By James Slater: Last night in his native Argentina, 140-pound top contender Walter Matthysse proved way too strong and powerful for young hopeful Angel Martinez of Mexico. It was all one-way traffic, with 29-year-old Matthysse winning the rounds before the 20-year-old prospect was pulled out at the start of the 6th-round.
Matthysse is now 30-2(28) overall and he has won two in a row since his razor-thin split decision loss to Devon Alexander. Martinez, who is young enough to perhaps be able to come again, is now 13-2-1(9).
Strictly a stay-busy fight for the more than a touch unlucky Matthysse (think his close loss to Zab Judah and his debatable defeat to Alexander), the word now is the tough, dangerous and hungry Argentine will face excellent Mexican Humberto Soto – with Ring.TV saying the fight could happen on the Lamont Peterson-Amir Khan II in Las Vegas on May 19th( the fight is up as happening at The Mandalay Bay on Boxrec) A great and very intriguing fight on paper, Matthysse-Soto could go either way.
31-year-old Soto, 57-7-2(34) is a former champ at featherweight, super-feather and lightweight, and he is now campaigning as a light-welter. 3-0(2) at the new weight, “La Zorrita” appears as hungry and as crafty and as capable as ever despite his long pro career (he began his career way back in 1997). Matthysse, the naturally bigger man, will almost certainly hold the advantage in power, but Soto is as experienced and as hardened as they come.
The scheduled main event of Peterson-Khan II will naturally dominate the headlines on May 19th, but this supporting bout, with its clash of styles, may be the better, more entertaining fight. Soto has been stopped just once, by Hector Javier Marquez way back in 2000, and Matthysse has never been halted. This one looks like a definite distance fight. Very hard to split, I’d give Soto a slight edge and a chance at outboxing the taller, possibly stronger fighter.
Interestingly, though he is the taller man, Matthysse has a shorter reach than Soto. Whoever it is that wins this one, he will be able to look ahead to some even bigger fights at 140-pounds.