Argentinian slugger Lucas “La Maquina” Matthysse (37-4, 34 KOs) makes his highly anticipated return taking on Emmanuel “Tranzformer” Taylor (20-4, 14 KOs) on the televised undercard of Canelo Álvarez vs. Julio César Chávez, Jr. mega-fight on Cinco De Mayo weekend.
The event will take place Saturday, May 6 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m PT.
The fan-friendly Matthysee, who has engaged in multiple fight of the year candidates, will move up to welterweight for the first time and look to make a run at championship gold.
“I’m very happy to return to the ring and especially on such an important show such as Canelo vs. Chavez Jr. on May 6 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas,” said Lucas Matthysse. “I’ve always brought great fights to demanding fans, and this one against Emmanuel Taylor will not be the exception.”
Matthysse has defeated a who’s who of contenders during his career including Lamont “Havoc” Peterson, John Molina, Jr., Humberto “La Zorrita” Soto and Ruslan “The Siberian Rocky” Provodnikov.
In Taylor, Matthysse will face a resurgent contender coming off back-to-back knockouts and who has gone toe-to-toe with the likes of Adrien “The Problem” Broner, Chris Algieri and Karim “Hard Hitta” Mayfield, defeating the latter by unanimous decision.
“I feel that I am really blessed to have this opportunity to once again fight on such a big stage,” said Taylor. “Matthysse is a very tough fighter but I am sure I’ll beat him. This is a great opportunity for me and my family and it’s been a long time coming. I have to thank God for this one, my charm city team and my promoter Joe DeGuardia and Star Boxing, D&D Management and Club 57 management for believing in me. I’m ready to get things going and l will definitely be ready on May 6.”
“No one in the sport of boxing brings it harder than Lucas Matthysse, and we’re truly excited to have him back in the ring,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “Lucas truly was a machine in the super lightweight division, and we expect him to do similar damage in the field of welterweights.”
“I can’t wait to see Emanuel Taylor fight Lucas Matthysse on May 6th,” said Joe DeGuardia, President and CEO of Star Boxing. “I’m thrilled it will be on such a special night when boxing’s star Canelo Álvarez fights Julio César Chávez,Jr. It’s a huge opportunity for Emanuel who has matured and is ready to make his mark on May 6th. I’m very excited to be part of this promotion with my friends at Golden Boy and I expect nothing short of a spirited performance from Emanuel and an exhilarating boxing event on May 6th.
The remainder of the televised pay-per-view undercard will be announced shortly.
