Photos: Pacquiao vs Clottey Final Presser in Texas

Arlington, Texas --- Surrounded by the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, seven-time world champion and "Fighter of the Decade" Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao (L) and challenger Joshua Clottey (R) pose during the final press conference Wednesday for their upcoming World Welterweight championship on Saturday,March 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington,Texas on HBO Pay-Per-View. --- Photo Credit : Chris Farina - Top Rank

For more Pacquiao vs Clottey updates, visit http://pacquiao-vs-clottey.cebuspace.com/.

Source: boxingscene.com

Photos: Manny Pacquiao Media Day in Dallas, Texas

Dallas,Texas --- "JAM-PACKED" --- A standing-room-only crowd of media and fans showed up to see seven-time world champion and "Fighter of the Decade" Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao shadow box during training for his upcoming World Welterweight championship against challenger Joshua Clottey on Saturday,March 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington,Texas on HBO Pay-Per-View. --- Photo Credit : Chris Farina - Top Rank

For more Pacquiao vs Clottey updates, visit http://pacquiao-vs-clottey.cebuspace.com/.

Source: boxingscene.com

PACQUIAO CAN’T KNOCK CLOTTEY OUT

Tungod, Inabanga, Bohol – Or so I thought. Pinoy pride and the world’s best fighting machine Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) has made a habit of proving doubters wrong. I have never doubted Pacquiao’s talent and skills, much less his ability and desire to win. Even so, I am not about to doubt former IBF welterweight champion Joshua “Grand Master” Clottey’s (35-3-0, 20 KOs) firewall toughness, solid defense, and vast ring acumen either.

Any contest with the name Manny Pacquiao in it should be assurance enough of a thrilling and exhilarating boxing spectacle. He has literally made a living by putting on a good show not just for the hardcore fight buffs, but also to the casual fans as well. The odds, as expected, are stacked against the fire-breathing Pinoy’s opponent. This is no surprise, considering that the fighter out of Ghana, by way of Bronx, New York lost to the same guy who was destroyed by Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) of the Philippines, not to mention that the Filipino is universally considered as the best fighter pound for pound at present. But before you Pacman fanatics get too excited, please allow me to point out a couple of things that might make you think twice about Clottey being just a walk-in-the-park for the Pinoy great.

Make no mistake about it. Joshua Clottey is probably the best and most dangerous Pacquiao opponent to date, among the Pinoy pug’s long list of opponents. The potent combination of size, speed, stamina, skill, power, and chin is certainly a tall order for even a fighter like Pacquiao to overcome. Don’t be fooled by Clottey’s 3 losses. His first loss to Carlos Baldomir, who eventually became a welterweight champion, was due to disqualification with Clottey ahead in all three scorecards at the time of the halt. In his second setback, Clottey was making a good account of himself before sustaining an injured left hand in the fourth canto and was basically fighting one-handed from round 5 onwards against the hard-punching Antonio “Loaded Hands” Margarito. Clottey’s third loss, against Cotto, as we all know, was very much closer than the scorecards would suggest.

Clottey has top-notch defensive skills. Using his gloves and arms to protect himself the way Ronald “Winky” Wright does, the “Grand Master” has always finished fights with more than enough gas in his tank. Of course, Pacquiao is definitely in a league of his own, but Clottey could very well pose a lot of problems for the General Santos native. Clottey boasts a great left hook downstairs and up, often followed by a quick right straight. Team Pacquiao should also take note of Clottey’s tendency to come in with his head first. With their contrasting fighting stance, it is not farfetched that Pacquiao could sustain a cut that might hinder his vision just like he did in his first bout against Morales. We all know what happened to that fight. I don’t see Pacquiao knocking Clottey out in this confrontation… but then again, Pacquiao has made the habit of making surprises and exceeding expectations. He might once again do it this time around and I would really be glad to be proven wrong.

For more Pacquiao vs Clottey updates, visit http://pacquiao-vs-clottey.cebuspace.com/.

Source: Reylan Loberternos - philboxing.com

Clottey expects Pacquiao to throw a lot of punches on Saturday

Joshua Clottey (35-3, 20 KO’s) is counting on Manny Pacquiao to be throwing a lot of punches when he fights him on Saturday night at the Dallas Cowboy Stadium. Clottey is ready for anything that Pacquiao will be bringing to the ring, and he won’t be catching Clottey off guard if he tries to obliterate him with a massive amount of punches in the early rounds of the fight. In an article at the Press Enterprise, Clottey said “He [Pacquiao] throws a lot of punches to people when he sees an opening. He won’t see the openings with me.”

