In less than one round Lucas Matthysse reminded the 140lb division why he is one of the most feared punchers around with his dismantling of Mike Dalllas Jr. on Saturday night at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Time was 2:26.
While it seemed the talk before the fight was about pills Matthysse took, it was all but a distant thought as Dallas Jr lay motionless on the canvas from a hard combo that ended the fight before it could really get going.
That was fine with Matthysse as he admitted afterward that he had a lot to lose. A loss and no talk of Danny Garcia or another champion at 140lbs.
“I definitely had a future to lose,” Matthysse said through an interpreter. “I definitely want Danny Garcia. I hope he gives me the opportunity, but (I’ll fight) any top fighter at 140.”
However in typical Matthysse fashion, his power was the difference. While few if any gave Dallas Jr a real shot, he did have highly respected Virgil Hill in his corner. That alone helped Dalllas Jr chances. However as one twitter user said “there is a difference between fighting guys on ESPN2 and stepping up to Showtime” and it showed in spectacular knockout fashion.
Dallas Jr is still young, he still has one of the best trainers out there and he hopefully will bounce back but tonight it was Matthysse’s night and by the looks of things, he is looking to make it his year.
On the undercard, Jesus Soto Karass earned a majority decision over highly ranked super welterweight Selcuk Aydin. The judges scored the bout 97-93, 97-93 and 95-95.