Can a boxer lay out the right game plan to beat a top-ranked opponent even while suffering a lopsided loss?
That's not a rhetorical question after what just went down in front of nearly 51,000 fans at Cowboys Stadium on Saturday night. Joshua Clottey didn't even manage to win three total rounds on the judges' scorecards while losing to Manny Pacquiao, and yet I couldn't help but think he did the right thing, given the tools at his disposal.
Ridiculous, you say? Bear with me here a moment.
Clottey obviously wasn't going to beat Manny at his own game. You simply don't beat Pacquiao to the punch, and the Grand Master's strengths are his tight defensive shell and accurate counterpunching.
So he stayed covered up and took his shots when and where he could. Clottey's real problem is that he doesn't have strong single-shot power, which is what you'd need to successfully pull off that strategy. Add in the fact that Manny really has a pretty decent chin and Clottey basically had no chance to win.
He certainly could have taken more chances and thrown caution to the wind a bit more, especially in the later rounds when it was clear there was no way he could win on the cards. But anyone who thinks he could have won the fight simply by throwing more punches is fooling himself.
The only time Manny hit Josh flush was when Clottey was throwing his own shots. Had he gone out of the guard more, there's a decent chance he may not have made it to the final bell.
Still, I think the combination of a tight guard (which did take Pac Man about four rounds to figure out) and legitimate power exercised at the right times could be the formula to beating Pacquiao. Looking at his potential opponents, though, I'm not sure there's someone out there with the correct combination of attributes to carry it out.
Floyd Mayweather has the correct defense/countering tools, though his defense is focused on slipping and avoiding punches more than picking them off. If he fights and beats Manny, I think it will be because his physical gifts are even more impressive than Pacquiao's own.
Shane Mosley would be the boxer to most likely fight fire with fire, trying to get off first at times and engage in more trading of punches. He's certainly knowledgeable on defense but not the type to make that a focus of his game plan.
In the end, I guess I think the criticism of Clottey's effort is a bit harsh. Some people are acting like he made a choice to lose, when honestly it seemed more like a choice between fighting his own fight and losing by decision or trying to be something he wasn't and getting knocked out.
Clottey had the right idea, but he wasn't the right man to take out the current version of Pacquiao.
More closing thoughts on "The Event":
* I'll add my voice to the chorus hoping that boxing will return to Cowboys Stadium. It just looked like a phenomenal atmosphere for a big fight, even though the view from some of the seats wasn't too sweet.
* Speaking of the cheap seats, Max Kellerman went out into the standing room section to demonstrate how hard it was to see from there. He also mentioned it was $50 for parking, which is flat out robbery. Yet as the Official Stepdad/Dad of the BoxingWatchers pointed out, it cost $85 combined for tickets and parking in standing room. That's still a lot cheaper than the worst seats at the MGM Grand for PPV cards.
* The undercard was rightfully panned. It didn't help that John Duddy has decided to forsake his action-first style or that Jose Luis Castillo was obviously there just to pick up a check. It's shameful, but the economic structure of boxing doesn't make it likely that undercards will improve any time soon, no matter how much lip service promoters pay to fixing them.
* Kellerman said during the broadcast that it would be a "crime against boxing" if Antonio Margarito is allowed to fight Pacquiao this fall as a Plan B for negotiations with Mayweather falling apart again. I agree with him in theory, because Margarito doesn't deserve the spotlight and the payday. But in practice I'm warming up to this idea because I'd just like to see Manny knock him around.
* Jim Lampley had his pompoms out big time during his soon-to-be-infamous "Bang! Bang!" call describing Pacquiao's non-stop punching. Thank goodness Emanuel Steward is there to balance things out, though I felt he almost went too far giving credit to Clottey for clean punching at times when it was clear the Grand Master was still losing rounds.
* It's easy for us to call for Clottey to go out on his shield from the safety of our own couches. But when other boxers are saying he should go for it, like Andre Berto was on Twitter during the fight, I take that a little more seriously.
* I'm not sure if Lenny De Jesus was the right trainer to get Clottey prepared for Pacquiao, but at least he gave Joshua the honest picture during the fight. De Jesus correctly told his fighter he was losing every round and that he would have to go for the KO at the end to have any chance of winning.
Posted by The Franchise
Showing posts with label josh clottey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label josh clottey. Show all posts
14.3.10
13.3.10
Manny Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey: Round By Round
We're about 15 minutes away from the main event at Cowboys Stadium featuring Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey. Over 50,000 people are on hand in a truly spectacular setting.
There are three national anthems to get through. Soraya Simons sings the anthem for Ghana and Arnel Pineda does the same for the Filipino anthem. Three of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders sing "The Star-Spangled Banner." They look like they may be lip-synching.
The tale of the tape shows that Pac Man is one year younger, but Clottey has small and reach advantages. Clottey weighed in at just over a pound more yesterday but did not allow HBO to weigh him today.
Clottey heads for the ring first. He is 35-3 with 20 KOs, though his last fight was a narrow loss to Miguel Cotto. It's a long walk to the ring through the mammoth stadium.
The noise picks up from the fans as Manny makes his way out, smiling as usual. He has "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC playing, a tribute to the late Arturo Gatti, which then turns into "Eye of the Tiger." Pac Man is 50-3-2, with his last loss coming narly five years ago.
Rafael Ramos is the referee in charge of the action. Michael Buffer handles the introductions, and we're set for a scheduled 12 rounds for the WBO welterweight title.
Round 1
Both men miss their first punches. Clottey has his guard tight as expected. Manny tries a weak punch to the body. Pac Man lets go, but Clottey blocks most of the shots. Manny bounces back, then comes forward with both hands. Jab by Clottey is answered by a flurry. Clottey finally lands and eats an immediate counter. Pacquiao tries the body again. Nothing huge lands in the final 30 seconds.
Franchise: 10-9 Pacquiao
Spartan117: 10-9 Pacquiao
Round 2
Pac Man bangs away off Clottey's forearms. Both men score with jabs. Clottey comes forward with two shots upstairs. Manny picks away from the outside. The crowd tries to get Pacquiao into it. Good right hand by Clottey. He tries to come forward with a body shot or two. Manny unleashes a combo to the body, then a left to the head. More body work by Manny. Clottey finds the mark with two punches upstairs. Clottey blocks more shots right before the bell.
Franchise: 10-9 Pacquiao
Spartan117: 10-9 Pacquiao
Round 3
The ref cautions Pacquiao for leading with his head. Manny goes to the body with multiple shots. Uppercut by Clottey. Pac Man backs up his foe with another flurry. Clottey digs in and tries his own body work. Manny goes right back to work with 60 seconds to go. Clottey lands a hard right hand that makes the fans gasp a bit. Clottey is forced to cover up in the corner as Manny hits the gas. Clottey is landing some clean shots, but not enough of them right now.
Franchise: 10-9 Pacquiao
Spartan117: 10-9 Pacquiao
Round 4
Clottey comes forward but not behind any punches. A right hand is answered by several punches from Pacquiao. The Grand Master leaves a brief opening and has to right back on defense. The ref pulls the men apart for an unknown reason. Clottey tries a body shot and an uppercut. Joshua slows down for a moment and the fans react. Clottey weathers a storm and lands two to the body.
Franchise: 10-9 Pacquiao
Spartan117: 10-9 Pacquiao
Round 5
Manny circles as Clottey applies pressure. Clottey lands about four shots in his best sustained offense to this point. He reaches over Pacquiao's jab but also gets hit with a counter. Jab by Clottey. He tries to close in and is quickly tied up. Manny has his guard up right now as well. Clottey is warned for low shots as he tries the body. Manny finally turns it around and tries a flurry. Best round for Clottey, but probably still not enough to take the round.
Franchise: 10-9 Pacquiao
Spartan117: 10-9 Pacquiao
Round 6
Lots of circling to start this round. Clottey opens up with a nice combination. He goes back to the guard as Pacquiao fights off the ropes. Clottey tries more combo punching and Pac Man simply moves away. Both men score in a quick exchange. Manny flurries along the ropes, and even though Clottey blocks much of it, it probably looks good for the judges.
Franchise: 10-9 Pacquiao
Spartan117: 10-9 Pacquiao
Round 7
Clottey's corner asked him to take some more chances. We'll see if he does. He has a little spark at the beginning of this frame. A minute in, Manny flurries again. Josh reaches with a nice right hand. Pacquiao is actually blocking some punches too. Multiple Manny lefts open up a right to the body. The pace slows as Clottey keeps his arms up. Manny picks with the jab. Clottey rushes in and is tied up at the waist.
