Matthysse-Taylor added to Canelo-Chavez card

Argentine slugger Lucas Matthysse (37-4, 34 KOs) will officially end his 19-month-and-counting hiatus on May 6th when he’ll take on Emmanuel Taylor (20-4, 14 KOs) on the undercard of Canelo-Chavez Jr., RingTV reports.

Matthysse, a fan favorite for his all-action, heavy-handed style, has been on the shelf since he fought Viktor Postol in October 2015. Matthysse took some serious damage in that fight, fracturing his orbital bone which prompted a knockout loss. Matthysse required some serious time off to recover from the injury and attempted to come back on the Canelo-Khan card last May, but still suffering lingering effects in his eye, he had to withdraw from the card.

Matthysse, 34, was said to be seriously considering retirement at that point, but he now says he’s ready to return to being one of the sport’s most compelling fighters.

“I’m very happy to return to the ring and especially on such an important show such as Canelo vs. Chavez Jr. on May 6 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas,” Matthysse said in a prepared statement. “I’ve always brought great fights to demanding fans, and this one against Emmanuel Taylor will not be the exception.”

Taylor, 26, is most recently coming off two consecutive knockout wins over sub .500 opponents since he dropped unanimous decisions to Adrien Broner and Antonio Orozco.

“I feel that I am really blessed to have this opportunity to once again fight on such a big stage,” Taylor said in the press release. “Matthysse is a very tough fighter but I am sure I’ll beat him. This is a great opportunity for me and my family and it’s been a long time coming.”

Taylor will likely head into the fight as a decided underdog, although we can’t know for certain what kind of condition Matthysse and his eye are in at this point.