Clottey forecast, 'Manny will crush Floyd'

Source: By Abac Cordero (The Philippine Star)

HOLLYWOOD – Joshua Clottey thinks that Manny Pacquiao has the tools to beat Floyd Mayweather Jr.

“To be frank with you, the fight will be very, very tough for Mayweather,” said Clottey, who lost a unanimous decision to Pacquiao last Saturday at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

By this time, the 33-year-old Clottey must be home in Ghana, probably looking for a bank where he would keep his earnings from the Pacquiao fight. He was guaranteed $1.2 million for the fight.

It was the biggest paycheck ever in the ring, and even if he retires today, he and his family, including his 10-year-old daughter, can live a good life in Ghana or if he’d like to remain in his tiny New York apartment.

Clottey took all the punches Pacquiao threw at him but never went down. Because he covered up so well that Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times wrote that he fought like a turtle on the ring.

He believes that Pacquiao has the skills, speed, the power to beat Mayweather.

“Pacquiao is very fast and he keeps on throwing punches. Mayweather doesn’t throw too much. So, Manny will give him problems. Lots of problems,” said Clottey.

The former welterweight champion of the world said he has no regrets on losing to Pacquiao, and the way he fought the fight, spending more time covering up that he almost forgot to throw his punches.

“I think I did my best. But Manny Pacquiao has defeated almost everybody and he knocked them out,” said Clottey, seemingly content that he was up on his feet when the final bell sounded before 51,000 fans.

“Unfortunately, I lost. I did what I can. I did my best. Maybe next time I can improve,” said Clottey.

But there will be no next time. Not against Pacquiao, said the Filipino’s trainer, Freddie Roach.

“He was satisfied with going the distance with Manny Pacquiao. And he did. But HBO will never use him again. They told me. If you fight for a world title, you don’t go on a survival mode. You try to win the title cause you know one it’s a once in a lifetime.”

“He’ll never get another title shot in his life,” Roach said after the fight.

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Roach disappointed with Clottey

Source: By Joaquin Henson (The Philippine Star)

ARLINGTON – Trainer Freddie Roach said he expected more from Joshua Clottey than just surviving the distance with Manny Pacquiao in their 12-round bout for the WBO welterweight title at the Cowboys Stadium here last Saturday night (yesterday morning, Manila time).

“I’m a little disappointed with Clottey,” said Roach. “This was a championship fight. This was his chance to win a title and beat Manny. But I think all he wanted to do was to go the distance.” Roach said he couldn’t ask more from Pacquiao’s offense.

“Manny’s offense was excellent,” he continued. “He did exactly what we prepared for in the gym. He threw everything he had. If there was something that I found lacking, it was probably his defense. I thought he got hit with Clottey’s right hand once too many. Other than that, it was a perfect fight.”

Roach said if only Clottey threw more punches, Pacquiao would’ve broken through the Ghanaian’s turtle-shell defense.

“Clottey was afraid to open up because he knew Manny would hit him,” said Roach. “That’s why he didn’t throw as many punches as he should have. If he did, Manny would’ve located the openings to land his hooks and straights.”

Roach said it was a case of too much speed and skill for Clottey to handle.

“Manny was too fast for Clottey,” he said. “We wanted Manny to throw combinations then move away before Clottey could counter. We wanted Manny to bang the body so Clottey could bring down his defense. Clottey was just as we expected, a tough guy. He took a lot of Manny’s shots. But let’s face it, if Clottey engaged Manny, it probably wouldn’t have gone 12 rounds.”

Roach said Pacquiao was prepared to deal with foul tactics in case Clottey resorted to dirty tricks.

“Manny didn’t give Clottey a chance to do anything crazy,” said Roach. “He kept stepping on Manny’s foot at the start but I’d like to think that was because Manny’s a southpaw and Clottey’s right-handed. Manny took care of business and controlled the fight.”

The punchstats showed a wide disparity in punches thrown by both fighters. Pacquiao landed 246 of 1,231 punches compared to Clottey’s 108 of 399. While the figures indicated that Clottey had a higher rate of connection, Pacquiao was clearly the dominant fighter.

The judges’ scorecards reflected the lopsided nature of the bout. Duane Ford, 72, scored it a shutout, 120-108. It was Ford’s fourth assignment in a Pacquiao fight after Miguel Cotto, Juan Manuel Marquez (rematch) and Erik Morales (rubber match). Levi Martinez and Nelson Vasquez both saw it 119-109, awarding only the third round to Clottey.

Referee Rafael Ramos, a retired US Army sergeant first class, said he had no difficulty working the fight.

“It was definitely more exciting than the Juan Manuel Marquez-Julio Diaz fight I did last year,” said Ramos. “I couldn’t believe the crowd. It was an amazing experience. Manny’s the best in the world. It was an honor to do the fight.”

Ramos, 53, is a Puerto Rican who lives in San Antonio. He has worked over 300 fights, including at least 50 world title bouts.

“I wanted to make sure the fight would be fair and square,” said Ramos. “There are a few instances where Clottey butted, hit below the belt, elbowed and stepped on Manny’s foot. But I immediately gave him a warning. I don’t think it was deliberate on his part. Anyway, the infractions weren’t major and Manny was in total control of the fight.”

Ramos was in Pacquiao’s dressing room after the fight and congratulated the champion.

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