SPORTS ROUNDUP 8: MATTHYSSE'S DEFECTIVE EYE AND PACQUIAO'S INJURED SHOULDER
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 14 Jul 2018
According to boxing analyst Atty. Ed Tolentino the right hand of Lucas Matthysse is the counter for the southpaws. This is responsible for his 36 knockouts in 39 fights won. But Matthysee has a problem with his speed. He is not a regular welterweight and he had a defective right eye.
Matthysse went inactive for a year-and-a-half after undergoing eye surgery after his loss to Viktor Postol in 2015. He suffered a broken orbital bone/eye injury when he took a lot of punishment in that fight. Matthysse said his orbital bone and eye have healed well and that he is back 100 percent and excited to show the fans that he is back in good form.
Matthysse has since fought and won over Emmanuel Taylor and Tewa Kiram both by knockout.
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Manny Pacquiao has rested for more than a year after his last fight which is a controversial unanimous decision loss to Jeff Horn. His problem is how to delay his deterioration in skills because of the wear and tear of several years of boxing.
According to Oscar de la Hoya's predictions, Pacquiao wins by decision but if its Matthysse who's going to win it will be by knockout.
It will be the first time in 16 years that Pacquiao will be fighting without head coach Freddie Roach, who helped made him what he is now.
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According to Roach as reported by Boxing Scene, Pacquiao is still suffering from the same shoulder injury that he endured during his mega million dollar fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Pacquiao underwent surgery after his defeat to Mayweather, but the Filipino boxing icon did not heed his doctor's order for the rehabilitation of his shoulder. Pacquiao would just pray and use ocean water as his preferred natural healing method, says Roach.
He is worried because the eight division world champion will fight a risky opponent with knockout power in both hands.
?I think and hope that Manny wins,? Roach said to the Los Angeles Times. ?But Manny has a bad shoulder. The rehab on that shoulder was done by praying and swimming in the ocean."
?The ocean has healing properties, so I liked the ocean more than the praying, but when you?re telling [Pacquiao surgeon Neal] El-Attrache that the rehab is sea water and praying, he would frown. So, to me, that shoulder is still a dangerous thing, when you?re conditioning by putting pressure on the upper body," says Roach.
In an interview with Philippine Star?s Quinito Henson, Pacquiao declared that he has fully recovered from a torn rotator cuff that he suffered during the showdown with Mayweather Jr. three years ago.
?I?m fine. It?s God?s work. I never saw a doctor. I never did rehab. All I did was to swim in the sea as often as I could. The salt water healed my wound,? Pacquiao said.
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Boxing fans in the U.S. will need to rely on live-streaming if they want to watch Pacquiao vs. Matthysse to be fought in Kuala Lumpur this Saturday (Sunday in the Philippines). It will be shown exclusively on ESPN's new streaming service ESPN+.
"I am very happy that all of my fans in America will have a chance to watch my next fight on ESPN+, and I am looking forward to putting on a show," Pacquiao was quoted by Top Rank Media. "Matthysse is a great opponent. I am training with all of my heart because I want to be champion again."
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Edson Arantes do Nascimento, born October 23, 1940, popularly known as Pel? is a Brazilian retired professional football player who played as a forward. He is regarded by many as the greatest football player of all time. In 1999, he was voted World Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS), and was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the Century award.
That same year, Pel? was elected Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee. According to the IFFHS, Pel? is the most successful league scorer in the world, scoring 1281 goals in 1363 games, which included unofficial friendly matches and tour games. Pel? was once the best-paid athlete in the world.
Pel? began playing for his club Santos at age 15 and the Brazil national team at 16. He won three FIFA World Cups: 1958, 1962 and 1970, the only football player ever to achieve it. Pel? is the all-time leading scorer for Brazil with 77 goals in 92 games. At club level he is the record scorer for Santos, and led them to the 1962 and 1963 Copa Libertadores.
Pel? and his teams toured around the world to take advantage of his popularity. Since retiring in 1977, Pel? became a world ambassador for football and has made several movies and commercial endorsements.
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Serena Williams will face Germany's Angelique Kerber for her eighth Wimbledon singles title after both ladies singles players won their respective semi-finals in straight sets. The American who was a former world number one player defeated Germany's Julia Gorges 6-2 6-4, while Kerber beat Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko 6-3 6-3.
Saturday's final will be a rematch of their 2016 showdown, which Williams won. Williams will be aiming for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title held by Australian Margaret Court and her first since giving birth to a child in September.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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