Franchise: 10-9 Pacquiao
Spartan117: 10-9 Pacquiao
Round 8
Pacquiao looks for an opening between Clottey's gloves. Body shots fly from both of Manny's hands. Clottey bounces and tries to respond in kind. The ref calls a halt to the action for a low blow from Clottey. Manny is sneaking a shot through the guard every so often. Pac Man unleashes a six-punch combination and keeps pouring it on right after that. Clottey is warned for holding and hitting right at the bell.
Franchise: 10-9 Pacquiao
Spartan117: 10-9 Pacquiao
Round 9
Clottey's trainer told him he has lost every round. Manny keeps Clottey at bay with jabs. It will probably take a knockout for Clottey to win at this point. He is scoring with the occasional right, but Manny is simply too busy. Pacquiao gets in, fires and backs away. Nice right hook by Manny after he blocked a few shots. A vicious combination along the ropes seems to make Clottey wince a bit.
Franchise: 10-9 Pacquiao
Spartan117: 10-9 Pacquiao
Round 10
The HBO crew thinks Clottey looks discouraged. Manny circles around and throws right hands. Left to the body by Pac Man; left upstairs from Clottey. Right hooks flowing from Pacquiao. There is a little swelling underneath Manny's right eye. More shots to the head and body by Pac Man. Clottey gets in some offense of his own, but Pacquiao responds in kind. Manny hooks around the guard ans fires to the body.
Franchise: 10-9 Pacquiao
Spartan117: 10-9 Pacquiao
Round 11
De Jesus is being very honest with Clottey, almost begging him to take a chance and try for the KO. He lets his hands go a bit as the round begins, but it quickly returns to its old pattern. Manny can see punches coming and is covering up when necessary. Clottey lands a right, but Pac Man pummels him to the body. Manny turns up the volume again, throwing about 12 punches in succession. The fans love it. Clottey scores with uppercuts in tight. Pacquiao goes right back to work. He is simply a machine.
Franchise: 10-9 Pacquiao
Spartan117: 10-9 Pacquiao
Round 12
The fighters hug before the final round. Both men try some hooks. Clottey gets a left hook in flush. The action starts for a clash of heads. Two two-punch combinations crash home for Pacquiao. Clottey scores with his own combo. Manny fires left hands and rights to the body. More body work by Manny before they clinch. Thirty seconds left. Some nice action down the stretch, but this should be a shutout or pretty darn close.
Franchise: 10-9 Pacquiao
Spartan117: 10-9 Pacquiao
Franchise: 120-108 Pacquiao
Spartan117: 120-108 Pacquiao
The judges score it 120-108 and 119-111 twice, all for the winner... and still WBO welterweight titleholder... Manny "Pac Man" Pacquiao.
CompuBox had Pacquiao throwing over 1200 punches to just under 400 for Clottey. That's most of the story right there.
Max Kellerman asks Manny for his thoughts, and Pacquiao says it was a tough fight. Pac Man talks about the importance of using his jab and gives Clottey props for his toughness and power.
The boxers hug before Kellerman talks to Clottey. At the risk of understatement of the year, Joshua says Manny has a lot of speed. Clottey says this is the first time he really felt like he lost a fight.
Turning back to Manny, Kellerman asks the inevitable Floyd Mayweather question. Manny says he wants Floyd because it's the fight the people want to see. He also blames Mayweather for the fight not happening yet.
Pacquiao says if Mosley wins, maybe he'll fight Sugar Shane instead.
Freddie Roach makes a plea directly to Floyd to make the fight. Roach feels like his man can crush the vaunted Mayweather defense.
Pacquiao doesn't think Floyd's style is as difficult to solve as Clottey's was. He ends by thanking the fans and dedicating the win to his fellow Filipinos.
Posted by The Franchise
There are three national anthems to get through. Soraya Simons sings the anthem for Ghana and Arnel Pineda does the same for the Filipino anthem. Three of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders sing "The Star-Spangled Banner." They look like they may be lip-synching.
The tale of the tape shows that Pac Man is one year younger, but Clottey has small and reach advantages. Clottey weighed in at just over a pound more yesterday but did not allow HBO to weigh him today.
Clottey heads for the ring first. He is 35-3 with 20 KOs, though his last fight was a narrow loss to Miguel Cotto. It's a long walk to the ring through the mammoth stadium.
The noise picks up from the fans as Manny makes his way out, smiling as usual. He has "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC playing, a tribute to the late Arturo Gatti, which then turns into "Eye of the Tiger." Pac Man is 50-3-2, with his last loss coming narly five years ago.
Rafael Ramos is the referee in charge of the action. Michael Buffer handles the introductions, and we're set for a scheduled 12 rounds for the WBO welterweight title.
Round 1
Both men miss their first punches. Clottey has his guard tight as expected. Manny tries a weak punch to the body. Pac Man lets go, but Clottey blocks most of the shots. Manny bounces back, then comes forward with both hands. Jab by Clottey is answered by a flurry. Clottey finally lands and eats an immediate counter. Pacquiao tries the body again. Nothing huge lands in the final 30 seconds.
Franchise: 10-9 Pacquiao
Spartan117: 10-9 Pacquiao
Round 2
Pac Man bangs away off Clottey's forearms. Both men score with jabs. Clottey comes forward with two shots upstairs. Manny picks away from the outside. The crowd tries to get Pacquiao into it. Good right hand by Clottey. He tries to come forward with a body shot or two. Manny unleashes a combo to the body, then a left to the head. More body work by Manny. Clottey finds the mark with two punches upstairs. Clottey blocks more shots right before the bell.
Franchise: 10-9 Pacquiao
Spartan117: 10-9 Pacquiao
Round 3
The ref cautions Pacquiao for leading with his head. Manny goes to the body with multiple shots. Uppercut by Clottey. Pac Man backs up his foe with another flurry. Clottey digs in and tries his own body work. Manny goes right back to work with 60 seconds to go. Clottey lands a hard right hand that makes the fans gasp a bit. Clottey is forced to cover up in the corner as Manny hits the gas. Clottey is landing some clean shots, but not enough of them right now.
Franchise: 10-9 Pacquiao
Spartan117: 10-9 Pacquiao
Round 4
Clottey comes forward but not behind any punches. A right hand is answered by several punches from Pacquiao. The Grand Master leaves a brief opening and has to right back on defense. The ref pulls the men apart for an unknown reason. Clottey tries a body shot and an uppercut. Joshua slows down for a moment and the fans react. Clottey weathers a storm and lands two to the body.
Franchise: 10-9 Pacquiao
Spartan117: 10-9 Pacquiao
Round 5
Manny circles as Clottey applies pressure. Clottey lands about four shots in his best sustained offense to this point. He reaches over Pacquiao's jab but also gets hit with a counter. Jab by Clottey. He tries to close in and is quickly tied up. Manny has his guard up right now as well. Clottey is warned for low shots as he tries the body. Manny finally turns it around and tries a flurry. Best round for Clottey, but probably still not enough to take the round.
Franchise: 10-9 Pacquiao
Spartan117: 10-9 Pacquiao
Round 6
Lots of circling to start this round. Clottey opens up with a nice combination. He goes back to the guard as Pacquiao fights off the ropes. Clottey tries more combo punching and Pac Man simply moves away. Both men score in a quick exchange. Manny flurries along the ropes, and even though Clottey blocks much of it, it probably looks good for the judges.
Franchise: 10-9 Pacquiao
Spartan117: 10-9 Pacquiao
Round 7
Clottey's corner asked him to take some more chances. We'll see if he does. He has a little spark at the beginning of this frame. A minute in, Manny flurries again. Josh reaches with a nice right hand. Pacquiao is actually blocking some punches too. Multiple Manny lefts open up a right to the body. The pace slows as Clottey keeps his arms up. Manny picks with the jab. Clottey rushes in and is tied up at the waist.
Franchise: 10-9 Pacquiao
Spartan117: 10-9 Pacquiao
Round 8
Pacquiao looks for an opening between Clottey's gloves. Body shots fly from both of Manny's hands. Clottey bounces and tries to respond in kind. The ref calls a halt to the action for a low blow from Clottey. Manny is sneaking a shot through the guard every so often. Pac Man unleashes a six-punch combination and keeps pouring it on right after that. Clottey is warned for holding and hitting right at the bell.
Franchise: 10-9 Pacquiao
Spartan117: 10-9 Pacquiao
Round 9
Clottey's trainer told him he has lost every round. Manny keeps Clottey at bay with jabs. It will probably take a knockout for Clottey to win at this point. He is scoring with the occasional right, but Manny is simply too busy. Pacquiao gets in, fires and backs away. Nice right hook by Manny after he blocked a few shots. A vicious combination along the ropes seems to make Clottey wince a bit.