With his crab-like guard and his ability to block almost every punch thrown his way, Clottey is going to make it nearly impossible for Pacquiao to land any clean blows on Saturday night. Pacquiao could still pile up the points, because judges tend to score rounds based on whoever is throwing the most punches and don’t seem to be very good actually noting whether the punches are actually landing or not.

Pacquiao tends to throw a lot of punches anyway, and misses many of them. Clottey will have to make sure he’s busy enough to win rounds because if he throws in the low 20s, he’s not going to win enough rounds to beat Pacquiao. Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer, believes that he’s going to be able to stop Clottey by flooding him with punches in massive numbers.

That’s possible, but not probable given Clottey’s history of being able to pick up punches and throw back with big power. Pacquiao could leave an opening for Clottey if he tries to throw too many punches. What some people seem to forget is that Clottey is an excellent counter puncher. He’s not in the class of Juan Manuel Marquez with his counter punching ability, but he definitely skilled at responding as soon as he gets hit with power shots.

Pacquiao has done well in his fights against Cotto and Oscar De La Hoya where Pacquiao was able to machine gun both of them down with a high punch volume. Both De La Hoya and Cotto were too slow, and not skilled enough to block the shots coming in. As good as those two fighters were coming into the fight, they weren’t noted for their ability to block shots like Clottey.

Cotto looked helpless against Pacquiao’s punches and blocked very few of them. De La Hoya seemed to cringe and cower against the ropes as Pacquiao rifled him with shots from every angle. Clottey is certainly better than those two in blocking punches. He’s also a lot more rugged as well. De La Hoya was very weak from draining down to 147 for the fight, and Cotto looked shell shocked from his fights with Antonio Margarito and Clottey, both involving Cotto taking a lot of punishment.

Clottey could surprise a lot of people by being able to stand up to Pacquiao’s punch barrages and then answer back with power shots of his own. If Clottey can stick around until the 9th round or more, you can expect him to have given Pacquiao a tremendous amount of punishment, much more perhaps than Pacquiao has ever taken before in his career. I don’t know if Clottey can win this fight, because I can’t see the judges giving him a decision unless he knocks Pacquiao down multiple times, but I think he will hurt Pacquiao and beat him badly.

For more Pacquiao vs Clottey updates, visit http://pacquiao-vs-clottey.cebuspace.com/.

Source: Chris Williams - boxingnews24.com

Pacquiao confident speed can trump Clottey's size

(Reuters) - Filipino ring king Manny Pacquiao said his lightning fast speed will be enough to nullify Joshua Clottey's size advantage when the two meet in Dallas on Saturday.

"My quickness will be the key, my speed," the seven-time world champion told Reuters as he prepared for a public workout in front of a throng of fans.

However, the WBO welterweight champion is not taking his Ghanaian opponent lightly.

"You cannot underestimate Joshua Clottey," he said. "He's a good fighter, and he's bigger than me, and I have to be very focused in the fight."

Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach acknowledges that former IBF title holder Clottey, a natural welterweight, has a size advantage over the champion, who began his career forty pounds lighter.

"But I don't think size wins fights," he said. "I think skill does. He may be a little stronger than Manny on the inside, he might hit a little harder, but I think our speed will nullify that."

Roach said he has been watching footage of Clottey's fights, and has identified a few key habits that he and his fighter intend to exploit.

"He'll wait for you to throw a combination and then, when you've stopped, he'll throw back. So if you stand in front of him, you're an idiot," he said. "We're not going to do that. He's not going to be able to find us.

"Sometimes he uses his head," Roach said of Clottey, 35-3 (20 KOs), whose first defeat came when he was disqualified for headbutts.

"If you fall into the pocket with him, his best punch is an uppercut and his second best punch is a headbutt. So we're not going to go in there. We're going to fight him at distance."

A crowd of several hundred watched Pacquiao's workout, a turnout that a beaming Pacquiao, 50-3-2 (38 KOs), described as 'amazing'.

The fight will be the first to be held at Cowboys Stadium, with 45,000 spectators expected to attend, and the Filipino said he was looking forward to the opportunity to show his skills in front of such a large audience at a new venue.

"I'm very excited to fight in Cowboys Stadium, especially because this is the first fight there," said Pacquiao. "It's an honor to fight in Dallas. I can't wait until Saturday. This is for the fans. This is my chance to show them what I can do."

