"He has not yet faced the machine", explains Matthysse about Pacquiao

"He is a great champion but he has not yet faced the machine," said Lucas Matthysse, world boxing champion of the World Boxing Association (WBA), on Thursday about Filipino Manny Pacquiao. He defies Sunday in Kuala Lumpur in an expected fight.

"If he decides to withdraw after having beaten, it will be his decision, but I am here to defend my title," added the Argentine at a conference Press. Pacquiao, who turns 40 in December, has not been in the ring since he lost points with Australian Jeff Horn for the welterweight World Boxing Organization (WBO) belt on 2 July 2017. The only boxer in history to have had world titles in eight different weight classes.

The Nocaut specialist, Matthysse (39 wins, 36 by KO, and four losses) was hooked to the belt of the world champion. welterweight by the WBA in January after defeating Thailand's Teerachai Sithmorseng.

It is after seeing this fight that Pacquiao decided that he wanted to confront him. "I think both of us in the ring can make a good fight and the fans will like it," said the Filipino legend.

But the Pacquiao team is aware of the difficulty of the fight. "This guy, Matthysse, is much better than Jeff Horn and he is hitting a lot harder," AFP Justin Fortune, a physical trainer for the Filipinos, former heavyweight who fought Lennox Lewis

told AFP. "But we are waiting for the same style as before Horn," he added, adding that US referee Kenny Bayless will ensure that Matthysse does not commit an offense.

"He is a very fair referee and is not going to" The Argentine coach, Joel Diaz, warns against his intentions: "We needed 14 years of hard work for Lucas to become a champion. He came here to give up his belt. "

" We have everything prepared, Lucas Matthysse is not there for a check, he is there to give the title to his people, "he added on the boxer, whose last defeat against the Ukrainian Viktor Postol by the superligeros of the World Boxing Council (CMB) in October 2015.

The Kuala Lumpur match against Matthysse will be the first in 15 years when Pacquiao will be not accompanied by his perpetual trainer, the American Freddie Roach.

2016, Pacquiao, a national hero in the Philippines, retired the same year, but returned a few months later. In November 2016, he won the WBO welterweight title, which he then lost against Horn.

After 23 years of racing, he declares in May his performance on Sunday, in which he will seek the 60th victory of his career, will serve to make a decision about a possible withdrawal.