Analyst points out one Matthysse weakness that Pacquiao can zero in on

On Sunday, Manny Pacquiao will be climbing the boxing ring for the first time since he lost a highly disputed decision to Australia’s Jeff Horn more than a year ago.

This time, he will challenge a champion in Lucas Matthysse, a heavy-handed Argentinean slugger who has been into brutal wars just like him.

So what should fans expect from Pacquiao and Matthysse?

“We are going to see two fighters whose skills have diminished through time, but an exciting fight is still in store because what the boxers have left in their arsenals appear enough to produce fireworks in the ring,” said fight analyst Ed Tolentino.

Tolentino said it would be interesting to see how Pacquiao, 39 would handle someone like Matthysse, 4 years his junior.

• READ: Rage against 'The Machine': Pacquiao puts career on line

He noted that Matthysse’s brawling style could perfectly play into the hands of Pacquiao, if he were 10 years younger.

“Yes, the style is tailor-made for Manny, and a younger Pacquiao would have easily handled it. But Pacquiao, at 39, is slower to react and the legs tend to be stationary now. So Matthysse can reach Pacquiao now,” he said.

Even so, he said Pacquiao still has superior hand speed than most boxers.

Adding spice to the bout, which will take place at Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, is the fact that both fighters have reputations to take care of.

• Dissecting Data: Pacquiao takes on Matthysse

“They remain proud warriors who will not go out without a fight,” said Tolentino, who is predicting that the WBA welterweight title match won’t go the distance with Pacquiao enjoying the upperhand.

“Mathysee will look to land early but Pacquiao will likely beat him to the punch. Pacquiao's volume punching is way better than Matthysse,” he said.

Most likely, the eight-division former world champion will be going after the Argentinean’s left eye, which was injured during his loss to Viktor Postol.

“If the eye starts to swell, that's the beginning of the end for Matthysse. I see Manny outworking Mattthysse and stopping him within 8 rounds. I won't be surprise if Matthyse quits like he did against Viktor Postol, especially if his eye is injured again versus Pacquiao,” Tolentino said.

For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports website.