By Chris Robinson - It's hard to think of a ‘replacement’ fight as intriguing as the March 13th scheduled WBO Welterweight title clash between champion Manny Pacquiao and challenger Joshua Clottey. With the daily drama of a Pacquiao clash with Floyd Mayweather boiling over and the contest eventually falling apart, at least for now apparently, rumors first spread that the Filipino sensation would be rising in weight to challenge for a title in an eighth weight class against newly crowned WBA Jr. Middleweight champion Yuri Foreman. That proposal wasn’t greeted with open arms but with Clottey reportedly agreeing to terms to face Pacquiao the boxing world has a completely new scenario to digest.I recently gathered the thoughts and opinions from a collective group of insiders in the boxing game, including former champions, current contenders, trainers, fellow scribes, promoters, and more. The opinions varied slightly and the overall feel I took from everyone is that this certainly isn’t a tune-up fight for Pacquiao. This is a legitimate showdown with serious risk attached to it.
Read on below to see what everyone had to say…
John David Jackson is former two-time champion in the Jr. Middleweight and Middleweight divisions. Jackson is regarded by some as one of the top trainers in the sport, having played a vital role in the corners of former champions Nate Campbell and Randall Bailey, Super Middleweight contender Allan Green, and the legendary Bernard Hopkins in recent years. Jackson currently runs Contender’s Boxing in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This is what he had to say…
“Pacquiao-Clottey is an interesting fight if Clottey fights with a lot of intensity for the whole fight. He needs to apply pressure, keep Manny on the ropes and make Manny fight on the inside. Clottey is the bigger boxer and probably the stronger physical boxer. He would need to impose those strengths. Keep an air-tight defense and use a great draining body attack. I believe that Arum feels that Clottey is a good enough boxer with a credible name who just happens to be in his stable of boxers and whom is dangerous enough but also just can't seem to get over that major hurdle in high profile bouts. My opinion of Clottey is probably the same one that Arum has; a good, tough durable fighter whom just can't seem to win the big major bouts but dangerous for any boxer in the 147/154lb range.
How Pacquiao/Clottey plays out depends on what type of Clottey shows up that night. The one who walked Judah down slowly, withstood Judah's early attack and came on in the middle rounds to score a late round victory or the Clottey whom did just enough to lose to both Margarito and Cotto. I mean Pacquiao is coming to seek and destroy, a very good offensive boxer with very limited defensive skills. Clottey has to expose that weakness and capitalize on it. Marquez exposed it but Clottey being a bigger and physically stronger boxer can do so much more damage to Manny. Think about this; Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto were pretty much done when they faced Manny and that is not Manny's fault because all he did was beat whom Arum placed in front of him. Clottey whom I don't believe is washed-up should present a much tougher task physically for Manny then any of the other 3 boxers that Manny stepped in the ring with before this bout was made.”
Tommy Rainone is a Welterweight contender fighting out of the New York area and is currently getting ready for a scheduled bout on the undercard of the January 23rd Juan Manuel Lopez-Steven Luevano WBO Featherweight title bout at Madison Square Garden. Rainone has a great passion for the sport of boxing as well as traveling and everyday life. This is what he had to say about the fight…
“Pac vs Clottey is about the best fight that could be made on such a short notice. Clottey is clearly one of the top welterweights in the world as well as a former world champion himself. He’s always looking for big fights and of course being with Bob Arum and Top Rank (similiar to the Cotto fight), this was a relatively easy and smart fight to put together. i think Clottey certainly poses some new challenges to Pac as he is by far the biggest opponent Pac will have been in with and may be close to 170 fight night. On top of that he is extremely durable with a great defense that is extremely hard to penetrate as well as having a concrete chin. We’re talking about not only a guy who has never been stopped but as far as I can remember and a guy who has never really been hurt. The downside to Clottey and one of the reasons Freddie Roach probably liked this fight is because Clottey is not the busiest guy in the world and can be outhustled. Clottey is also not the fastest Welterweight out there and has slow feet so his quickness isnt the best either. On top of that, although he is the type of fighter who breaks you down both physically and mentally with constant pressure and his size, he is not a very big puncher by any stretch of the imagination.