Franchise: 10-9 Pacquiao
Spartan117: 10-9 Pacquiao
Round 10
The HBO crew thinks Clottey looks discouraged. Manny circles around and throws right hands. Left to the body by Pac Man; left upstairs from Clottey. Right hooks flowing from Pacquiao. There is a little swelling underneath Manny's right eye. More shots to the head and body by Pac Man. Clottey gets in some offense of his own, but Pacquiao responds in kind. Manny hooks around the guard ans fires to the body.
Franchise: 10-9 Pacquiao
Spartan117: 10-9 Pacquiao
Round 11
De Jesus is being very honest with Clottey, almost begging him to take a chance and try for the KO. He lets his hands go a bit as the round begins, but it quickly returns to its old pattern. Manny can see punches coming and is covering up when necessary. Clottey lands a right, but Pac Man pummels him to the body. Manny turns up the volume again, throwing about 12 punches in succession. The fans love it. Clottey scores with uppercuts in tight. Pacquiao goes right back to work. He is simply a machine.
Franchise: 10-9 Pacquiao
Spartan117: 10-9 Pacquiao
Round 12
The fighters hug before the final round. Both men try some hooks. Clottey gets a left hook in flush. The action starts for a clash of heads. Two two-punch combinations crash home for Pacquiao. Clottey scores with his own combo. Manny fires left hands and rights to the body. More body work by Manny before they clinch. Thirty seconds left. Some nice action down the stretch, but this should be a shutout or pretty darn close.
Franchise: 10-9 Pacquiao
Spartan117: 10-9 Pacquiao
Franchise: 120-108 Pacquiao
Spartan117: 120-108 Pacquiao
The judges score it 120-108 and 119-111 twice, all for the winner... and still WBO welterweight titleholder... Manny "Pac Man" Pacquiao.
CompuBox had Pacquiao throwing over 1200 punches to just under 400 for Clottey. That's most of the story right there.
Max Kellerman asks Manny for his thoughts, and Pacquiao says it was a tough fight. Pac Man talks about the importance of using his jab and gives Clottey props for his toughness and power.
The boxers hug before Kellerman talks to Clottey. At the risk of understatement of the year, Joshua says Manny has a lot of speed. Clottey says this is the first time he really felt like he lost a fight.
Turning back to Manny, Kellerman asks the inevitable Floyd Mayweather question. Manny says he wants Floyd because it's the fight the people want to see. He also blames Mayweather for the fight not happening yet.
Pacquiao says if Mosley wins, maybe he'll fight Sugar Shane instead.
Freddie Roach makes a plea directly to Floyd to make the fight. Roach feels like his man can crush the vaunted Mayweather defense.
Pacquiao doesn't think Floyd's style is as difficult to solve as Clottey's was. He ends by thanking the fans and dedicating the win to his fellow Filipinos.
Posted by The Franchise
Manny Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey Live Round By Round Updates Tonight
Manny Pacquiao is back in action tonight, so you know there's no way we would miss this one.
Pac Man has reached the point where people will tune in even with a relatively unknown opponent. But don't sleep on Joshua Clottey, a big, tough welterweight who is likely to present some brand new challenges to the Filipino superstar.
If you're unlucky enough not to be able to see the fight tonight, no worries. We'll keep you updated with posts throughout "The Event," including a live blog for the televised undercard fights and a round by round post for the lightweight title fight between David Diaz and Humberto Soto. And, of course, we'll have another live round by round post for the Pacquiao-Clottey fight.
Bookmark our home page and watch for posts starting shortly after 9 pm Eastern time tonight.
Posted by The Franchise
Pac Man has reached the point where people will tune in even with a relatively unknown opponent. But don't sleep on Joshua Clottey, a big, tough welterweight who is likely to present some brand new challenges to the Filipino superstar.
If you're unlucky enough not to be able to see the fight tonight, no worries. We'll keep you updated with posts throughout "The Event," including a live blog for the televised undercard fights and a round by round post for the lightweight title fight between David Diaz and Humberto Soto. And, of course, we'll have another live round by round post for the Pacquiao-Clottey fight.
Bookmark our home page and watch for posts starting shortly after 9 pm Eastern time tonight.
Posted by The Franchise
12.3.10
Manny Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey: Weigh-In Report
The Pacquiao-Clottey weigh-in is live on various outlets around the internet. Michael Buffer is on hand right outside Cowboys Stadium. He just announced the presence of Antonio Margarito to lukewarm applause. Buffer says it will be about 10 minutes until the fighters come out for the two featured bouts.
It's an interesting set-up for the people who are at the weigh-in in person. A bunch of people (one would assume the media) are up close to the stage. Then there's an empty aisle with no people and a bunch of on-lookers in another tier a bit further back,
Rich Marotta and Darren Woodson are on hand for Top Rank. Yes, that Darren Woodson, the excellent former Cowboys safety. He's apparently a big boxing fan, and he gives his opinion on the development of Pacquiao over the course of his career.
Buffer calls the Stadium the "Eighth Wonder of the World." He introduces Jerry Jones for a quick bow.
Time for David Diaz and Humberto Soto to hit the scales. Diaz weighs in at 134 pounds. He looks like he's in good shape.
Soto weighs in at 134 1/4 pounds. He looks a little less cut than Diaz but still in great fighting form. They bring the fighters to the front of the stage to pose with the vacant lightweight belt for which they will be competing. They also shake hands.
Buffer brings out Robert Duvall for some reason. I love weigh-in time fillers.
You didn't think this was going to end without Jerry Jones getting a chance to talk, did you? He keeps it short, saying how proud he is to have boxing at Cowboys Stadium and thanking the fans.
Now it's time for a video package hyping the fight.
Bob Arum grabs the microphone to say his piece. He also thanks the fans and makes a prediction, in passing anyway, of a million buys for the PPV broadcast. He says the worldwide audience will be 80 million people, and I guess there's no way to really challenge that assertion.
Woodson hits the stage and gets the fans going for a second. Not surprisingly, there sounds like more Pacquiao fans are in attendance.
Down to business now. Buffer introduces the Grand Master first, followed by Pacquiao.
The challenger gets ready to step onto the scale first. Clottey weighs in at 147 pounds on the button. He is ripped as always.
Manny gets a lengthy introduction from Buffer and there is a throng of people around him as he makes his way out. Pacquiao weighs in at 145 3/4 pounds, and you never have to worry about him looking like he is ready to fight.
Arum steps in for the boxers to pose face to face. They certainly don't seem to have any personal dislike for each other as both of them laugh and joke around.
Woodson gets to talk to Clottey for a second. He's so soft spoken that it's hard to hear him give his answers. The gist is that he feels ready for the fight. Props to Woodson for asking about the visa problems of Joshua's trainer.
Weigh-ins for other fighters are proceeding in the background as Woodson tracks down Pac Man. Woodson asks about the various distractions, and though Manny says they aren't an issue, he immediately segues into talking about the after-party. He thanks the fans on his way out.
Posted by The Franchise
It's an interesting set-up for the people who are at the weigh-in in person. A bunch of people (one would assume the media) are up close to the stage. Then there's an empty aisle with no people and a bunch of on-lookers in another tier a bit further back,
Rich Marotta and Darren Woodson are on hand for Top Rank. Yes, that Darren Woodson, the excellent former Cowboys safety. He's apparently a big boxing fan, and he gives his opinion on the development of Pacquiao over the course of his career.
Buffer calls the Stadium the "Eighth Wonder of the World." He introduces Jerry Jones for a quick bow.
Time for David Diaz and Humberto Soto to hit the scales. Diaz weighs in at 134 pounds. He looks like he's in good shape.
Soto weighs in at 134 1/4 pounds. He looks a little less cut than Diaz but still in great fighting form. They bring the fighters to the front of the stage to pose with the vacant lightweight belt for which they will be competing. They also shake hands.
Buffer brings out Robert Duvall for some reason. I love weigh-in time fillers.
You didn't think this was going to end without Jerry Jones getting a chance to talk, did you? He keeps it short, saying how proud he is to have boxing at Cowboys Stadium and thanking the fans.
Now it's time for a video package hyping the fight.
Bob Arum grabs the microphone to say his piece. He also thanks the fans and makes a prediction, in passing anyway, of a million buys for the PPV broadcast. He says the worldwide audience will be 80 million people, and I guess there's no way to really challenge that assertion.
Woodson hits the stage and gets the fans going for a second. Not surprisingly, there sounds like more Pacquiao fans are in attendance.
Down to business now. Buffer introduces the Grand Master first, followed by Pacquiao.
The challenger gets ready to step onto the scale first. Clottey weighs in at 147 pounds on the button. He is ripped as always.
Manny gets a lengthy introduction from Buffer and there is a throng of people around him as he makes his way out. Pacquiao weighs in at 145 3/4 pounds, and you never have to worry about him looking like he is ready to fight.
Arum steps in for the boxers to pose face to face. They certainly don't seem to have any personal dislike for each other as both of them laugh and joke around.