For more Pacquiao vs Clottey updates, visit http://pacquiao-vs-clottey.cebuspace.com/.

Source: reuters.com

Clottey's Defence May Not Hold Versus Pacquiao's Non-Stop Offense

Joshua Clottey says he will try to capitalize on his natural defensive skill to foil Manny Pacquiao's known offensive fighting style and hope to land a lethal blow to snatch Pacquiao's WBO welterweight crown. Joshua Clottey is known for his defensive fighting skill which he has developed throughout his fairly successful boxing career.

On Saturday the former IBF welterweight champion Joshua Clottey will face one of the world best offensive boxers to prove that his defence will hold. Filipino boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao will try to demolish his fortified defence arsenal with his non-stop offensive punches.

“I keep telling people I didn’t lose the Cotto fight because I don’t feel I did,” Clottey said. “When [Pacquiao] beats guys like Cotto, he beats guys that don’t have a good defence. I have a defence.”

The popular boxer from Ghana promises he will come forward and attack.

"It will be an exciting fight, as they are predicting," said Clottey.

"I'm always coming forward to face my opponent and fight like a man, not like I just come in like that, I come forward with timing'.

"Everything is in my head, I'm always looking, and the truth is I'm a forward fighter."

Clottey is coming to face Pacquiao with his superior advantage in reach and height. Despite Clotteys natural physical advantage over Pacquiao, hall of fame trainer Freddie Roach says Pacquiao will finish Clottey inside nine rounds. A week before Pacquiao's entourage moved to Texas for the final phase of training, Freddie Roach changed his prediction and said Pacquiao will finish Clottey inside six rounds.

Pacquiao's speed and power will be too much for Clottey to take, Roach stressed after observing how Pacquiao punished his sparring partners who are physically superior that the popular Filipino boxer.

The Pacquiao-Clottey match will take place at the giant Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington Texas on March 13. At stake is Pacquiao's WBO welterweight crown.

For more Pacquiao vs Clottey updates, visit http://pacquiao-vs-clottey.cebuspace.com/.

Source: theboxinghistorian.com

‘Journey’ Lead Vocalist Arnel Pineda will sing for Pacquiao vs Clottey fight

Past reports saying Charice will be singing the Philippine National Anthem for the Pacquiao vs Clottey fight this Sunday were proven untrue as the Journey lead vocalist, Arnel Pineda, will be taking the duty of singing the Philippine National Anthem, “Lupang Hinirang” in the upcoming Manny Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey fight. Pineda is a Filipino and was personally invited by the king of the ring, Manny Pacquiao to sing for the Philippines in his next fight.

Arnel Pineda also said he will be arriving at Dallas on Thursday and he is so delightful that finally he can sing for the Pacquiao vs Clottey fight. The famous singer also revealed it was the Manny Pacquiao’s third attempt to invite him, that is why he’s very happy it will finally push through.

The much awaited Manny Pacquiao vs Joshua Clottey fight will be held this Saturday (March 13) – March 14 in Manila at the Cowboys Stadium in Texas.

For more Pacquiao vs Clottey updates, visit http://pacquiao-vs-clottey.cebuspace.com/.

Source: dailyworldbuzz.com

Manny Pacquiao Vs. Joshua Clottey: How Good Is Clottey, Anyway?

So continues our marathon coverage of one of the biggest fights of 2010, Manny Pacquiao versus Joshua Clottey on March 13, culminating in a live blog on fight night. Previously: Why and how Pacquiao-Clottey matters. Next: Keys to the fight.

Everyone knows Manny Pacquiao. Not everyone knows Joshua Clottey, the man Pacquiao is fighting Saturday.

Clottey (above left against Miguel Cotto) has a very good reputation, for the most part. Some boxing writers consider him one of the 20 best boxers of today, and he's one of the top men in the welterweight division, clearly. He caught some flack for his showing at the end of the fight against Cotto, but there are a lot of people who thought he got robbed in that bout. And it wasn't that long ago that there was a highly viable theory that Clottey was underrated, the best fighter in the division not to be recognized as one of the best.

Yet the more I look at Clottey, the less convinced I am. I'd had that thought prior to Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach saying the same thing in the "Road to Dallas" documentary that aired Saturday (I swear! Ask the people I hung out with Saturday night, away from the television, when the documentary was airing). But that Roach said it made me feel confident about it, too. I think Clottey has become overrated.