The old thought of Cotto beat Clottey and Pac beat Cotto so Pac should beat Clottey goes goes out the window, that theory has been disproved a million times. Clottey poses some serious problems for Pac and I expect him to look to be very aggressive early on coming foward trying to slow down Pac with some body shots that will pay dividends in the later rounds. Clottey’s great defense, maybe second to Mayweather's in the sport, is also a major deterent and wears on his oppenents who are forced to throw so many punches to get through. Clottey beat Zab Judah who is a very fast and quick fighter fighting the same way. The problem with Clottey is that he is a bit predictable, a bit one dimensional and doesn’t seem to have another gear to switch to if his opponent is getting comfortable with him and starts to take over the fight. We know that Pac has turned into a versatile fighter who can now counter punch very effectively and fights using a lot of feints and angles.
The most important part of Manny’s game is that he is a two handed fighter now and not the one handed fighter always looking to land the straight left. Pac has far more diversity and a bigger arsenal and on top of that he has the intangables of the best trainer in boxing working his corner, a trainer he has great confidence in who will come up with a great strategy for Pac to implement in this fight. Pac is also riding a huge wave and his confidence has never been better. I have Pac winning a 12 round decision by outhustling Clottey with his fast combinations and forcing Clottey to be on defense for too much of the fight and not getting off with his own offense enough. Pac has a big speed advantage and will look to use it from the first second of the first round. I feel Pac is going to look to box and move a lot more in this fight than he has in recent memory but he had better get himself some big skilled sparring partners because to beat Clottey you have to be in amazing shape and throw a ton of punches while maintaining constant relaxation and composure.”
Ryan Songalia is a published writer and member of the Boxing Writer’s Association of America. His work can be found weekly at Boxing Scene (www.BoxingScene.com) as well as in Boxing Digest Magazine. Based out of New Jersey, Songalia has a great appreciation for the history of the sport and can often be found tucked away in the gym, analyzing fighters as well as preparing for his initial foray into the amateur ranks himself. This is what Ryan had to say…
“I think Clottey is a very tough fight for Pacquiao considering his tremendous size and strength for a Welterweight. He wouldn't be small at junior middleweight. He has a tough defensive shell to penetrate as well. It still doesn't mean this fight makes sense since Clottey brings no belts and little marquee value to the table. Then again nothing makes sense for Pacquiao that doesn't include Mayweather in the other corner. The only thing that a Marquez trilogy would do is hurt his bargaining position for Mayweather since Pacquiao's style isn't the type that can dominate a Marquez. It still beats Matthew Hatton however...You have to favor Pacquiao because of Clottey's concentration lapses but you have to wonder if Pacquiao is tempting fate here. I just hope Team Pacquiao doesn't demand a catch weight though it would greatly help their cause.”
Nate Campbell is the former unified Lightweight champion of the world. He won the IBF, WBA, and WBO 135 pound titles in March of 2008 after producing one of the year’s biggest upsets in dominating previously undefeated Juan Diaz. Campbell is currently campaigning in the Jr. Welterweight division and eyeing all possibilities in 2010. Never one to shy away from a good discussion, this is what the Jacksonville, Florida native had to say…
“I think it’s a good fight. I really do like this fight. I’ve always liked Joshua Clottey because of his nasty temparment. He just really gets on the inside and fights. He’s a gritty fighter and I like fighters like him who just come to fight. I honestly feel that it is a pick em’ fight if you ask me.
I do think that Pacquiao vs. Mayweather in the better fight and that’s what everybody wants to see. That’s what I want to see. It isn’t about what people think Pacquiao is or isn’t taking, it’s about both of them finding a way to make the fight happen. I do think that too many people have spinned things and put the blaim on Floyd when it’s really up to both sides to agree to it.”
Dyah Davis is a Super Middleweight contender based out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Davis sports a 16-1 record with 7 knockouts and was last said to be getting ready for a January 16th fight in Macon, Georgia. This is what Dyah had to say…
“I like Clottey a lot as a fighter. He's strong and big for 147 pounds and come fight night he's likely to come in at Super Middleweight but I think he lacks a little courage. He has all the potential to upset Pacquiao if things are going his way but the moment the momentum isn't going his direction he'll pull back just as he did against Margarito and Cotto. So I'm gonna go with the flip.”