Woodson gets to talk to Clottey for a second. He's so soft spoken that it's hard to hear him give his answers. The gist is that he feels ready for the fight. Props to Woodson for asking about the visa problems of Joshua's trainer.
Weigh-ins for other fighters are proceeding in the background as Woodson tracks down Pac Man. Woodson asks about the various distractions, and though Manny says they aren't an issue, he immediately segues into talking about the after-party. He thanks the fans on his way out.
Posted by The Franchise
Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey: The Event Plus Undercard Predictions
The Franchise says...
It took a long, winding path to get to this point, but Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey will do battle in front of roughly 50,000 fans at Cowboys Stadium on Saturday. It's not the fight everyone expected to see, but it's got the potential to offer its own kind of intrigue.
Not much needs to be said about Pacquiao, the choice of many observers as the top pound-for-pound boxer in the world and winner of his last 11 bouts. His explosive offense and ever-improving movement and ring awareness combine with the wisdom of trainer Freddie Roach to form a package that has simply overwhelmed most of his recent foes.
But if Pacquiao is the proverbial unstoppable force, Clottey may be the immovable object. The Ghana native uses an airtight guard to blunt his foes' attacks before responding with his own array of accurate punches.
Clottey also should be the biggest man Pacquiao has ever faced once both boxers rehydrate for fight night. Though Manny has carried the extra weight well as he's risen through the weight classes, Clottey is a true welterweight that could easily outweigh him by 10 pounds or more when they hit the ring.
Manny will have the advantage in speed and raw power, but those don't count for much if his punches don't find their mark. Clottey's challenge will be to ensure he doesn't give away early rounds on activity level alone as he looks for his opening.
There is some danger in this fight for Pacquiao, and not just the kind that is manufactured to sell the pay-per-view broadcast. If he allows Clottey to hang around in a close fight, the difference in bulk could show up in the championship rounds.
The guess here is that it won't go down like that. Clottey will block many, possibly most of the incoming fire, but some shots will be delivered at speeds and angles that surprise even him.
Expect Clottey to earn the respect of many viewers who never heard of him before he took this fight. But also look for Pacquiao to continue his winning ways, with the cumulative effect of his punches earning Manny a late-round TKO.
The undercard is anchored by an interesting if not spectacular lightweight title fight between Humberto Soto and David Diaz. Both fighters come in off victories over the same man (Jesus Chavez), but Soto had a much easier time in his win.
Diaz is a solid, disciplined boxer with a strong amateur background. His problem is when he runs into opponents who simply have too much for him physically, as was the case in his lopsided eight-round TKO loss to Pacquiao in the summer of 2008.
While it won't be to the same degree, Soto has some of those same troublesome qualities. Watch for him to display the faster hands and more damaging power punches as Humberto pounds out a unanimous decision.
Also on the undercard, look for Jose Luis Castillo to have just enough left to get past Alfonso Gomez and John Duddy to slug his way by Michael Medina.
Uatu says...
Manny by UD. I see Manny being much more active and banging away at the guard of Clottey, while Josh goes into the shell and fires back infrequently.
Posted by The Franchise
It took a long, winding path to get to this point, but Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey will do battle in front of roughly 50,000 fans at Cowboys Stadium on Saturday. It's not the fight everyone expected to see, but it's got the potential to offer its own kind of intrigue.
Not much needs to be said about Pacquiao, the choice of many observers as the top pound-for-pound boxer in the world and winner of his last 11 bouts. His explosive offense and ever-improving movement and ring awareness combine with the wisdom of trainer Freddie Roach to form a package that has simply overwhelmed most of his recent foes.
But if Pacquiao is the proverbial unstoppable force, Clottey may be the immovable object. The Ghana native uses an airtight guard to blunt his foes' attacks before responding with his own array of accurate punches.
Clottey also should be the biggest man Pacquiao has ever faced once both boxers rehydrate for fight night. Though Manny has carried the extra weight well as he's risen through the weight classes, Clottey is a true welterweight that could easily outweigh him by 10 pounds or more when they hit the ring.
Manny will have the advantage in speed and raw power, but those don't count for much if his punches don't find their mark. Clottey's challenge will be to ensure he doesn't give away early rounds on activity level alone as he looks for his opening.
There is some danger in this fight for Pacquiao, and not just the kind that is manufactured to sell the pay-per-view broadcast. If he allows Clottey to hang around in a close fight, the difference in bulk could show up in the championship rounds.
The guess here is that it won't go down like that. Clottey will block many, possibly most of the incoming fire, but some shots will be delivered at speeds and angles that surprise even him.
Expect Clottey to earn the respect of many viewers who never heard of him before he took this fight. But also look for Pacquiao to continue his winning ways, with the cumulative effect of his punches earning Manny a late-round TKO.
The undercard is anchored by an interesting if not spectacular lightweight title fight between Humberto Soto and David Diaz. Both fighters come in off victories over the same man (Jesus Chavez), but Soto had a much easier time in his win.
Diaz is a solid, disciplined boxer with a strong amateur background. His problem is when he runs into opponents who simply have too much for him physically, as was the case in his lopsided eight-round TKO loss to Pacquiao in the summer of 2008.
While it won't be to the same degree, Soto has some of those same troublesome qualities. Watch for him to display the faster hands and more damaging power punches as Humberto pounds out a unanimous decision.
Also on the undercard, look for Jose Luis Castillo to have just enough left to get past Alfonso Gomez and John Duddy to slug his way by Michael Medina.
Uatu says...
Manny by UD. I see Manny being much more active and banging away at the guard of Clottey, while Josh goes into the shell and fires back infrequently.
Posted by The Franchise
11.3.10
Franchise Thoughts: To Watch Tape or Not to Watch Tape, and Are Cutmen the New Secret Weapons?
When he was doing our round by round blog for the Vic Darchinyan-Rodrigo Guerrero fight last Saturday, my brother Uatu mentioned that Vic watched no tape of his foe leading up to the fight. Perhaps rhetorically, my brother asked what the downside of watching tape would be. Why not at least familiarize yourself with what your opponent likes to do?
In Darchinyan's case, the thinking may have been that he was the better, more experienced fighter, so it made sense for him to focus on what he wanted to do, assuming he would dictate the way the fight unfolded. For the most part, that's exactly what happened.
Ah, but what if the roles are reversed and you are about to face one of the top boxers on the planet? Wouldn't it make sense to do some film study in the hopes of gleaning any little tidbit or tendency that might help you pull off the upset?
Apparently not. Or at least not for Joshua Clottey as he prepares to fight Manny Pacquiao this weekend. ESPN's Dan Rafael did a feature today on Clottey and trainer Lenny De Jesus, who revealed that he watched no tape of Manny while formulating a strategy.
Part of the reason is because De Jesus served as Pacquiao's cutman in the past, a point I will come back to in a minute. But even more telling is this quote:
I'm not a boxer or a trainer, so I don't know how much truth there is to that statement. I do follow the logic, at least.
Still, I go back to the question my brother posed on Saturday, "What would it hurt?" It seems to me that for the biggest fight of your boxer's life, you don't want to leave anything to chance. If you watch the tape and learn something, even something tiny that may help, it was worth it. If you watch the tape and learn nothing, you're no worse off than you were before.
Now back to the whole cutman issue. Not only does De Jesus supposedly have some insight into the Pac Man from serving in his corner, but the same thing is also true in reverse, as Pacquiao cutman Miguel Diaz worked for Clottey in the past. It's high espionage on the part of the cutmen!
I'm going to have to go into full skepticism mode here. Yes, the cutman may see into the boxer's psyche a bit when he works on the guy between rounds, and he is watching the action from a pretty good seat. But the next time I see a fighter knock someone out and say, "Yeah, my cutman told me to look for that" will be the first.
I can't see the cutman having much input into a fighter's game plan either. Oh, unless the trainer is off watching tape, I suppose.
Posted by The Franchise
In Darchinyan's case, the thinking may have been that he was the better, more experienced fighter, so it made sense for him to focus on what he wanted to do, assuming he would dictate the way the fight unfolded. For the most part, that's exactly what happened.
Ah, but what if the roles are reversed and you are about to face one of the top boxers on the planet? Wouldn't it make sense to do some film study in the hopes of gleaning any little tidbit or tendency that might help you pull off the upset?
Apparently not. Or at least not for Joshua Clottey as he prepares to fight Manny Pacquiao this weekend. ESPN's Dan Rafael did a feature today on Clottey and trainer Lenny De Jesus, who revealed that he watched no tape of Manny while formulating a strategy.
Part of the reason is because De Jesus served as Pacquiao's cutman in the past, a point I will come back to in a minute. But even more telling is this quote:
"You can teach a fighter certain things, and when you get hit and get hurt you go back to your style."
