In one of the most exciting fights of the year, Argentinean welterweight Sebastian Lujan (28-5-2, 20 KOs) knocked out Walter Matthysse (26-3, 25 KOs) in the fifth round on Friday night at the Club Atletico Newell’s Old Boys, Rosario, in Santa Fe, Argentina. Both fighters were knocked down in the fight with Lujan going down in the 1st and Matthysse knocked down in the 4th and 5th round. Lujan, 26, nailed Matthysse with two left hooks in the 5th, sending him to the canvas out cold.
The referee stood over Matthysse and counted him out, even though he was unconscious. This was the second consecutive fight that Matthysse was knocked completely out, as he was knocked out in the 2nd round of his most recent bout with Kermit Cintron on July 14th. Matthysse’s management did him no favors to match him up so tough coming so soon after a devastating knockout in his last fight.
In the first round, both Lujan and Matthysse went at it toe-to-toe in the center of the ring. Lujan’s wide hooks were finding there mark repeatedly, as Matthysse had almost zero defense. However, suddenly Matthysse landed two perfect left hooks that dropped Lujan to the canvas. He quickly got up but he was still feeling the effects of the knockdown for a good while later. For the remainder of the round, Matthysse continued to pour on non-stop punches, hitting Lujan with hooks and staggering him badly. However, the referee was content to let the fight continue on even though Lujan was taking severe punishment.
In the 2nd round, Lujan came on fiercely at the start of the round, landing a huge storm of punches to the head of Matthysse, backing up to the ropes. However, Matthysse weathered the storm and was able to fight back, but he wasn’t as effective as the earlier rounds, possibly due to the massive amounts of shots he’d been hit with at the start of the 2nd. Both fighters took turns trapping each other against the ropes and landing massive shots. Lujan finished the round strong with several powerful hooks.
In the fourth round, Lujan again came out very strong, throwing a flurry of punches that connected well. A short time later, Matthysse dropped to the canvas without any noticeable punch landing. It looked as if he slipped, because was very fatigued by then. However, the referee ruled it as a knockdown. This seemed to encourage Lujan, who went after Matthysse trying to score a knockout. However, Matthysse fought back well and finished the round strong.
In the fifth round, Lujan came out strong with another huge flurry of shots, snapping Matthysse’s head back a number of times with powerful hooks. Matthysse returned fire, landing two powerful body shots. Lujan, now near the ropes, ripped off a right-left followed by another right hand that knocked Matthysse down to the canvas. He laid there, not moving at all, as the referee quickly counted him out.