Lucas Matthysse entered his September 14, 2013 fight with Danny Garcia as the favorite despite Garcia's status as an undefeated champion. While he left the MGM Grand in Las Vegas the loser, he remains one of boxing's premier knockout artists and a fan favorite.
While Danny Garcia has said he is not interested in a rematch with Matthysse, since he came in as the champ and defended the strap, he also plans on fighting just once more before becoming a welterweight. He could go out with a bang by fighting "La Machina" one more time.
Matthysse will face John Molina this Saturday, and while he isn't looking past his opponent many in the boxing community are. Matthysse has admitted that should he win, he expects a title chance.
"This not going to be an easy fight. This guy comes forward, and I'm expecting a good fight," Matthysse said. "This is a worthy opponent and he has a good record. He's got a lot of skills. ... I want to win the the title at 140 one more time, and then I will move up to 147. But after Molina, they've promised me another shot at 140."
If Garcia is unwilling to engage Matthysse in a second go-round, other options with titles include Lamont Peterson, whom Matthysse obliterated in less than three rounds in May 2013, or Jessie Vargas (24-0-0, 9 KO) who just defeated Khabib Allakhverdiev two weeks ago.
Neither fight presents the type of interest that Garcia would. A third route could be a blockbuster vs. Adrien "The Problem" Broner, who has moved back down to 140 lbs. and is taking on Carlos Molina on May 3. Broner lends even more star power than Garcia at this point in their careers, and although he doesn't have a title he likely represents the biggest payday.
