When Bronx, New York denizen Joshua Clottey enters the ring on March 13 to face Manny Pacquiao, he will do so as a heavy 5-1 underdog.
In fact, many boxing pundits and fans are viewing this bout as a prelude for Pacquiao to an eventual showdown with former pound-for-pound kingpin, Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
And it is certain that the sellout crowd at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas is expecting ‘The Fighting Pride of the Philippines’ to further cement his legacy as one of the greatest fighters in the history of boxing.
However, make no mistake about it, Clottey, who has an impressive record of 35-3 with 20 knockouts (KO’s), is going to give Pacquiao the toughest fight he’s had since his split decision victory over Juan Manuel Marquez nearly two years ago.
Born and raised in Accra, Ghana, Clottey is the perfect storm waiting to happen for Pacquiao in terms of possessing an imposing combination of boxing acumen, power, size, speed, stamina, and toughness to give the seven-division World Champion all he can possibly handle.
In addition, with his gloves always held high to his face and his back hunched over so that his elbows protect his body, Clottey has a tight defense that will be extremely challenging for Pacquiao to crack.
Clottey’s three losses came at the hands of former World Welterweight Champions Carlos Baldomir, Antonio Margarito, and Miguel Cotto; who have a total of 68 KO’s between them in 144 fights.
But not only did Baldomir, Margarito, and Cotto fail to knock out Clottey, all three fights could have easily gone in Clottey’s favor had it not been for a unique set of circumstances working against him in each contest.
In his fight with Baldomir for the World Boxing Council (WBC) International Welterweight Title, Clottey was ahead on the scorecards until the 10th round when he was penalized for an intentional head butt. Later in the round, when he led with his head again, Clottey was disqualified and the fight was awarded to Baldomir.
Seven years later, when Clottey challenged Antonio Margarito, the most avoided fighter in the Welterweight Division at the time, for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) Welterweight Championship, he broke his right hand in the 4th round and lost the bout by a closer than expected unanimous decision.
Last year, after getting knocked down in the first round by then-WBO Welterweight Champion Miguel Cotto, Clottey rose from the canvas to go to work on a cut over Cotto’s left eye, caused by an accidental head butt in the 3rd round, and took the welterweight superstar to the limit. However, Clottey ended up on the short end of a controversial and narrow split decision, which placed the third loss on his record.
So, as evidenced, win or lose, in the proud tradition of Ghanaian boxers like Azumah Nelson and Ike Quartey, Clottey will never retreat nor will he ever surrender as have Pacquiao’s previous four knockout victims.
Speaking of Pac-Man, his ascension to iconic status by winning titles in seven different weight classes, from junior flyweight to welterweight, has been incredible to witness to say the least.
But, although Pacquiao has won his last 4 bouts in spectacular fashion, the caliber of his opponents has to cause one to temper the praise that is being heaped upon the 31-year-old left-handed fighting sensation.
Within a span of a year and a half, Pacquiao vanquished David Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, and Miguel Cotto, winning four World Titles in three weight classes (lightweight, junior welterweight, welterweight) along the way.
Diaz, who is nicknamed ‘Dangerous’, was anything but against Pacquiao as the average and soft-handed Chicago native would relinquish the WBC World Lightweight Title to Pacquiao after getting knocked out in the 9th round.
When Pacquiao stepped into the ring with a 35-year-old De La Hoya, ‘The Golden Boy’ was at the very end of his run as the sport’s top draw and was still boxing, at that advanced stage of his career, simply for the huge paydays his name still attracted.
Ricky Hatton’s style was custom-made for Pacquiao because ‘The Hitman’ had no concept of defense, leaving him completely open to Pac-Man’s lethal offensive assault leading to, not surprisingly, a devastating 2nd round KO by Pacquiao.
As for Miguel Cotto, he hasn’t been the same fighter since a brutal 11th round technical knockout (TKO) loss to Antonio Margarito in 2008; a fight in which Cotto’s uncle and trainer, Evangelista Cotto, threw in the towel to put a stop to the beating his nephew was taking at the hands of Margarito.
Not one of the aforementioned fighters brings the combination of boxing skills, defensive skills, intestinal fortitude, and toughness that Clottey will bring to the table against Pacquiao.
And this will be Pacquaio’s first bout against a predominantly right-handed fighter since taking on Juan Manuel Marquez in early 2008; a fight in which Pac-Man won by a close split decision.
All these reasons are why we’re picking Clottey to pull off a huge upset by winning a very narrow decision.
Do you have the courage to make the same prediction?
Sorry, Floyd; you had your chance and you blew it.
Joshua 'The Hitter' Clottey (Courtesy HBO from YouTube)
Comments
I enjoyed this column even though I know nothing about boxing.:) Now I think if I have to watch this I might be able to understand it a little more.
Where did you measure "heart"? Pac-Man's has gotten him through some tough ones before and I don't see him quitting on this one. Besides, he's not only a 5-1 favorite because of his skills...the fight is in the new Texas Stadium and Texas is a haven for hispanic fighters giving him a "hometown" advantage (nothing short of a KO for Clottey will do). Smart money is on Pacquaio to defend..but a damn good article nonetheless...
FINALLY!! An article that pointed out EXACTLY what I'm trying to explain to people who are not die hard boxing fans. If u look @ there past opponents, Pac while a welterweight fought damaged goods or has-beens. A lot of people out there watch boxing, but don't study it. For Roach to make a bold prediction like a 6 or 7th round ko is pretty bold an suggest 1 thing.. they're looking past Clottey. Big mistake.. I'm picking CLOTTEY. I'm going 4 the upset. Clottey. UD!
Barbara, thank you for reading and commenting. I hope if you do watch the fight this article will help you understand more about what's going on.
Ricardo, thank you for reading and commenting, buddy. Allow me to point out that Pac-Man is Philippino not Hispanic. In addition, Juan Manuel Marquez is the last fighter who's really pushed Pacquiao to the limit. In fact, he did it twice and it could be argued that Marquez won both of those fights. Clottey will give him that type of test and then we'll see what kind of heart Pacquiao has. And, by the way, thank you for the compliment regarding the article. I really appreciate it.
DJDonL, thank you for reading and commenting. I really appreciate it. We'll definitely be in the minority come tomorrow night but, as you pointed out, Clottey shouldn't be underestimated or overlooked. This one's going the distance.
Good job, Ronald! Its refreshing to read a boxing writer on the Examiner.com who is fair and looks at facts rather than indulge in fantasy as many of your fellow scribes do on this site. I agree with your conclusion. Examiner.com is lucky to have you. It balances out the non-stop Pacquiao worship and Mayweather haters. Keep up the good work and I look forward to your next article!
Hey Ronald, Not stopping back to gloat, just wanted to clarify my point about Pac-Man. I know he's Phillippino and technically can't be classified as Hispanic. However, having lived in Texas, he's been adopted in the absence of a true Latin-American on the card. Nobody in Texas was rooting for Clottey and you can read between the lines on that one.
Hey, Ricardo. I hear you, buddy. You have every right to gloat. Clottey's defense was superb. Unfortunately, it was offense that was lacking on his part last night. Respect due to Pacquiao as he awaits the winner of the fight between Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and 'Sugar' Shane Mosley in May.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!