Lingering eye trauma forces Lucas Matthysse out of May 7th bout

The upcoming "Canelo" Alvarez vs. Amir Khan card, scheduled for May 7th, just took a hit as former super lightweight champion Lucas Matthysse has withdrawn from his planned appearance on the undercard due to presistent eye trouble. The Argentinian did not have an official opponent at the time of his exit, but seemed very likely to face veteran spoiler Mauricio Herrera.

Golden Boy VP Eric Gomez broke the news earlier today, although in a fashion that's not terribly flattering to Matthysse.

"He was training and getting ready for the fight, but he felt some discomfort in his eye and he wants more rest," Gomez said...

Matthysse (37-4, 34 KO) threw down with undefeated Ukrainian Viktor Postol last October and, despite the overwhelming power edge on paper and Postol's relative lack of testing, got dominated by his taller foe. In the tenth round, Postol caught him with a sharp right cross that sent "La Maquina" down, where he stayed for the full ten count despite being ostensibly lucid.

After the fight, Matthysse reported that he felt something pop in his left eye, which prompted him to stay down. Considering his history of eye trauma, the excuse seems understandable, but it was certainly jarring to see a man of his profound grit let himself be counted out.

With Matthysse's exit, the Canelo vs. Khan undercard is rather barren despite being less than two months away. We'll keep you posted if the situation changes.