This requires a bit of a preface, a disclaimer. I think Clottey's a really good boxer. I think he's a dangerous fighter for Pacquiao to take on, by virtue of his size and style. But when I look at his record and his review the video, I see a fighter who's a full notch below the best of the best.

Consider:

The best win of Clottey's career is probably his 2008 9th round technical decision over Zab Judah. Now, Judah's a talent. But Judah hadn't had a win over a non-journeyman since 2005, when he knocked out Cory Spinks. Judah was ranked in the top 10 of the division at the time, but there were a lot of smart people who think he didn't deserve to be. He'd been beaten by Floyd Mayweather, Miguel Cotto and Carlos Baldomir from 2005 to 2008. He was competitive in all of them, but Judah's downward slide was clearly in full force. And you know what? It was a close fight, Clottey-Judah, even under the circumstances. Two judges gave Clottey the fight by a mere point.

The second best win of his career is over... well, there's a big drop off from the win over Judah. Is it Diego Corrales, who was moving up two divisions and had the look of damaged goods? Is it Shamone Alvarez, a decent welterweight but nobody who ever really much sniffed the top 10 of the division?

You can point to the almost-wins over Cotto and Antonio Margarito, but those only go so far. Clottey couldn't beat Cotto with one of the worst handful of cuts I've ever seen a boxer persevere through. Against Margarito, Clottey was doing well early before claiming hand injuries and slowing down. Clottey was ahead on the scorecards against Baldomir before being disqualified.

I'm doing something here that is reminiscent of the kind of thing I hate in boxing -- systematically diminishing a fighter's accomplishments. Honestly, you can do it with any fighter. But I'm doing it here despite fundamentally liking Clottey, and thinking he's good. It's only, as I said, that I think he's a notch lower than some of the best guys.

Cotto knocked out Judah, and Floyd Mayweather beat Judah more easily than did Clottey. Margarito and Pacquiao both knocked out Cotto. There's nobody on my pound-for-pound list whose best win is over Judah, and I don't think there ever will be. Almost-wins count for something, but only if the boxer has a proven record of beating top competition on the scorecards or via knockout.

That's steering us toward the root of where Clottey's problems lie. His style, as I mentioned, is difficult, and he's a dangerous opponent. His excellent defense, good counterpunching and rock-solid chin have made him a handful for the elite boxers he's faced. Yet they also are part and parcel about why he hasn't exactly excelled on the top, top level.

There's a feeling out there that I've long argued against that Clottey allowed Cotto to win in the late rounds, that he somehow took his foot off the gas. In actuality, as I see it, Cotto just exploited the flaws in Clottey's style in those late rounds. Clottey does good work behind his high guard, cutting off the ring and firing counters. But that style often requires Clottey to set his feet, wait for his opponent to punch, then return fire. Cotto, in the final couple rounds against Clottey, took advantage of that by moving and initiating contact and forcing Clottey to cover up, then moving again, preventing Clottey from planting. Clottey didn't know what to do, so he did what he always does, which is more of the same. He didn't give the fight away any more than any other fight he'd ever been in. His style did, with a little help from Cotto.

Judah, a less fundamentally sound boxer than Cotto, also exploited Clottey's style. Merely by punching at Clottey, he outworked him and won rounds. Clottey's style is economical to a fault. He doesn't take a lot of chances, thinking defense-first the way he does, and if you can hit him and get out of the way, you can have a lot of success against him. If Judah's footwork was better, and if he wasn't in the midst of a career slide, and if he wasn't inclined toward finding a way to lose despite his talent, maybe he wins that fight.

That's another issue with Clottey: He kind of finds ways to lose or get taken out of his game, rather than fighting through it all. There's a little bit of bitch in Clottey, at least compared to the top-notch guts of some fighters. I don't doubt his hand injuries against Margarito, but any number of fighters routinely injure their hands and fight through it, from Mayweather to fighters who lacked Clottey's talent, like Arturo Gatti. In the Judah fight, he winced and hammed it up when Judah landed a low blow. He spent about a half hour recovering from Cotto's body slam. I don't know if the disqualification against Baldomir was justified or not, but there's a trend here, no?

What I'm trying to establish is that while I think Clottey's a legit foe for Pacquiao, that he's definitely worth of being top-5 at welter, that his style presents unique problems to his foes and that he's good enough to hang with the best of the best... the best of the best he ain't. Or, at least, he hasn't proven himself to be in his career so far, owing to a variety of defects in his game and a dearth of wins against said best-of-the-best.

