Nothing motivates an athlete more than big challenges, especially if it’s about facing a legend. For this reason, WBA welterweight champion Lucas Matthysse is raring to head from Argentina to camp with trainer Joel Diaz in Indio, California, to prepare for his big fight on July 15th against Manny Pacquiao in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

“Bonavena fought with Ali, ‘Chino’ Maidana with Mayweather and it’s my turn to fight Pacquiao,” Matthysse (39-4, 36 KOs) told reporters in Argentina. “I feel happy, it’s very exciting to fight Manny Pacquiao, a boxing legend. For me, as an athlete it’s very big to face a monster like him, to enter the ring with him.”

Lucas knows he won’t be a favorite to defeat Pacman (59-7-2, 38 KO), but he also knows that a win of that stature would put him in a very special place in the history of boxing in Argentina and Latin America.

Interestingly, eight-division champion Pacquiao has never managed to win a WBA world title. He previously fell short twice, the first time against Juan Manuel Marquez for the featherweight championship, and the second time against Floyd Mayweather for the welterweight championship.