It could be Pacquiao's sheer dominance and brilliance in his past 5 fights or it could be Clottey's relative anonimity. It could even be disappointment over the postponed fight against Mayweather. Whatever it is, there just doesn't seem to be enough buzz for this Sunday's fight between Manny Pacquiao, the Philippines' greatest boxer and Ghana's former Welterweight Champion, Joshua Clottey. While many people scoff at Clottey's chances, I think there is more than one reason to find this fight more than exciting.
Machete?
Despite being a heavy underdog, people don't seem to remember that Clottey has never been hurt in a fight. He has lost, twice by (controversial) decision and once by disqualification, but no opponent in his career has ever hurt him enough to get him in trouble. Even when Miguel Cotto knocked him down, it was one of those flash knockdowns, and Clottey promptly stood up and almost ended up beating Cotto. Clottey is always chiseled and in shape. He has excellent defense (even Kevin Iole calls him a modern Winky Wright), making him tremendously difficult to hit and when he does get hit, he has shown he can take it. That's why this fight, as much as it is a test for Clottey, it is a actually a true test for Pacquiao. If people want to see just how strong Pacquiao is and exactly how technically sound his offense is now, this is the fight that will show them.
Three Handed Monster
Joshua Clottey, as powerful as he is, is even more dangerous because he is, as my brother calls it, a "three handed monster." Aside from his heavy right hand a capable left, Clottey has a penchant for using his head, the illegal way. Call it whatever you want, dirty or just lunging, the fact of the matter is, Clottey's opponents have a high percentage of getting hit with a head butt. That's why a lot of Clottey's opponents have ended up bleeding. This is a significant problem because as tough as Pacquiao is, he hates bleeding. He hates blood tests and he loses speed and ferocity when he starts bleeding in fights. It can be remembered that he had a lot of trouble in the fights against Agapito Sanchez and Erik Morales, where he was bleeding from head butts. (He lost to Morales, while Sanchez was disqualified) That's why this fight is a lot more dangerous than people anticipate. It's hard to fight an opponent who uses his head (illegally).
Pressure Points
The problem with being the great one like Pacquiao is, everyone now expects him to dominate everyone not named Mayweather. Now, Manny is the ultimate favorite, and all the pressure to dominate and win is all on him. That, coupled with the pressure to win for the entire Philippine nation is more than enough for mere mortals to carry. That's why this fight is tougher for Pacquiao than usual. This time, he has to win and dominate. Otherwise, his aura of invincibility loses a lot of luster.
Of course, like any other FIlipino, I am still 100% behind Pacquiao. I'm still predicting an impressive win, 9th round or later. It's just that, I think I'm going to be a lot more excited than others about this fight. You would be too if you agree.
photos courtesy of AP and Yahoo! Sports
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