In boxing, fighters of all calibers at one point have faced adversity in their fights. Being hit with punches they never thought they’d get caught with. Dropped on the canvas and having to pull yourself together and get back up, to taking a loss for the first time and dealing with the emotion that follows.
Some guys don’t handle it well, it damages them, changes the outlook of their careers and leaves them to be a memory of what they once were. This is boxing though, and it has proven that almost anything can happen in the squared circle.
Lucas Matthysse’s fight with Ruslan Provodnikov is right around the corner, and for the 2nd time in a year’s time, he’s facing a power punching monster that can change this fight in seconds with just one punch. Matthyse, last year in April faced Jr welterweight contender John Molina Jr.
Some speculated that Matthysse would steam roll through Molina and make easy pickings of him. Others thought that the loss to Danny Garcia seven months prior might have dropped his confidence, but the only things that were dropped were the fighters that night.
Molina and Matthysse exchanged in a bloody brawl that saw both men hit the canvas a total of 5 times together. Surprisingly, Matthysse was the first to go as Molina landed a right hand that put Matthysse down. Some were in awe as they’ve never seen the Argentine slugger on the canvas, shaken up.
Most were so used to seeing Lucas bang away on his opponents, but he got back up only to go down again later in the fight.
By now, some were questioning Matthysse, even though he was putting up a fight, seeing him eat these kinds of power punches was something totally new to fans. Lucas proved otherwise though, facing adversity, pulling himself together and stopping Molina in 11 rounds after dropping him twice himself.
Now, a year later, some are questioning how Matthysse will fare against yet another monstrous puncher in Ruslan Provodnikov. He [Provodnikov] is well known for his intense punching power, recording knockdowns in his last four fights since he came on the scene facing Tim Bradley back in 2013.
Matthysse seems to have the answers to those questioning if he can hold his own against a guy with just as much, if not more power than him.
“I’m not going to get dropped with Ruslan. So, you don’t have to worry about that. I’m not going to get dropped. But when Molina dropped me if you didn’t know the punch was a little bit behind my head. I’m not making excuses, but I’m not going to get dropped. I’m not going to get dropped with Ruslan, and that’s not what I’m thinking about.”
