The Argentinian Lucas Matthysse has communicated to the whole world his idea to hang up the gloves after almost 15 years of professional boxing, and in the World Boxing Association, the pioneer organization that recognized him as welterweight world champion, we have nothing more to wish him but the best of successes in this new stage of his life.

Matthysse, who turns 36 next September, had a professional record of 39-5 with an impressive 36 knockouts. Last January he fulfilled his dream of becoming world champion by beating Thailand’s Tewa Kiram in eight rounds and lost in his first defense against the legendary Manny Pacquiao on July 15th on a historic card made in Malaysia.

Lucas was, next to fighters like Marcos Maidana and Sergio Martinez, one of the men who set the pace in Argentine boxing in recent years, allowing the dream of boxing to be kept alive throughout the nation.  His victories over Lamont Peterson and Ruslan Provodnikov, the latter marked as fight of the year, will be remembered for many years.

Here is the letter from the former world champion, who has decided to make the decision of retirement:

“Thanks to boxing my life changed. Proud of the race that I was able to do leaving one day from Trelew, Chubut. Thanks to Huinca Méndez for having all the patience, my creator, with him I started at 11, and at 14, for things of life, I went to live in Santa Fe, and from there to Rafaela a year with the coach Luis Artigas doing some fights. And from there to Vera, Santa Fe, to the home of another great family that gave me everything, that of coach Juan Keler. And after four and a half years, to the Argentine boxing team, where it was very hard, but good to remember in my life all the kids I met and tremendous boxers representing Argentina with good and bad results, but great experience in my life that I will always remember.

“I came to Trelew when I was 21 years old and I started a family and decided to go to Junín again, where I spent 11 years of my career with the great ‘Cuty’ Barrera. Today at the age of 35, again in Trelew, my place in the world, proud of having maintained 10 years in the first world level, where I fought with the best of boxing, the highest I aspired, fulfilled my dream of being world champion. And having lived all this, many thanks to my family for always being, especially my old, we spent many things and I made her suffer so much because I also had my bad part, but always was.

“Thanks to all those who followed me in my career for all their love, which is the most beautiful of boxing, a nice environment. Today I decide to hang up the gloves, another stage in my life is coming. From Trelew, Chubut, Argentina, Lucas Martín Matthysse, proud of having represented my province, my country and my neighborhood. I retire from boxing- 8-1-2018. “