It doesn't mean that Pacquiao beating him will be insignificant or anything like it -- it's be another huge win in a historic career. It doesn't mean he can't or won't win against Pacquiao; sometimes, non-super fighters beat super fighters by virtue of the dynamic between those two fighters, and sometimes non-super fighters become super fighters with one key win.

But it's a handicap.

For more Pacquiao vs Clottey updates, visit http://pacquiao-vs-clottey.cebuspace.com/.

Source: Tim Starks - queensberry-rules.com

Pacquiao warned of Clottey's dirty tactics

MANILA, Philippines - What makes Joshua Clottey a dangerous opponent for Manny Pacquiao is his unpredictability as a dirty fighter.

How Pacquiao will cope with Clottey’s low blows, headbutting, holding and lacing is a big question mark since the Filipino icon has experienced difficulty handling rule-breakers in the past. Clottey’s headbutting is a major concern.

He repeatedly banged heads with Argentina’s Carlos Baldomir in 1999 and was disqualified in the 11th round.

In 2005, Clottey butted Steve Martinez so badly that referee Wayne Hedgpeth was forced to stop their fight in the second round and declared it a no-contest.

In 2007, he kept fouling Shamone Alvarez and won a 12-round decision because referee Jay Nady tolerated his illegal tactics, exasperating the previously unbeaten American.

Last year, the Ghanaian roughhouser left Miguel Cotto with a cut that took 20 stitches to close, courtesy of a butt. “The most dangerous weapon in Clottey’s arsenal and what Pacquiao will have to be most aware of, is undoubtedly Clottey’s head,” wrote Don Stradley in The Ring Magazine (April 2010).

“The sheer contour of it is menacing, the forehead bulging slightly as if nature designed Clottey with the specific intention of giving other fighters headaches and bad cuts.” Clottey’s most inglorious moment was when he went on a butting rampage against Baldomir in a bout for the vacant International Boxing Council (IBC) welterweight title in London. Italian referee Franco Ciminale docked two points from Clottey for a blatant butt in the 10th round, opening a nasty wound over Baldomir’s left eye.

Clottey butted Baldomir once more in the 11th, causing Ciminale to issue a stern warning.

But the Ghanaian didn’t seem to care about Ciminale’s reprimand or that he led in the three judges scorecards – 96-92 (Thailand’s Anek Hongtongkam), 95-93 (Austria’s Walter Schall) and 95-93 (Mexico’s Jose Guerra).

He blew a sure win by butting Baldomir again, leaving Ciminale no choice but to rule a disqualification.

That established Clottey’s unsavory reputation as an instinctively dirty fighter – almost like it’s in his nature to be dirty. Boxing News writer Tony Connolly said there was also reason to disqualify Clottey for low blows which he threw throughout the fight with impunity. In 2006, referee Lou Moret slapped a point deduction on Clottey for a low blow but the Ghanaian still beat Richard Gutierrez on points.

In 2008, Clottey won a ninth round technical decision over Zab Judah who was ruled unfit to continue by referee Robert Byrd because of a cut from an alleged butt.

Clottey’s vile tricks not only inflict physical damage but also cause mental anxiety.

Alvarez, for instance, couldn’t get untracked as he lost his focus, defending against butts and low blows instead of executing his fightplan.

Pacquiao has met two unscrupulously dirty fighters in his career – Australia’s Nedal Hussein and the Dominican Republic’s Agapito Sanchez.

He had problems dealing with both. In 2000, Pacquiao couldn’t figure out Hussein at first and was even floored in the fourth round.

Hussein hit on the break and used his forearms, elbows, shoulders and head to throw off Pacquiao.

Referee Carlos (Sonny) Padilla, however, put his foot down and slapped a point deduction on Hussein for forearming Pacquiao right after the knockdown.

Pacquiao eventually stopped Hussein on cuts in the 10th round. In 2001, Sanchez gave Pacquiao fits with his shenanigans during their brawl in San Francisco.

Referee Marty Denkin deducted two points from Sanchez for low blows but the Dominican got away with a headbutt that split open Pacquiao’s right eyelid in the second.

Sanchez butted Pacquiao once more on the same spot in the sixth.

Denkin should’ve disqualified Sanchez outright but copped out by halting the contest and going to the scorecards.

