The father and trainer of RING junior welterweight champion Danny Garcia vows that No. 1-rated contender Lucas Matthysse will represent “the easiest fight of Danny’s career,” adding that his undefeated son will “destroy” the Argentine puncher inside of “four or five rounds” when they meet on Showtime Pay Per View on Sept. 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“This man is just an opponent, and on Sept. 14 he’s still going to be an opponent, and Danny’s still going to be the undefeated champion of the world,” said trainer Angel Garcia, who was ringside with his son at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City when Matthysse (34-2, 32 knockouts) obliterated IBF 140-pound beltholder Lamont Peterson, dropping him three times on the way to a third-round knockout.

“You just watch. Danny’s going to be 27-0, and still the undefeated champion of the world, because Lucas Matthysse is going to get knocked out. If he opens up, he’s going to get knocked out. If he’s in there longer than four or five rounds, that will be something. If it goes the distance, then it’s going to be ugly, because Danny’s going to destroy him.”

A 25-year-old Philadelphia resident, Garcia (26-0, 16 KOs) will put his put his WBA and WBC belts on the line against Matthysse, 30, on the undercard of the blockbuster main event featuring Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Canelo Alvarez.

“Lucas Matthysse is going to experience stage fright. He has never been in this situation in his life, and this is the biggest payday that he’s ever seen in his life. People are making it seem like he’s King Kong, but he ain’t no King Kong,” said Angel Garcia.

“Matthysse is just an average guy who has fought a bunch of nobodies. Listen, he’s going to be the easiest fight for Danny. They’re trying to make him out to be a killer, but he ain’t no killer. Danny’s the killer, and Danny’s the champion of the world.”

Matthysse’s stoppage of Peterson represented his sixth-straight knockout victory, and with Peterson succumbing to the second of three total knockdowns as the fighters traded left hooks — one of Danny Garcia’s best punches.

“If [an exchange] like that happens with Danny, I think Danny’s going to still be standing, and Matthysse’s going to be on his knees,” said the elder Garcia.

“Matthysse ain’t never been punched like Danny can punch, because Danny can punch, too. Danny’s been punched, but this guy ain’t been punched yet because he ain’t fought nobody, man.”

Matthysse has a 4-2 record, with four knockouts against six current or former titleholders, having floored all of them, including DeMarcus Corley, whom he dropped nine times on the way to an eighth-round stoppage in January of 2011.

Matthysse also has knocked out Vivian Harris and Humberto Soto in the fourth and fifth rounds, respectively. Matthysses losses were by split-decision to left-handers Zab Judah, a two-divsion beltholder, and Devon Alexander, who currently holds the IBF’s 147-pound belt.

“Lucas Matthysse’s got these crazy amount of knockouts on his record, but look at who he’s fought. He fought bums that they brought from the middle of the streets and put them in the ring with him,” said Angel Garcia, whose son is coming off a unanimous decision over Judah in April.

“If Zab would have been in the shape he was against Danny when he fought Matthysse, he would have destroyed Matthysse, and he still beat Matthysse. We brought the best out of Zab, man. I’m telling you, Matthysse ain’t nobody.”

Against Judah, Garcia scored an eighth-round knockdown — Matthysse dropped Judah in the 10th of a 12-round fight in November of 2010 — on the way to victory.

For Garcia, Judah represented his sixth consecutive fight against a current or former world titleholder, following up his fourth-round stoppages over two-division beltwinner Amir Khan and four-division titlewinner Erik Morales last year.

“When Danny beat the s__t out of Khan, nobody gave him his props. Khan was supposed to be a killer. Khan was no old man, but Danny destroyed him, just like he’s going to destroy Matthysse. I’m telling you, this is going to be the easiest fight of Danny’s career, man,” said Angel Garcia.

“This is a good fight for Danny, man, because they got him all hyped up. But that’s going to be a good thing for Danny, because he’s focused. I mean, what’s going to happen when Danny starts landing his punches? What are they gonna say when Danny whups this guy’s ass? Like I said, to me, Matthysse’s going to be the easiest fight that Danny’s had during his whole career.”

Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Lem Satterfield can be reached at [email protected]