DALLAS – Joshua Clottey’s size will save him from a knockout but he’ll lose just the same to Manny Pacquiao in their WBO welterweight title fight at the Cowboys Stadium in nearby Arlington this morning (Manila time).
That’s the prognosis of WBO superflyweight champion Jorge Arce who said yesterday that while Pacquiao is widely recognized as the world’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, he’s not quite the natural welterweight that Clottey is.
“I respect Manny,” said Arce who is in town to promote his WBO title defense against Evert Briceno in Mexico City on March 27. “Manny’s the man of the moment right now, the best in the world. But I don’t see Manny knocking out Clottey who’s just too big to go down. Clottey is a legitimate welterweight while Manny’s just adjusting to this weight level.”
Arce said for sure, Pacquiao will win but Clottey will survive the distance.
Clottey has fought as a welterweight since 1997 when Pacquiao was still a flyweight. Twice, Clottey battled as a lightmiddleweight. Two years ago, Clottey tipped the scales at 149 but entered the ring at 170 to drop blown-up welterweight Diego Corrales twice en route to a lopsided win on points.
In yesterday’s open-air weigh-in outside the Cowboys Stadium, Clottey scaled 147 and Pacquiao, 145 3/4. Clottey’s manager Lenny de Jesus said the Ghanaian had no difficulty making weight and was just a half pound over the limit two days before. But Clottey was seen jogging vigorously and jumping rope to shed off weight the other day.
Pacquiao has never weighed heavier. For the Miguel Cotto fight last November, he tipped the scales at 144. Against Oscar de la Hoya, in 2008, Pacquiao weighed in at 142 even as the catchweight limit was 147.
For Clottey, it won’t matter if he’s slow-footed against Pacquiao because of his size advantage. He’ll use his body mass to pressure Pacquiao into the ropes and the corners, lean on him to tire him out and bang the body. In the middle of the ring, Clottey will stand and wait for Pacquiao to move in then will counterpunch with the left hook or the right uppercut.
Arce, 30, said he’s looking forward to a showdown with interim WBA superflyweight titleholder Nonito Donaire Jr. who’s expected to show up for the Pacquiao-Clottey fight.
“I think a fight against Donaire will be big,” said Arce. “I can see us doing one, two or three fights. I can’t tell you who’ll win but maybe, Donaire can win one fight. Both of us want to win so it will be a very exciting fight.”
Donaire recently said he won’t mind taking on Arce but doubts if the bout will happen.
“I don’t think the Mexicans want Arce to fight me,” said Donaire. “They don’t want to see one of their boxing heroes lose. But if Top Rank makes it happen, I’ll gladly fight Arce. He’s a world champion and I know I can take his belt away.”
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Arce’s adviser Sampson Lewkowicz, however, said he’ll advise the Mexican to avoid Donaire.
“Arce just signed me up to a contract as an adviser,” said Lewkowicz. “He’s won all the fights I’ve arranged for him. That’s probably why he wanted me as an adviser. My advice for him is to stay away from Donaire. I don’t think the fight will be good for Arce. It won’t do a thing to make him more marketable.”
Lewkowicz is also here to witness the Pacquiao-Clottey fight.
“Looking at Clottey’s previous fights, it’s obvious that he’s a dirty fighter,” said Lewkowicz. “When (Floyd) Mayweather didn’t want to fight Manny, Top Rank considered Michael Katsidis as an opponent but was ruled out because he would be too easy an opponent. Then, Top Rank came up with Clottey. I think Clottey is a dangerous opponent because Manny has difficulty with dirty fighters. We all saw how Manny was fouled repeatedly by Agapito Sanchez who nearly won on a split technical decision.”
Like Arce, Lewkowicz said Clottey can take a punch and his durability will allow him to go the distance with Pacquiao.
“The fight will definitely go the distance,” said Lewkowicz. “But there’s no way Manny can lose. Still, I don’t think it was a good decision to get Clottey as an opponent. There is the possibility of Manny getting badly cut up. It doesn’t make sense to put Manny against someone like Clottey. He doesn’t gain anything from it by winning.”
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Las Vegas referee Kenny Bayless, who worked Pacquiao’s last two fights against Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto, will be the third man in the ring when two-time WBC lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo faces Alfonso Gomez in a 10-round supporter in this morning’s undercard.
Bayless, whose son Kenny Jr. was in Manila and Surigao last year on a Christian missionary tour, said he doesn’t know much about Rafael Ramos - the Puerto Rican designated to work the Pacquiao-Clottey main event.
“I know of Rafael,” said Bayless. “He does a good job. If Clottey fights dirty, I’m confident Rafael will do something right away to stop the foul tactics. It probably won’t lead to a disqualification because Rafael will make sure no one is disadvantaged because of dirty tricks.”
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