As many fight fans already know, one of the most exciting fighters in the sport of boxing Lucas Matthysse (35-3, 33 KO’s) will be making his return to the ring on September 6th against Roberto Ortiz (31-0 1, 24 KO’s). The bout will serve as a co-feature to Broner vs. Taylor and will be televised live on Showtime.
I have to admit, when this fight between Matthysse and Ortiz was first announced I was disappointed, mainly because Matthysse wasn’t in with a “name” fighter in a division with so many of them. After watching a few fights of Ortiz’s, I changed my opinion about this match-up, and I am extremely excited to watch it.
Ortiz stands at 5’9 in height with a 69 ½ inch reach. He is an aggressive offensively minded fighter who likes to come forward and bang. He has decent punching power and does work off a jab. Ortiz is currently ranked number five in the WBC Jr. Welterweight rankings and is the reigning WBC Silver Jr. welterweight champion. However, it must be noted that all of his fights have taken place in Mexico and he hasn’t fought any A or B level opposition thus far into his career. Ortiz has also suffered knock down’s in the past from fighters much less of Matthysse’s caliber.
Lucas Matthysse on the other hand is mostly known for his great punching power and aggressive style but he’s also a skilled fighter at the same time. He applies pressure very well and cuts the ring off effectively. He also has a good jab and possesses equal power in both hands. Matthysse has decent hand speed and a good boxing mind and tons of world class experience. He holds wins over the likes of Mike Dallas, Humberto Soto and Lamont Peterson. Matthysse is also currently ranked at #2 in the world by the WBC behind Viktor Postol. He is the favorite to win this fight and rightly so. In many ways, Matthysse can be looked at as the better version of Roberto Ortiz. However, the styles of these two fighters guarantee an exciting fight and that is what matters most too many fight fans.
