Does Clottey have a chance?

If one were just looking at the two gentleman side by side, and didn't know any better, they would all point at Clottey. They would say, "That guy, the big fella, he will win." But, it's not that simple. Pacquiao has been here before. He's been in the big fights, and he's been on the big stage. This is however the biggest opponent that Manny will have ever faced.

Clottey is no joke, and Pacquiao has trained just as hard for him as he has any other opponent. Back in 2006, Joshua Clottey was taking Margarito to school. Clottey was dominating the fight until he injured his hand. After the injury, Margarito was able to regroup and barely get out of there with a victory. The man from Ghana knows how big a victory over Pacquiao would be for his career. He also knows how Pacquiao's previous opponents have ended up. Most of them are knocked out, or they quit in their corners.

Check out video of Pacquiao training here - http://http://www.examiner.com/x-10947-Filipino-Sports-Examiner~y2010m3d10-Exclusive-Video-Pacquiao-training-with-Freddie-Roach-for-Clottey--the-Gaylord-Texan-Hotel

Clottey has wins over the late Diego "Chico" Coralles, and Zab Judah. He is a big strong welterweight that keeps coming. Manny will have to respect Clottey's power, and he will have to respect his chin. It's difficult to hurt him. Clottey is banking on catching Manny coming in. He hopes to catch Manny with a perfectly timed punch. It's been a long time since Manny was remotely hurt inside of the boxing ring, so it would be interesting to see how Manny handled being injured in the ring.

Does Clottey have a chance to pull of this victory? It's not very probable, but it's possible. The general consensus is that Pacquiao's speed and his own power will prove too much for Clottey to handle. This scenario may very well happen, and seems more likely.

Mississippi fans for the most part are all saying Pacquiao wins easily. Assistant MS Athletic Director, Patrick Turner believes that an upset is possible, but not likely. Stan Nichols, Chief of Officials (MS) and President of the USA Boxing Southern Association believes that Pacquiao will win, but he will have some difficulty, " I think this fight is a dangerous fight for Pacquiao. He's facing a natural welterweight who can crack. The question is, will Manny be able to avoid Clottey's power for 12 rounds?"

This is not a fight that anyone should be taking lightly. Manny Pacquiao knows that he is going up against a very live opponent. Clottey knows all too well how Pacquao's previous opponents have ended up. Does Clottey have a chance? Yes, but it's not a very good one.

Check out additional footage of Pacquiao and an interview with Alex Ariza here - http://www.8countnews.com

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

Source: examiner.com

Pacquiao calm, confident for fight vs Clottey

ARLINGTON, Texas — Manny Pacquiao arrived at Cowboys Stadium on Wednesday in a bus skinned with his likeness, the seats filled with members of his entourage.

He walked into the formal part of his appearance wearing a snazzy straw hat and a dark blazer. He quickly swapped the sports coat for a red jacket featuring his MP logo in golden thread.

He talked about his upcoming election for Congress in his homeland, the Philippines.

He talked about singing — rehearsing with his band the night before, with another session later Wednesday night, all in preparation for a performance at the after-party following his fight Saturday night.

Oh, yeah. The fight.

Billed as "The Event," Pacquiao is facing Joshua Clottey on Saturday night in boxing's debut at the $1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium.

It's an intriguing matchup perfect for a football stadium — Pacquiao's furious offense against Clottey's dedication to defense — and it'll look amazing on the 72-foot-high, 160-foot-wide video boards towering over the ring.

A sellout crowd of 45,000 is expected, with the attendance possibly soaring if Cowboys owner Jerry Jones decides to sell standing-room-only tickets. And, of course, there's the pay-per-view audience that promoter Bob Arum said is likely to top the hoped-for total of 700,000.

Put the pieces together, and it all makes perfect sense: The WBO welterweight champion — already considered the best fighter in the world, pound for pound — is treating this entire week as one big performance, especially if he wins that election and decides to devote more time on politics that pugilism.

"I'm inspired to give a good show, to do my best," Pacquiao said, smiling. "To impress the people, you have to make your best (effort)."

Then trainer Freddie Roach jumped in, cranking up the hype.

"There's no stage big enough for Manny Pacquiao," Roach said. "He loves it, and I love it. He's going to perform for the crowd. He'll entertain all 45,000. He'll entertain everybody."

