Despite a slow start, Lucas Matthysse lived up to his nickname “The Machine” by defeating Thailand’s Tewa Kiram by 8th round knockout to capture the vacant WBA world welterweight title at The Forum in Inglewood Saturday night.
Handing Kiram his first loss in 39 trips to the ring, Matthysse rejoins the elite of the top-heavy 147-pound division along with fellow titleholders Jeff Horn (WBO), Keith Thurman (WBA & WBC), and Errol Spence Jr. (IBF).
Following the conclusion of the fight, Golden Boy chief Oscar De La Hoya wished well for Kiram, who was transported by ambulance to a local hospital for observation, and revealed he would like the next fight for Jorge Linares to come against Top Rank’s Vasyl Lomachenko.
For highlights of tonight’s main event, flip the page.