I'm not a boxer or a trainer, so I don't know how much truth there is to that statement. I do follow the logic, at least.
Still, I go back to the question my brother posed on Saturday, "What would it hurt?" It seems to me that for the biggest fight of your boxer's life, you don't want to leave anything to chance. If you watch the tape and learn something, even something tiny that may help, it was worth it. If you watch the tape and learn nothing, you're no worse off than you were before.
Now back to the whole cutman issue. Not only does De Jesus supposedly have some insight into the Pac Man from serving in his corner, but the same thing is also true in reverse, as Pacquiao cutman Miguel Diaz worked for Clottey in the past. It's high espionage on the part of the cutmen!
I'm going to have to go into full skepticism mode here. Yes, the cutman may see into the boxer's psyche a bit when he works on the guy between rounds, and he is watching the action from a pretty good seat. But the next time I see a fighter knock someone out and say, "Yeah, my cutman told me to look for that" will be the first.
I can't see the cutman having much input into a fighter's game plan either. Oh, unless the trainer is off watching tape, I suppose.
Posted by The Franchise
9.3.10
Manny Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey: In-Depth Preview of The Event
Manny "Pac Man" Pacquiao
Born: Bukidnon, Philippines
Resides: General Santos City, Philippines
Height: 5' 6 1/2"
Reach: 67"
Current World Titles Held: WBO Welterweight (147 lbs.), Ring Magazine Junior Welterweight (140 lbs.)
Former World Titles Held: WBC Lightweight (135 lbs.), Ring Magazine, WBC Super Featherweight (130 lbs.), Ring Magazine Featherweight (126 lbs.), IBF Super Bantamweight (122 lbs.), WBC Flyweight (112 lbs.)
Professional Record: 50-3-2, 38 KOs
Record in World Title Fights: 10-1-2, 9 KOs
Record at Welterweight: 2-0, 2 KOs
Record in Fights Going 12 Rounds: 3-1-1
Notable Wins: TKO12 Miguel Cotto, TKO2 Ricky Hatton, TKO8 Oscar De La Hoya
Notable Losses: UD12 Erik Morales I, KO3 Medgoen Singsurat
Joshua "Grand Master" Clottey
Born: Accra, Ghana
Resides: Bronx, New York, United States
Height: 5' 8"
Reach: 70"
Current World Titles Held: None
Former World Titles Held: IBF Welterweight
Professional Record: 35-3, 20 KOs
Record in World Title Fights: 1-2
Record at Welterweight: 10-3, 1 No Contest
Record in Fights Going 12 Rounds: 2-2
Notable Wins: TD9 Zab Judah, UD10 Diego Corrales, MD12 Richard Gutierrez
Notable Losses: SD12 Miguel Cotto, UD12 Antonio Margarito, DQ11 Carlos Baldomir
Analysis:
Boxing fans worldwide had March 13, 2010 circled on their calendars as the night when Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather would do battle to determine supremacy of the ring and the box office. The former fell apart, leaving the first part of the latter to proceed on the same date with a much different opponent in the form of Joshua Clottey.
You can excuse some observers for comparing Clottey to someone hitting the lottery, because in some ways, he really did hit the jackpot by landing this fight. Coming off a loss to Miguel Cotto, albeit a narrow one that went to the scorecards, there was no logical reason to think the man known as Grand Master would end up facing the top draw in the sport.
Clottey is well respected in the boxing community but a relative unknown to the mainstream sports world. His profile will get a huge boost if he manages to find a way to upset Pacquiao, but that could be easier said than done since the Filipino fireball hasn't tasted defeat in almost five years.
Pacquiao took some hits to his image for his unwillingness to submit to Mayweather's drug testing demands, and there are legitimate questions about whether his mind may be more focused on Floyd or his political ambitions than Clottey. But even if his mental game isn't at 100 percent, he has the widest safety net of any boxer alive thanks to his natural talent, extensive world title fight experience and the savvy planning of trainer Freddie Roach.
The venue almost deserves mention as a third personality for this fight as it happens to be Cowboys Stadium, Jerry Jones' billion-dollar sports palace. Over 45,000 fans are expected to be on hand to watch the action unfold, most of whom will be pulling for Pacquiao to add another win to his ever-growing total.
Pacquiao's Winning Strategy: Push the Pedal Down and Keep It There
With his victories over Oscar De La Hoya and Cotto, Pacquiao provided definitive answers to anyone who doubted whether he'd be able to handle himself at welterweight after campaigning at much lower weight classes for most of his career. Even so, he's going to be facing an opponent who has height and reach advantages and is naturally bigger to boot.
Manny has been able to neutralize similar edges in the past by utilizing his superior hand speed and movement, dictating the tempo and the range of the action. Pacquiao will want to do that right from the opening bell against Clottey, as Cotto proved it's easier to get to the Grand Master early before he has time to get settled in.
That doesn't mean it should always be a race to see who gets off first for the Pac Man. Clottey can be susceptible to counters when he tries to set up his shots, and Pacquiao can deliver them from times and places that no one else can manage.
Regardless if he's taking the lead or countering, Pacquiao should push the pace high and not let up. When he combines the power of a true welterweight with the activity level of a smaller guy, it poses a problem that no one has been able to solve.
Clottey's Winning Strategy: Cover Up, Then Muscle Up
Mayweather's elusiveness may have given Pacquiao fits, but Clottey may present an equally tough defensive challenge thanks to his high, tight guard. He is very effective at picking off punches with his arms, causing opponents to waste energy on shots that never reach their target.
Conventional wisdom would suggest that Clottey should use his longer arms to jab and keep the fight on the outside, but standard operating procedure can pretty much be thrown out when it comes to a boxer like Pacquiao. Instead, Clottey should use the jab to move closer, as his uppercut is one of his more impressive weapons.
The Grand Master isn't known as a vicious knockout puncher, but he is strong and accurate and can really wear opponents down over time. He's got to pick his spots carefully against Pacquiao, but he seems heady enough to stay patient and look for his openings.
Weathering an early storm and going for the win later isn't easy against a whirlwind like Pacquiao. But it beats the alternative, which is trying to match Manny punch for punch and having the referee say he's seen enough.
Posted by The Franchise
4.3.10
Fresh Manny Pacquiao Silver Star Tees Just in Time for "The Event"
Can't make it down to Cowboys Stadium next weekend to see Manny Pacquiao take on Joshua Clottey in what's unimaginatively been dubbed "The Event?" I feel your pain, because I won't be headed there either. And I had my heart set on watching the action on the world's largest HD screen too.
Well, thanks to Silver Star we may be able to fool people into thinking we were there. That's because the company has rolled out two new t-shirts just in time for the big fight, and they're actually pretty understated by Silver Star standards.
First up is a shirt featuring both fighters and the fight's catchy (ahem!) nickname. It's blue and has a Cowboys Stadium logo at the neckline on the back.
For those of you who don't care for the Grand Master, there's also a red tee with just Manny's image, plus a facsimile signature and a stylized version of his name on the back. It's apparently available only at Cowboys Stadium and through the Silver Star website.
The shirts are $40 each. I've always had prompt shipping from Silver Star, so if you order now, I'd say you could be wearing one of these shirts while watching the fight on March 13.
UPDATE: Apparently I forgot about the ladies. Mea culpa.
The thing is, Silver Star didn't forget about you. See, they've also got a women's signature tee for "The Event" with a spiffy light blue and black logo on white, plus the Cowboys Stadium logo on the reverse.
Just like the men's shirts it is $40 and said to be available only online and at the fight.
Posted by The Franchise
Well, thanks to Silver Star we may be able to fool people into thinking we were there. That's because the company has rolled out two new t-shirts just in time for the big fight, and they're actually pretty understated by Silver Star standards.
First up is a shirt featuring both fighters and the fight's catchy (ahem!) nickname. It's blue and has a Cowboys Stadium logo at the neckline on the back.
For those of you who don't care for the Grand Master, there's also a red tee with just Manny's image, plus a facsimile signature and a stylized version of his name on the back. It's apparently available only at Cowboys Stadium and through the Silver Star website.
The shirts are $40 each. I've always had prompt shipping from Silver Star, so if you order now, I'd say you could be wearing one of these shirts while watching the fight on March 13.
UPDATE: Apparently I forgot about the ladies. Mea culpa.
The thing is, Silver Star didn't forget about you. See, they've also got a women's signature tee for "The Event" with a spiffy light blue and black logo on white, plus the Cowboys Stadium logo on the reverse.
Just like the men's shirts it is $40 and said to be available only online and at the fight.
Posted by The Franchise
11.1.10
Signed and Sealed: Manny Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey in Dallas on March 13
Jerry Jones may hope that fans don't see it as a consolation prize, but it's hard to see it any other way.
