By Dan Ambrose: 33-year-old former light welterweight title challenger Lucas Matthysse (37-4, 34 KOs) could be moving up to welterweight (147) for his next fight in the spring.
Matthysse had been thinking about making the move in 2016 anyway, but a loss to Viktor Postol last October may be the factor that is quickening his move up in weight. Matthysse was stopped in the 10th round by the taller 5’11” Postol.
If Matthysse were to stay at 140, he’d likely be in a bad position because two of the champions being very good ones in Postol and Terence Crawford. If Matthysse moves up in weight to welterweight, he could have a chance of finding success in that division against some of the top fighters. The paydays would likely be better for Matthysse at welterweight as well, because that is where the biggest names are now.
“We have a few days to evaluate the situation with the whole team and with Golden Boy Promotions, but we’re considering the possibility of Lucas reemerging as a welterweight,” said Matthysse’s handler Mario Arano via ringtv.com. “The boxing market is betting heavily on the 147 pound division and Matthysse could have big opportunities in that division.”
One limiting factor that could hurt Matthysse’s chances for success in the welterweight division is his height. He’s only 5’6 1/2″, and he would be facing a lot of taller fighters in some cases. However, WBO welterweight champion Tim Bradley is only 5’6″, and he’s holding down the WBO 147lb strap. But it’s an ideal situation for Bradley, because he’s with Top Rank and he’s not had to fight any of the taller fighters or the vicious punchers since he won the WBO title.
Matthysse likely would need to go through someone like Kell Brook or Danny Garcia for him to have a chance of winning a world title. I can’t see him getting a fight against Keith Thurman, because he’s with Al Haymon. Bradley’s promoters at Top Rank might not be in a hurry to let the Golden Boy promoted Matthysse get a crack at him.
Matthysse has done well through most of his career. He’s had problems when he’s stepped up against Danny Garcia and Postol. In both of those fights, Matthysse suffered eye injuries that led to him losing. He quit in the 10th round against Postol after suffering an eye injury. In the Garcia fight, Matthysse stopped being effective when left eye was injured in the 6th round.
Matthysse will soon by turning 34, and he’s got to speed up his career if he wants to win a world title and make the big money. It’s too bad that he can’t get someone like Amir Khan to fight him right now, because that would be an ideal fight for him to take. Brook would be a great fight as well, but he’s managed carefully by his promoter Eddie Hearn, who has been setting him up with mostly mismatches since he started promoting him five years ago. It’s not likely that Hearn is going to let a potentially dangerous fighter like Matthysse fight Brook and mess up the good thing that they have right now.
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