By Luis Sandoval

Lucas Matthysse can add a Fight of the Year candidate to his resume as he and John Molina put on an action packed fire fight Saturday night at the StubHub Center in Carson, CA. Both guys are known for packing a punch so it’s no surprise they both tasted the canvas more than once in their contest.

Molina may have been moving up from 135 pounds but he brought his power along with the additional 5 pounds as he had Matthysse visibly hurt on more than one occasion. When BoxingScene spoke with Matthysse after the fight, he was asked if Molina was the hardest puncher he’s been in the ring with.

“Yes, yes, the truth is he is. He hits very hard and has heavy hands. Every time he’d punch he’d throw them very hard and just has very hard hands” said Matthysse just moments after his victory.

Matthysse was a heavy favorite going into this fight but early on, things didn’t look good for the hard hitting Argentinean.

“Yes, it took me a long time to get comfortable. The two knockdowns threw me off a bit but then I was able to start timing and landing my shots and seeing that they were hurting him and he started slowing down” shared Matthysse.

The thrilling affair has not only brought attention back to Matthysse but it’s also put him back in a position to fight a big name and/or for a world title. While he has some options, his preference remains Danny Garcia who beat him last September.

Echoing what he told BoxingScene earlier this week, the plan is to stay put at 140 and then look for Garcia or a belt and eventually move to Welterweight in 2015.

“Yes, I’m staying at 140. I want the rematch with Danny Garcia or with any champion that gives me the opportunity and next year we’ll move up [to 147]” said Matthysse.

You can follow Luis Sandoval on Twitter & Instagram @Truewest007