Numerous media outlets reported Sunday that a fight between Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey has been finalized for March 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas. The bout will be on pay-per-view, though not necessarily distributed through HBO.
Under normal circumstances, this would be heralded by fans and media types alike as a great development. Pacquiao has reached must-see status, and Clottey is a dangerous and talented challenge to face on relatively short notice.
Of course, the circumstances are anything but normal, as everyone with even a remote interest in the sweet science was hoping to see Manny do battle with Floyd Mayweather on that date. Now it appears that the world's two best fighters may only engage each other through dueling broadcasts, as Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports says Mayweather could still end up fighting on March 13 in Las Vegas.
That isn't the kind of intrigue fans were hoping for, and it could actually damage chances of Mayweather-Pacquiao happening later in 2010, something I have long thought would happen. But it's not hard to see this latest development adding another layer of acrimony to any future negotiations, as the man whose fight performs better at the box office could well demand more than 50 percent of the purse.
It will also be interesting to see if there is backlash against both Pacquiao and Mayweather from disillusioned fans. You don't have to have your own boxing blog to see that the mood among folks on the internet is one of intense bitterness.
The big winner in all of this (and possibly the only one outside of Jones, who failed to land Mayweather-Pacquiao for his stadium) is Clottey, who must feel like he hit the jackpot. He's fought some notable names like Antonio Margarito, Diego Corrales and Zab Judah, but he's commonly thought of as someone to be avoided because he is tough and deceptively skilled.
After dropping a split decision to Miguel Cotto last June, Clottey probably gave up any hope he had of fighting Mayweather or Pacquiao. Now he stands to make a ton of money, and with all of the attention the fight will get (some of it for negative reasons, granted) he has a chance to put himself on the map with sports fans everywhere if he pulls off the upset.
Posted by The Franchise
Numerous media outlets reported Sunday that a fight between Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey has been finalized for March 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas. The bout will be on pay-per-view, though not necessarily distributed through HBO.
Under normal circumstances, this would be heralded by fans and media types alike as a great development. Pacquiao has reached must-see status, and Clottey is a dangerous and talented challenge to face on relatively short notice.
Of course, the circumstances are anything but normal, as everyone with even a remote interest in the sweet science was hoping to see Manny do battle with Floyd Mayweather on that date. Now it appears that the world's two best fighters may only engage each other through dueling broadcasts, as Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports says Mayweather could still end up fighting on March 13 in Las Vegas.
That isn't the kind of intrigue fans were hoping for, and it could actually damage chances of Mayweather-Pacquiao happening later in 2010, something I have long thought would happen. But it's not hard to see this latest development adding another layer of acrimony to any future negotiations, as the man whose fight performs better at the box office could well demand more than 50 percent of the purse.
It will also be interesting to see if there is backlash against both Pacquiao and Mayweather from disillusioned fans. You don't have to have your own boxing blog to see that the mood among folks on the internet is one of intense bitterness.
The big winner in all of this (and possibly the only one outside of Jones, who failed to land Mayweather-Pacquiao for his stadium) is Clottey, who must feel like he hit the jackpot. He's fought some notable names like Antonio Margarito, Diego Corrales and Zab Judah, but he's commonly thought of as someone to be avoided because he is tough and deceptively skilled.
After dropping a split decision to Miguel Cotto last June, Clottey probably gave up any hope he had of fighting Mayweather or Pacquiao. Now he stands to make a ton of money, and with all of the attention the fight will get (some of it for negative reasons, granted) he has a chance to put himself on the map with sports fans everywhere if he pulls off the upset.
Posted by The Franchise
4.9.09
Report: Kelly Pavlik-Paul Williams Rescheduled for Dec. 5, Shane Mosley to Fight Joshua Clottey on Christmas Weekend?
We've heard this one before, so we'll have to take it with at least a tiny grain of salt. But ESPN's Dan Rafael reported in his Notebook column today that Bob Arum expects the on-again-off-again-on-again fight between Kelly Pavlik and Paul Williams to take place on December 5 in Atlantic City.
Hopefully it sticks on that date longer than last time, when the scheduled date of October 3 lasted roughly a week before Pavlik's staph infection, a problem that's been lingering pretty much all year, forced it to be pushed back. On a personal level, I'm happy that the fight will likely still be in A.C., as that is within driving distance of BoxingWatchers HQ. You'll have to excuse me if I don't rearrange my schedule at my day job just yet though.
You may recall that HBO was originally thinking Shane Mosley would fight someone in Las Vegas on Dec. 5, assuming he could get someone to fight him. Sugar Shane's name had been mentioned in conjunction with just about every possible opponent around his weight, and he even campaigned publicly - and unsuccessfully - to try to land Manny Pacquiao.
The ever-hustling Rafael has news on that too, getting Golden Boy's Richard Schaefer to state that he's given up that date for Pavlik-Williams and is looking to possibly match Mosley with Joshua Clottey in Los Angeles on December 26. Though Rafael correctly expresses surprise at that date, I think it could be a stroke of genius. People are always looking for things to do after they've finished their family obligations on the holiday weekend, and though there are college football bowl games going on, it's still well before the important ones.
I like Mosley to beat Clottey, especially if it's the same Sugar Shane that showed up in the Antonio Margarito fight, but it won't be an easy night. I'm also an unabashed Mosley fan and will readily admit to having trouble keeping my personal bias out of the mix.
Is fighting Clottey really just Shane settling for whatever he could get? There certainly seems to be at least a little truth to that, but at least one man whose opinion I really respect - Tim Starks at The Queensberry Rules - says Mosley has never been afraid to fight dangerous opponents for less money than he would prefer.
Posted by The Franchise
Hopefully it sticks on that date longer than last time, when the scheduled date of October 3 lasted roughly a week before Pavlik's staph infection, a problem that's been lingering pretty much all year, forced it to be pushed back. On a personal level, I'm happy that the fight will likely still be in A.C., as that is within driving distance of BoxingWatchers HQ. You'll have to excuse me if I don't rearrange my schedule at my day job just yet though.
You may recall that HBO was originally thinking Shane Mosley would fight someone in Las Vegas on Dec. 5, assuming he could get someone to fight him. Sugar Shane's name had been mentioned in conjunction with just about every possible opponent around his weight, and he even campaigned publicly - and unsuccessfully - to try to land Manny Pacquiao.
The ever-hustling Rafael has news on that too, getting Golden Boy's Richard Schaefer to state that he's given up that date for Pavlik-Williams and is looking to possibly match Mosley with Joshua Clottey in Los Angeles on December 26. Though Rafael correctly expresses surprise at that date, I think it could be a stroke of genius. People are always looking for things to do after they've finished their family obligations on the holiday weekend, and though there are college football bowl games going on, it's still well before the important ones.
I like Mosley to beat Clottey, especially if it's the same Sugar Shane that showed up in the Antonio Margarito fight, but it won't be an easy night. I'm also an unabashed Mosley fan and will readily admit to having trouble keeping my personal bias out of the mix.
Is fighting Clottey really just Shane settling for whatever he could get? There certainly seems to be at least a little truth to that, but at least one man whose opinion I really respect - Tim Starks at The Queensberry Rules - says Mosley has never been afraid to fight dangerous opponents for less money than he would prefer.
Posted by The Franchise
15.6.09
20/20 Hindsight: Does Narrow Cotto Win Plus Mayweather Injury = Pacquiao-Cotto?
I've said it before, but it bears repeating after what went down this weekend: boxing is a funny sport sometimes.
Miguel Cotto doesn't look great, but he guts out a split decision against a very game Joshua Clottey. Floyd Mayweather hurts himself training and has to push back his bout with Juan Manuel Marquez, possibly until September.
And the end result is Cotto getting the biggest fight and payday of his career against pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao this fall?
Michael Marley says yes (big ups to Tim Starks at The Queensberry Rules for that one). And whether he's correct or not, the pieces really did fall into place.
Though the boxing world is waiting for Pacquiao-Mayweather, that's obviously out until 2010 - unless Floyd simply tells JMM to take a hike, but that doesn't seem likely.
A decisive win by Cotto may have made him the most likely candidate to face Pac-Man next. But his squeaker probably helped him even more.
As Max Kellerman stated during the post-fight on HBO, it's Cotto's mix of courage and vulnerability that make him so compelling. In four of his last six fights (sorry Michael Jennings and Alfonso Gomez), it's almost like he won or lost in the most difficult way possible.
He came out on top against a quicker, more accurate foe on Saturday, overcoming a nasty cut over his left eye in the process. Yet it's not hard to imagine Pacquiao sitting out there thinking to himself, "Yeah, I can beat this guy."
Other boxers probably think so too. Andre Berto hit up his Twitter feed watching the replay and said he'd beat Cotto to the punch every time.
