the class, but he is moving up several weight divisions.

Conwell (21-0, 16 KOs) faces Jorge Garcia Perez (32-4, 26 KOs) a tall knockout puncher from Los Mochis at the Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, Calif. on Saturday April 19. DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card that also features undisputed flyweight champion Gabriela Fundora. We’ll get to her later.

Conwell might be the best super welterweight out there aside from the big dogs like Vergil Ortiz, Serhii Bohachuk and Sebastian Fundora.

If you are not familiar with Conwell he comes from Cleveland, Ohio and is one of those fighters that other fighters know about. He is good.

He has the James “Lights Out” Toney kind of in-your-face-style where he anchors down and slowly deciphers the opponent’s tools and then takes them away piece by piece. Usually it’s systematic destruction. The kind you see when a skyscraper goes down floor by floor until it’s smoking rubble.

During the Covid days Conwell fought two highly touted undefeated super welters in Wendy Toussaint and Madiyar Ashkeyev. He stopped them both and suddenly was the boogie man of the super welterweight division.

Conwell will be facing Mexico’s taller Garcia who likes to trade blows as most Mexican fighters prefer, especially those from Sinaloa. These guys will be firing H bombs early.

Fundora

Co-headlining the Golden Boy card is Gabriela Fundora (15-0, 7 KOs) the undisputed flyweight champion of the world. She has all the belts and Mexico’s Marilyn Badillo (19-0-1, 3 KOs) wants them.

Gabriela Fundora is the sister of Sebastian Fundora who holds the men’s WBC and WBO super welterweight world titles. Both are tall southpaws with power in each hand to protect the belts they accumulated.

Six months ago, Fundora met Argentina’s Gabriela Alaniz in Las Vegas to determine the undisputed flyweight champion. The much shorter Alaniz tried valiantly to scrap with Fundora and ran into a couple of rocket left hands.

Mexico’s Badillo is an undefeated flyweight from Mexico City who has battled against fellow Mexicans for years. She has fought one world champion in Asley Gonzalez the current super flyweight world titlist. They met years ago with Badillo coming out on top.

Does Badillo have the skill to deal with the taller and hard-hitting Fundora?

When a fighter has a six-inch height advantage like Fundora, it is almost impossible to out-maneuver especially in two-minute rounds. Ask Alaniz who was nearly decapitated when she tried.

This will be Badillo’s first pro fight outside of Mexico.

Commerce Casino

Kazakhstan’s Sadriddin Akhmedov (15-0, 13 KOs) is another dangerous punching super welterweight headlining a 360 Promotions card against Mexico’s Elias Espadas (23-6, 16 KOs) on Saturday at the Commerce Casino.

UFC Fight Pass will stream the 360 Promotions card of about eight bouts.

Akhmedov is another Kazakh puncher similar to the great Gennady “GGG” Golovkin who terrorized the middleweight division for a decade. He doesn’t have the same polish or dexterity but doesn’t lack pure punching power.

It’s another test for the super welterweight who is looking to move up the ladder in the very crowded 154-pound weight division. 360 Promotions already has a top contender in Ukraine’s Serhii Bohachuk who nearly defeated Vergil Ortiz a year ago.

Could Bohachuk and Akhmedov fight each other if nothing else materializes?

That’s a question for another day.

Fights to Watch

Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Charles Conwell (21-0, 16 KOs) vs. Jorge Garcia Perez (32-4, 26 KOs); Gabriela Fundora (15-0) vs Marilyn Badillo (19-0-1).

Sat. UFC Fight Pass 6 p.m. Sadriddin Akhmedov (15-0) vs Elias Espadas (23-6).

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