Roach said the adrenaline surge that's going to come from walking into the ring in these surroundings already has been factored into the game plan. That likely means even more punches from Pacquiao (50-3-2), who is already knowing for throwing plenty.

Then again, Clottey (35-3) is known for blocking punches. The 32-year-old Ghana native also has never been knocked out and knocked down only once.

"Blocking punches doesn't win fights," Roach said. "I think we can stop him in the late rounds. The accumulation of punches he'll be taking in this fight he's never seen before. ... I don't think he'll be able to handle it."

Clottey is taller and with a longer reach. He's never been stopped cold, with his few losses including a disqualification in 1999 and a split decision to Miguel Cotto in his last bout, in June.

Clottey was given this opportunity against Pacquiao when his proposed megafight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. fell through. He's very appreciative for this opportunity and has nothing but nice things to say about Pacquiao.

It's Roach who rankles him, from the predicted result to talk of a head butt being one of Clottey's best punches.

Clottey's prediction?

"I'm predicting a win," he said.

Clottey's trainer is Lenny De Jesus, who spent a few years as Pacquiao's cutman. Clottey went with him after his preferred trainer was denied a visa.

Something else missing from his preparation: film sessions, at least not any featuring Pacquiao.

"I don't like doing that," Clottey said. "I know his style, I know the way he moves, the way he throws punches, so it doesn't matter.

"I study myself," he added. "I watch my own fights. I know what I have to do."

As for Pacquiao's future, Arum laughed off any chance that his ace would walk away at the top of his career. He said he keeps hearing about it from Roach, but never from Pacquiao.

All Pacquiao said about it Wednesday was, "I don't know."

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

Source: statesman.com

Joshua Clottey ready to follow hometown heroes when he fights Manny Pacquiao

What is most remarkable about the teak-tough Joshua Clottey is where he hails from.


Tough neighbourhood: Joshua Clottey hails from Bukom in Ghana Photo: REUTERS

Bukom, in Jamestown, on the outskirts of the country's capital Accra, is an area known to all Ghanaians. It is a slum, and yet the small number of criss-crossed dusty streets in the port town have spawned a succession of world-class fighters over several decades.

Clottey follows in the tradition of the great Azumah Nelson, arguably the best boxer to come from Africa, who defeated Wilfredo Gómez in the Eighties and held the World Boxing Council title at feather and super-featherweight, and Ike Quartey, the welterweight from the mid-Nineties, who fought, and lost, to Oscar de la Hoya.

They all hail from those tough streets. The people of this tiny shanty are renowned as warriors throughout Ghana.

Clottey remembers when, as a youngster, he was beaten up in a street fight by the local bully. Until then, football had been his game, his precious football boots lovingly polished.

He had dreamt of playing professionally, even for his beloved Manchester United, with his heroes, among them Ryan Giggs and Eric Cantona.

Why Manchester United? "Why? Because they were the team who were always winning, and sport is about winning," he says.

Clottey, cool, calm, calculated and softly spoken, admits the street fight was the moment his life changed. He started training, strengthening his arms by weight training with bags of bricks and rocks and running twice a day.

But he also started going to one of the renowned Jamestown gyms. And then he went back and got his revenge.

"I beat him and I became a boxer. It was a simple as that, and from that, here I am today, at the point where I am facing the No 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world."

There are those who believe Manny Pacquiao's relentless attacks will prove too much for Clottey when the two powerful welterweights collide in front of the newly built $1.2 billion (£800 million) Dallas Cowboys Stadium on Saturday night, in front of a capacity crowd of 50,000, but Clottey shakes a finger slowly.

"He is showing you that he cannot be discouraged," one of his entourage said.

Clottey and his brother, Emmanuel, set out to make their fortunes in boxing in Europe just over a decade ago. They alighted at the Lennox Lewis Centre, in Hackney, where promoter Frank Maloney housed fighters from Africa and Eastern Europe, a spartan environment where fighters ran in the morning, slept in miniature dormitories, showered and sparred, repeating the process daily.

Clottey, now 33, made New York his base after that, and has a nine-year-old daughter in Ghana, whom he cites as his "inspiration". He has clawed his way through the welterweight division, having lost only twice to world champions Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto, and the second of those was close.

Clottey has never been stopped nor been knocked out. He has a reputation for being a dirty fighter, probably because he has a very hard head and has led with it at times. But if the battler from Bukom has his way, the form book will be overturned on Saturday night.

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

Source: telegraph.co.uk

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