Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao floored Lucas Matthysse three times en route to a 7th round TKO win during their WBA Welterweight title battle held Sunday morning in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
It was a typical probing first three minutes of the bout for both boxers with Pacquiao connecting a few but clean left straights and right hooks to Matthysse’s body to claim the opening round.
“After the first round, I knew I had the upperhand because I allowed him to connect some blows and let him know he can’t hurt me,” said Pacquiao during the post fight presser.
True enough, Pacquiao started to dominate the match as soon as he floored Matthysse with a well-timed left uppercut to the Argentinean’s face in the third round.
Matthysse got up from the canvass but the look on his face made it clear who the boss was in their battle.
In the fifth round, a powerful right hook to the temple sent the Argentinian down on his knee, a moment that signalled the start of Matthysse’s end.
The bout ended when Pacquiao dropped Matthysse for the third time in round seven with a left uppercut. Time was 2:43. It was Pacquiao’s first knockout since 2009, a win that gave him the WBA Welterweight crown.
The win improved the 39-year-old Pacquiao’s record to 60-7-2 with 39 knockouts while Matthysse, 35, dropped to 39-5, 36 KOs.