Good enough to win titles and amass lots of fans, but not quite formidable enough to scare people into ducking him. That's the package that Cotto brings to the table, and it's got him in line for a big prize.
There will be weight and money issues to be worked out, for sure. The location of the fight will also be intriguing, as Manny is pretty much a Las Vegas exclusive at this point, while Cotto draws his followers from the East Coast.
You have to think that having Bob Arum promote both men will help smooth some of those bumps out, and fans will travel to see what is the biggest fight that can be made next to Manny-Floyd.
Yeah, boxing is funny, and Cotto may be laughing all the way to the bank come November.
Posted by The Franchise
Miguel Cotto doesn't look great, but he guts out a split decision against a very game Joshua Clottey. Floyd Mayweather hurts himself training and has to push back his bout with Juan Manuel Marquez, possibly until September.
And the end result is Cotto getting the biggest fight and payday of his career against pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao this fall?
Michael Marley says yes (big ups to Tim Starks at The Queensberry Rules for that one). And whether he's correct or not, the pieces really did fall into place.
Though the boxing world is waiting for Pacquiao-Mayweather, that's obviously out until 2010 - unless Floyd simply tells JMM to take a hike, but that doesn't seem likely.
A decisive win by Cotto may have made him the most likely candidate to face Pac-Man next. But his squeaker probably helped him even more.
As Max Kellerman stated during the post-fight on HBO, it's Cotto's mix of courage and vulnerability that make him so compelling. In four of his last six fights (sorry Michael Jennings and Alfonso Gomez), it's almost like he won or lost in the most difficult way possible.
He came out on top against a quicker, more accurate foe on Saturday, overcoming a nasty cut over his left eye in the process. Yet it's not hard to imagine Pacquiao sitting out there thinking to himself, "Yeah, I can beat this guy."
Other boxers probably think so too. Andre Berto hit up his Twitter feed watching the replay and said he'd beat Cotto to the punch every time.
Good enough to win titles and amass lots of fans, but not quite formidable enough to scare people into ducking him. That's the package that Cotto brings to the table, and it's got him in line for a big prize.
There will be weight and money issues to be worked out, for sure. The location of the fight will also be intriguing, as Manny is pretty much a Las Vegas exclusive at this point, while Cotto draws his followers from the East Coast.
You have to think that having Bob Arum promote both men will help smooth some of those bumps out, and fans will travel to see what is the biggest fight that can be made next to Manny-Floyd.
Yeah, boxing is funny, and Cotto may be laughing all the way to the bank come November.
Posted by The Franchise
13.6.09
Miguel Cotto vs. Joshua Clottey: Round By Round
We're just about set to see Miguel Cotto in action again on what's become his signature date on the boxing calendar, the Saturday of the Puerto Rican Day parade in New York City. He'll have his hands full with Joshua Clottey tonight, and the HBO broadcast begins with a look at the loaded welterweight division.
Max Kellerman says we'll find out for sure tonight if Cotto has recovered from the beating (and possibly cheating, in Max's words) at the hands of Antonio Margarito. A video package recaps the bumpy road Cotto has navigated since his first career loss.
Emanuel Steward compares Clottey to Margarito in terms of style. He says Clottey will apply pressure and push the pace while keeping his hands up high on defense.
Clottey tells Kellerman that he needs the win badly tonight. He somewhat downplays comparisons to Margarito but does say he will pressure early on. Clottey doesn't think he needs a KO to win despite Cotto's home ring advantage because they share the same promoter.
The tale of the tape has the fighters equal in weight and virtually identical in reach and weight. Cotto is four years younger.
Clottey comes to the ring first. Can't say I know the name of the song playing. The Grandmaster looks confident.
As expected, the crowd is fired up as Cotto heads for the ring. Steward says he thinks Clottey can win a decision but will need to do so very convincingly because of the energy that the fans will provide when Cotto lands.
Michael Buffer does the introductions. Clottey is 35-2 with 21 KOs. Cotto is 33-1 with 27 KOs. And we are ready to go!
Round 1
Both men testing the jab. Short right hand from Cotto. Clottey ducks away from some head shots. Left to the body by Cotto. Each man slips some punches inside. Jabs connect both ways. Cotto flurries but Clottey picks them off with his arms. Clottey flashes some quick jabs. Left upstairs and to the body by Clottey. Left hook by Cotto sends Clottey to the mat right before the bell. Clottey doesn't look hurt but more surprised.
Franchise: 10-8 Cotto
Uatu: 10-8 Cotto
Spartan117: 10-8 Cotto
Round 2
Clottey certainly didn't want to fall behind on points early like that. Both men are cautious through the first minute of Round 2. Left hook upstairs by Cotto. Clottey stays covered up. Short left hook by Clottey. Jabs from Clottey. Steward likes what Clottey is doing but thinks he is open to counter shots. Jabs from Cotto. Big swings and misses both ways. Nothing huge landed, but Cotto may have taken it on activity.
Franchise: 10-9 Cotto
Uatu: 10-9 Clottey
Spartan117: 10-9 Cotto
Round 3
Harold Lederman gave Round 2 to Clottey. Cotto tries the body and gets jabs right back in his face. Clottey unleashes a series of left hooks. His jab is still very sharp. Cotto can't land much flush but he's staying busy. Clottey whips out a nice left uppercut too. Emanuel thinks Cotto should go back to the jab. Cotto has been cut over the left eye, and it looks fairly bad.
Franchise: 10-9 Clottey
Uatu: 10-9 Cotto
Spartan117: 10-9 Cotto
Round 4
Replays show that the cut was caused by a headbutt. The fight will continue for now. The fighters stand and trade a bit in the center of the ring. Clottey comes forward as Cotto digs in and tries to keep him back. Body shots by Cotto answered by a nasty uppercut from Clottey. Left from Cotto knocks Clottey back a step. Hard right from Clottey and he tries to follow up. Clottey retreats into the corner and ties up. Cotto flurries and backs away. Good action in that round.
Franchise: 10-9 Cotto
Uatu: 10-9 Clottey
Spartan117: 10-9 Clottey
Round 5
Clottey is landing cleaner shots but Cotto is landing more thus far. It's tough to say how many of Cotto's shots are landing clean because of Clottey's high guard. Nice one-two by Clottey. Cotto almost slips in mid-combination. Clottey lands a hard right. Now another one along the ropes. Clottey falls down in the corner but it wasn't from a punch - more of a slip/tackle. Clottey is staying down for a while, acting like he's hurt. The ref tells him to walk it off as the crowd lays into him a bit. There are 40 seconds left in the round. Now we're back to action. They slug it out to end the round.
Franchise: 10-9 Clottey
Uatu: 10-9 Clottey
Spartan117: 10-9 Clottey
Round 6
Steward and Kellerman argue about whether or not Cotto threw Clottey down. Clottey flashes quick hands again. Cotto backs Clottey up in response. The crowd urges Cotto on as he punches his way forward. Clottey tries to fight his way out. Cotto fires a straight right and an uppercut. Clottey's responses are mostly with the uppercut. Mean hooks by Miguel. Clottey weathering the storm fairly well. Now Clottey scores with a big right.
Franchise: 10-9 Cotto
Uatu: 10-9 Cotto
Spartan117: 10-9 Cotto
Round 7
Clottey returns to the jab that served him well earlier. Body work by Cotto. Nice right uppercut from Clottey. Cotto covers up and tries to counter. Both men still have some bounce in their legs. Cotto is pawing at his bloody left eye. Good combination to the head by Clottey. Cotto is backed into the corner and he tries to duck away. Sharp right by Clottey finds the mark.
Franchise: 10-9 Clottey
Uatu: 10-9 Clottey
Spartan117: 10-9 Clottey
Round 8
The momentum shifts in this fight have been pretty dramatic. Some wrestling to start this round. Clottey works nicely in tight. Cotto goes on offense and backs Clottey up. Clottey backs his man up against the ropes but Miguel works his way out. Sharp combination punching from Clottey. Cotto can't see right hands coming because of his eye. Cotto ties up and then turns things around. Clottey lands a quick left before the bell.
Franchise: 10-9 Clottey
Uatu: 10-9 Clottey
Spartan117: 10-9 Clottey
Round 9
Clottey is still stalking and Cotto is trying to stay mobile. Cotto landing the occasional shot but Clottey has the effective aggression. Clottey lands and backs up a bit. Now Cotto goes on the attack with some hooks to the head and body. Clottey digs back in and Cotto has to tie up. Both men try to slug for the last 10 seconds.
Franchise: 10-9 Clottey
Uatu: 10-9 Cotto
Spartan117: 10-9 Clottey
Round 10
I don't envy the judges in this fight. Lederman has it even after nine. Clottey comes forward once again. Cotto trying to stay active even as he retreats. Clottey isn't throwing much for the time being. Cotto switches southpaw and they tie up. Clottey flurries and mostly misses. Quick counter by Clottey but Cotto lands two quick ones at the bell.
