"I think it will be harder than the Judah fight in the respect that we're going to St. Louis, his home, and he's popular out there. But I feel I'm in a situation where I have to put on a good show and I'm going to have to knock him out to win. I am very aware of that and that's why I'm training extra hard for that...for this fight, we have a particular strategy and I definitely will have to put on a little more pressure. I don't think Devon likes that and it's going to work in my advantage," stated jr. welterweight contender Lucas Matthysse as he talked about his upcoming June 25th clash with former champion Devon Alexander. Check out what else he had to say about Alexander, the fight, and much more.
PC: How is training going for your June 25th fight against Devon Alexander? How long have you been in camp?
LM: I have been in camp for about 5 weeks now and thank God that everything is great up until this point. I'm healthy with no injuries and we're in the second phase of the training. This is where the hard part comes in, but I'm ready.
PC: The most noticeable thing when I'm looking at your resume is Alexander will be your third straight southpaw. Is that by choice or just the way it's turning out?
LM: It's not by choice. This is the fight that I have in front of me now and he just so happens to be a southpaw. I feel very comfortable against southpaws, but no, it was not by choice.
PC: You basically fought Zab Judah in his backyard and came up a little short. St. Louis is a very hostile environment to fight a hometown guy. Do you feel you need to stop Devon Alexander to walk away with a win in June?
LM: Absolutely! I think it will be harder than the Judah fight in the respect that we're going to St. Louis, his home, and he's popular out there. But I feel I'm in a situation where I have to put on a good show and I'm going to have to knock him out to win. I am very aware of that and that's why I'm training extra hard for that.
PC: A lot of observers felt Devon showed a lack of heart in his last fight against Bradley. Is this a situation where you feel you can jump right on him and sort of remind him of his last outing?
LM: I had the opportunity to see that fight and I did notice that he lacked a little heart and enthusiasm, but I'm going to have to fight my fight and fight hard for 12 rounds. I'm going to put a lot of pressure on him and I'm going to come ready.
PC: Many people felt like if you would have started a little earlier against Judah, you would have gotten the nod or possibly stopped him. Is that something that sticks out in your mind as far as your approach for this fight?
LM: That was the gameplan for the Judah fight, to kind of start slow and outbox him. A lot of people feel I don't have that ability, but I am a great boxer. That's something that I demonstrated in that fight. But for this fight, we have a particular strategy and I definitely will have to put on a little more pressure. I don't think Devon likes that and it's going to work in my advantage.
PC: We've seen some situations where a guy fights in their own backyard and it adds a certain amount of pressure on them. Is this the case for this fight? Do you feel as though all of the pressure is on him, not only coming off of his first defeat, but fighting in his hometown as well?
LM: Yeah, definitely. He's the one with the pressure on him. He has to...especially from his last fight, he has to win the public back. He didn't really look good against Bradley, so there is more pressure on him for this fight than me. I'm going to go in there and take care of business from the 1st round to the 12th round and we will see what happens.
PC: I know you're not overlooking Devon by any means, but you're in a deep division and I'm sure there are other guys you would love to test your skills against.
LM: I'm 100% focused on this fight. This is going to be a great fight. When I win this fight, I will have more doors open for my career and hopefully one of these champions gives me the opportunity to fight for their title.
PC: I look forward to the fight. I appreciate your time and best of luck to you. Is there anything you want to add before I let you go?
LM: I want to give a big hello and a big hug to my family, who I miss a lot back in Argentina, and the whole country of Argentina, especially all of the Latin fans that love boxing and follow boxing. I'm going to give a great show. I'm going to give it 110% and please tune in to this fight. It is going to be an explosive fight. I love you guys a lot and thanks so much for following boxing. Let's push boxing to the next level.
PC: I love your fighting style and what you do as a fighter, but one request: beat up on a Mexican fighter or white fighter next after this fight. Stop beating up all of the black fighters (laughing).
LM: (Laughing).
[WRITER'S NOTE: Be sure to check out www.worldcrownsports.com. It's the home of pound-for-pound champion Sergio Martinez and it's also where Lucas Matthysse and several other top flight fighters are training out in Oxnard, California. All fighters are welcome.]
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]