HINDI itinatago ni WBA welterweight champion Lucas Matthysse at ng kanyang trainer na si Joel Diaz ang ambisyong patulugin si eight-division titlist Manny Pacquiao sa kanyang unang depensa sa Linggo sa Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sinabi ni Diaz kamakailan na kailangan lamang ang tamang tiyempo para magaya ni Matthysse si Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez na pinatulog sa pamamagitan ng isang malakas na bigwas ng kanan kay Pacquiao noong Disyembre 8, 2012 sa Las Vegas, Nevada.

“I can tell you one thing, I’ve trained a lot of fighters in the past, all I know about Matthysse is that he has a devastating punch with both hands,” sabi ng Mexican American na trainer sa media conference para sa promosyon ng laban sa Kuala Lumpur.

“He has so much power in his punches that if he hits you with a left, he hits you with a right, he hurts you.”

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Hindi rin naniniwala si Diaz na magwawagi sa puntos si Matthysse kaya kailangang patulugin ng Argentinian si Pacquiao.

“That’s why I’m so confident that sooner or later, Pacquiao has to exchange with Lucas, and if he catches him with either hand, it’ll hurt!” diin ni Diaz. “We’re gonna win, and in order to win, we have to be very clear with a win. Not only win, we have to do it convincingly. If we have to go to the judges, we have to convince the judges, but with the volume of punches that Pacquiao throws, it’s hard to win a decision.”

Ngunit, mabilis ang mga kamao ni Pacquiao kaya kailangang makipagsabayan ni Matthysse sa Pinoy boxing icon.

“Pacquiao has fast hands and he has speed. Lucas has the power, speed against power. They’re gonna have to battle it out,” dagdag ni Diaz.

“I feel 100 percent sure that I will succeed in this fight. I trained very hard to defend my title in Malaysia. I’ve already gotten used to the weather and time here. I’m in great condition, and I promise a great performance to the entire world,” giit ni Matthysse sa laban. “I thank Golden Boy Promotions, Arano Box and everyone involved in the promotion. This will be a first-class combat in which I promise a spectacular victory.”