Michael Marley is former sports columist for the New York Post who now contributes to the Examiner. Marley has seen nearly everything that the sport has had to offer, to covering the scene in Las Vegas years back, working under the legendary Don King, traveling the world over, and establishing relationships with many prominent faces in the game. Marley has provided great coverage on the life and times of Manny Pacquiao in recent years. This is what the always outspoken Boston native had to say about Clottey and his chances against Manny…
“Clottey is a top contender but quite ordinary in some key respects. He lost to Cotto because he did not put his foot on in the gas and fought defensively down the stretch. He used to seem to have fire in his belly but we haven't see it lately. Unlike Floyd versus Manny, this is a pedestrian fight, not a huge special event. Manny will stop him in the late rounds or win a wide decision. Manny keeps improving while I think Clottey is skidding a bit. Clottey just fired his longtime trainer so that is another nagging question. I see it as mental weakness in a fighter usually when they can the trainer after a defeat.”
Pietro Baio is a Chiropractor and Exercise Physiologist who works closely to the sport, most notably with former IBF Jr. Welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi. Outside of boxing, Baio has also been involved in such events as the USGA golf open as well as working with Philipe Nover and several other combat athletes. Baio is a contributor to Diamond Boxing (www.DiamondBoxing). This is what the Brooklyn native had to say about the fight…
“Clottey is a very underrated fighter. He has fought some good names and done well. I had him winning the cotto fight by 2 rounds. I think he took the best Margarito had to offer and he did well against Zab Judah.
Having seen Clottey take some of the hardest hits anyone could in the Welterweight division I think he will stand up well against Pacman. You got to see his good defense in the Cotto fight. Some may call this fight Arum putting another one of his B-level fighters under the Pacman bus I say this is a dangerous fight for both men. In my mind this may be a pick'em. Either way a fight people will enjoy more then they think.”
Ryan Bates is a Las Vegas correspondent for 411 Mania (www.411mania.com/Boxing) who also serves as a co-host to the popular ‘3 More Rounds’ podcast. Bates has spent time in the past working for Top Rank and is currently pursuing and amateur career in the sport. Always opinionated, this is what the California native said recently…
“When Clottey was announced as Pacquiao’s next opponent it reminded me of the TV show Let’s Make a Deal when you open up one door and you get $1,000 but if you would have opened up the other door you would have gotten a new car. It’s a nice fight but it’s not on the level of Pacquiao vs. Mayweather and that’s what everybody wanted.
You can’t ever count Clottey out because he’s built like a brick house. He’s sturdy and strong and he’ll take your best punches. Margarito couldn’t put him down and Cotto put him down on a flash knockdown, that was it. He took everything and he kept on swinging and he has that extra hard defense to get through. He’s not by any means a schlub of a fighter. The question will be can Pacquiao crack that defense? He’s cracked some pretty strong defenses in his day. It’s going to be a good fight and if we hadn’t been talking about Pacquiao vs. Mayweather for the past two months I’d be really excited for this fight. Right now it feels like a parting gift.”
Terry Trekas is a long time promoter in the Tampa, Florida area, and head of One Punch Productions. He stages shows in the Florida area year round as well as working with the biggest promotional companies in the industry on a constant basis. This is what Terry had to say…
“Clottey is solid, but unspectacular, and always finds a way to lose big fights. Not a huge puncher, but has enough pop to keep you honest. The threat, I guess if there is one, is that he has a solid chin and Manny is not really considered a distance fighter anymore. Clottey is bigger, and possibly could wear Manny down in the later rounds if Manny cant get him out of there within 6 or 7.
As long as it is at 147, I think it goes the distance. Clottey has a good beard, and should be able to take Manny's shots. But he's way to slow and inactive to really be competitive in this fight. His only real chance is if he can effectively work the body. If its below 147 though, it doesnt go the distance.”
Source: examiner.com
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