Lucas Matthysse faces uncertainty against unknown Tewa Kiram
Lucas Matthysse tries to climb back to the top of the welterweight division against obscure opponent Tewa Kiram.
Lucas Matthysse is more of a brawler than a boxer, but he’s made a career brawling. Arguably, he has the strongest punch in the welterweight division. Unfortunately, brawlers often lose against boxers.
IQ tends to surpass brawn in the boxing ring, and Matthysse’s career supports this statement. Throughout the course of his career, Matthysse has decision losses to Zab Judah, Devon Alexander and Danny Garcia. His deficit in boxing skill cost him these fights.
Matthysse’s boxing journey also contains some anomalies. In 2013, he destroyed Lamont Peterson in three rounds. Peterson was a better boxer, but Matthysse’s power is so special that it is lethal if it lands.
Matthysse’s worst performances have come when fighting an opponent with superior boxing skills and solid power. Danny Garcia has above-average power, but he’s not considered to be a vicious KO puncher. He badly beat up Matthysse when they fought and broke him down over the course of their matchup.
In 2015, Viktor Postol dominated Matthysse, knocking him out in 10. Postol only has a 40 percent KO rating and he was able to stop Matthysse. Matthysse might have just had a bad night, or his skills could be deteriorating.
Matthysse has nearly 14 years of professional boxing experience. He’s taken a lot of punishment in that time, and he’s 35 years old. His time in boxing is running out, yet on Saturday, Jan. 27, he has another chance at becoming a world champion. His opponent is little-known Tewa Kiram.
Kiram is so unfamiliar that Boxrec.com, which is known as “boxing’s official record keeper,” doesn’t have his height or reach listed. These are common stats that are on file for most boxers. He’s 38-0, with 28 KOs, but his physical stats are not on record. That’s strange.
Even stranger is that Boxrec.com has him rated as the 66th best welterweight, and he is fighting for the WBA welterweight title. Their rankings aren’t official but are highly respected. Kiram is a wild card. He looks good on paper but hasn’t accomplished enough to earn a title shot.
Kiram symbolizes a major problem within boxing. He received a title shot to give Matthysse the easiest path to a world title. Matthysse has a strong fan following, and he’s an action fighter. People pay to see him fight, but he’s nearly two years removed from a notable victory.
Kiram has no notable victories. All of his fights have been in Thailand except for one which was in Laos. The best case scenario is that he is a diamond in the rough, and this fight acts as his coming out party.
Kiram looks solid on video, but that’s against weak opposition. He has subtle head movement and a thick lower body. He has some skills. Kiram acted as Manny Pacquiao’s sparring partner on several occasions, which gives him a bit more credibility.
He displays average hand speed, but his straight right hand has legitimate knockout power. He’s an unknown quantity which is dangerous for someone like Matthysse — an aging boxer with a diminished chin. If he wins then great. He’s supposed to.
Next: Spence torture Peterson with round 8 TKO
But if Matthysse losses this fight, then he should highly consider retirement. If he loses to Kiram then he stands no chance against the top five boxers in the welterweight division. His best days are behind him, but he has at least one more chance of regaining championship glory — although that glory would be tarnished and manufactured by the WBA.