Pacquiao escaped with a split technical draw but without the two-point deduction, he would’ve lost by a split decision. At the point of stoppage, judge Ricardo Bays of Florida had it 58-54 for Pacquiao, judge Marshall Walker of California 55-57 for Sanchez and judge Raul Armando Caiz of Texas, 56-all.

Clottey’s history of resorting to foul tactics is an indication that he won’t be restrained from going against the rules to win a fight.

For more Pacquiao vs Clottey updates, visit http://pacquiao-vs-clottey.cebuspace.com/.

Source: Joaquin Henson - philstar.com

Clottey's Advantages

Fight week has arrived, but it seems a lot of the excitement over Pacquiao-Clottey has been subsumed by the interest in Mayweather-Mosley. Part of that - as Rumble writer Anthony Wilson points out - is obviously due to the disappointment over Pacquiao-Mayweather and the specter of steroids. Some of it is owed to the fact that there was no 24/7 leading into this fight and it was only made official 8 weeks ago.

The largest reason, though, why there seems to be so little heat is that it is nearly universally believed Pacquiao will win. There was genuine drama going into Pacquaio's most recent fights; his last fight as such a clear favorite was against the overmatched David Diaz, and Manny was predictably brilliant.

Joshua Clottey, however, is no David Diaz. Clottey has some clear advantages over Manny and is capable of winning this fight. An underdog? Yes. A sacrificial lamb? No.

Here are some reasons for Pacquiao fans to be concerned and Clottey fans to have hope going into their March 13 showdown.

Size: Joshua Clottey is a big man, or at least a big welterweight. He has been at 147 lbs his entire career, and it's a miracle he can still make weight. Against the late Chico Corrales, Joshua Clottey entered the ring at nearly 170 lbs.

Manny Pacquiao, as shown in the preview show, struggles to retain the size to fight as a welterweight. He will likely enter the ring at no more than 150 lbs, a full ten or fifteen less than Clottey. While Pacquiao has faced naturally bigger men before in De La Hoya and Miguel Cotto, Clottey will be the largest and fittest opponent of his career.

Right Hand: Joshua Clottey has a deceptive and quick straight right hand. It is not as flashy as Pacquiao's weapons, but it lands well and can be used at range. Manny's most recent difficult fights - Erik Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez - came against fighters with strong right hands. Ricky Hatton, Oscar De La Hoya, and Cotto were predominantly left handed punchers, will Pacquiao be able to adapt?

Durability: Joshua Clottey has walked through some of the biggest welterweight punchers of his generation with barely a backward step. Clottey has only suffered one knockdown in his career, an off-balance shot against Miguel Cotto, but has otherwise never been noticeably impacted by any punch.

Against Miguel Cotto, Manny Pacquiao had some difficulties the first few rounds before taking control after a big uppercut knockdown in the third. That was the punch that changed the fight. Can Manny hurt Clottey with a single shot? It's possible, but he hasn't shown vulnerability like Cotto or Hatton.

Dirty: I mean this is the most flattering possible way, but Joshua Clottey is a little bit dirty. He was DQ'd against Carlos Baldomir for head butting and has used the tactic in several other fights. Clottey has also been known to punch low to gain an advantage.

Manny has been known to get a little wild after being cut, and is a very clean fighter. Is it possible he could be thrown off his game by a bigger man with nothing to lose and a loose relationship with the rules?

Expectations: Manny has now established himself firmly as a historically great fighter on a historically great run. While a lot of people will argue that it is impossible for Clottey to win a decision because Pacquiao is the attraction and such a financial power, what if the opposite is true?

Over the last couple of years Manny Pacquiao has won virtually every round by huge margins. Other than the first rounds against Cotto, Manny has barely even been hit. Expectations are so high for Manny that if the rounds are even competitive might the judges give Clottey the benefit of the doubt?


*


I'm not going to step on my toes for my final prediction, but these factors and a few others give Joshua Clottey a legitimate chance to score the upset win. When the bell rings on Saturday night Manny Pacquiao fans should feel some butterflies in their stomach and Joshua Clottey fans should feel some hope. Clottey will have to put in the performance of a lifetime, but make no mistake, Manny Pacquiao is not going to "David Diaz" Joshua Clottey.

And if he does... well, that will be worth watching too.

For more Pacquiao vs Clottey updates, visit http://pacquiao-vs-clottey.cebuspace.com/.

Source: Avi "Shoefly" Korine - sportingnews.com