Franchise: 10-9 Cotto
Uatu: 10-9 Cotto
Spartan117: 10-9 Clottey
Round 11
Cotto looking good early in this round. Clottey shook out his leg a bit and hasn't let his hands go much so far. Both men land right hands. Left hook counter from Cotto. Serious swings and misses by both guys. Cotto flurries a bit to the body and head. Clottey picks out a few quick shots. Sharp right by Clottey and Cotto fires right back.
Franchise: 10-9 Cotto
Uatu: 10-9 Clottey
Spartan117: 10-10
Round 12
It's always tough to tell with judges, but one would think this last round is important. Lederman has it even after 11. Clottey scores first, then he almost slips along the ropes. Clubbing shots fly in both directions. The ref checks Clottey left glove. Cotto throws double left hooks. Cotto stays circling and lands a left hook. Cotto hits Clottey in the back of the head, but the ref admonishes Clottey for turning his back. They return to action, but the ref warns Clottey for a low shot. Left hook by Cotto. Thirty seconds to go and they tie up. Cotto is doing more work when it counts. They fight to the bell and we'll see.
Franchise: 10-9 Cotto
Uatu: 10-9 Cotto
Spartan117: 10-9 Clottey
Franchise: 115-112 Cotto
Uatu: 114-113 Cotto
Spartan117: 115-113 Clottey
The judges score it 116-111 Cotto, 114-113 Clottey and 115-112 Cotto. The winner by split decision... and still WBO welterweight champion... Miguel Cotto.
Jim Lampley doesn't think the decision was questionable, but Kellerman thinks the 116-111 score was ridiculous. HBO's cool punching graphics show that Clottey was not as effective going to the body as one may have expected.
Lampley talks to Cotto about another test with the cut to his eye. Asked about the last few rounds, Cotto says he just tried to forget about the blood and make his fans proud.
Does he feel like it was the greatest win of his career? Yes he does, and he also gives props to his cutman for his effort.
Cotto sort of ducks a question about fighting Manny Pacquiao.
Lampley talks to Clottey about his hard luck, and he's disappointed because he says he came forward and blocked so many of Cotto's punches. He wants a rematch.
Clottey knows he didn't throw much in the final rounds but says he was fighting cautiously to avoid Cotto's single punches.
Kellerman feels that Cotto's habit of overcoming adversity while displaying vulnerability may give him an even better shot at landing a megafight with Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather. Steward says he thinks Clottey won the fight but he fell in love with Cotto's performance.
Posted by The Franchise
Max Kellerman says we'll find out for sure tonight if Cotto has recovered from the beating (and possibly cheating, in Max's words) at the hands of Antonio Margarito. A video package recaps the bumpy road Cotto has navigated since his first career loss.
Emanuel Steward compares Clottey to Margarito in terms of style. He says Clottey will apply pressure and push the pace while keeping his hands up high on defense.
Clottey tells Kellerman that he needs the win badly tonight. He somewhat downplays comparisons to Margarito but does say he will pressure early on. Clottey doesn't think he needs a KO to win despite Cotto's home ring advantage because they share the same promoter.
The tale of the tape has the fighters equal in weight and virtually identical in reach and weight. Cotto is four years younger.
Clottey comes to the ring first. Can't say I know the name of the song playing. The Grandmaster looks confident.
As expected, the crowd is fired up as Cotto heads for the ring. Steward says he thinks Clottey can win a decision but will need to do so very convincingly because of the energy that the fans will provide when Cotto lands.
Michael Buffer does the introductions. Clottey is 35-2 with 21 KOs. Cotto is 33-1 with 27 KOs. And we are ready to go!
Round 1
Both men testing the jab. Short right hand from Cotto. Clottey ducks away from some head shots. Left to the body by Cotto. Each man slips some punches inside. Jabs connect both ways. Cotto flurries but Clottey picks them off with his arms. Clottey flashes some quick jabs. Left upstairs and to the body by Clottey. Left hook by Cotto sends Clottey to the mat right before the bell. Clottey doesn't look hurt but more surprised.
Franchise: 10-8 Cotto
Uatu: 10-8 Cotto
Spartan117: 10-8 Cotto
Round 2
Clottey certainly didn't want to fall behind on points early like that. Both men are cautious through the first minute of Round 2. Left hook upstairs by Cotto. Clottey stays covered up. Short left hook by Clottey. Jabs from Clottey. Steward likes what Clottey is doing but thinks he is open to counter shots. Jabs from Cotto. Big swings and misses both ways. Nothing huge landed, but Cotto may have taken it on activity.
Franchise: 10-9 Cotto
Uatu: 10-9 Clottey
Spartan117: 10-9 Cotto
Round 3
Harold Lederman gave Round 2 to Clottey. Cotto tries the body and gets jabs right back in his face. Clottey unleashes a series of left hooks. His jab is still very sharp. Cotto can't land much flush but he's staying busy. Clottey whips out a nice left uppercut too. Emanuel thinks Cotto should go back to the jab. Cotto has been cut over the left eye, and it looks fairly bad.
Franchise: 10-9 Clottey
Uatu: 10-9 Cotto
Spartan117: 10-9 Cotto
Round 4
Replays show that the cut was caused by a headbutt. The fight will continue for now. The fighters stand and trade a bit in the center of the ring. Clottey comes forward as Cotto digs in and tries to keep him back. Body shots by Cotto answered by a nasty uppercut from Clottey. Left from Cotto knocks Clottey back a step. Hard right from Clottey and he tries to follow up. Clottey retreats into the corner and ties up. Cotto flurries and backs away. Good action in that round.
Franchise: 10-9 Cotto
Uatu: 10-9 Clottey
Spartan117: 10-9 Clottey
Round 5
Clottey is landing cleaner shots but Cotto is landing more thus far. It's tough to say how many of Cotto's shots are landing clean because of Clottey's high guard. Nice one-two by Clottey. Cotto almost slips in mid-combination. Clottey lands a hard right. Now another one along the ropes. Clottey falls down in the corner but it wasn't from a punch - more of a slip/tackle. Clottey is staying down for a while, acting like he's hurt. The ref tells him to walk it off as the crowd lays into him a bit. There are 40 seconds left in the round. Now we're back to action. They slug it out to end the round.
Franchise: 10-9 Clottey
Uatu: 10-9 Clottey
Spartan117: 10-9 Clottey
Round 6
Steward and Kellerman argue about whether or not Cotto threw Clottey down. Clottey flashes quick hands again. Cotto backs Clottey up in response. The crowd urges Cotto on as he punches his way forward. Clottey tries to fight his way out. Cotto fires a straight right and an uppercut. Clottey's responses are mostly with the uppercut. Mean hooks by Miguel. Clottey weathering the storm fairly well. Now Clottey scores with a big right.
Franchise: 10-9 Cotto
Uatu: 10-9 Cotto
Spartan117: 10-9 Cotto
Round 7
Clottey returns to the jab that served him well earlier. Body work by Cotto. Nice right uppercut from Clottey. Cotto covers up and tries to counter. Both men still have some bounce in their legs. Cotto is pawing at his bloody left eye. Good combination to the head by Clottey. Cotto is backed into the corner and he tries to duck away. Sharp right by Clottey finds the mark.
Franchise: 10-9 Clottey
Uatu: 10-9 Clottey
Spartan117: 10-9 Clottey
Round 8
The momentum shifts in this fight have been pretty dramatic. Some wrestling to start this round. Clottey works nicely in tight. Cotto goes on offense and backs Clottey up. Clottey backs his man up against the ropes but Miguel works his way out. Sharp combination punching from Clottey. Cotto can't see right hands coming because of his eye. Cotto ties up and then turns things around. Clottey lands a quick left before the bell.
Franchise: 10-9 Clottey
Uatu: 10-9 Clottey
Spartan117: 10-9 Clottey
Round 9
Clottey is still stalking and Cotto is trying to stay mobile. Cotto landing the occasional shot but Clottey has the effective aggression. Clottey lands and backs up a bit. Now Cotto goes on the attack with some hooks to the head and body. Clottey digs back in and Cotto has to tie up. Both men try to slug for the last 10 seconds.
Franchise: 10-9 Clottey
Uatu: 10-9 Cotto
Spartan117: 10-9 Clottey
Round 10
I don't envy the judges in this fight. Lederman has it even after nine. Clottey comes forward once again. Cotto trying to stay active even as he retreats. Clottey isn't throwing much for the time being. Cotto switches southpaw and they tie up. Clottey flurries and mostly misses. Quick counter by Clottey but Cotto lands two quick ones at the bell.
Franchise: 10-9 Cotto
Uatu: 10-9 Cotto
Spartan117: 10-9 Clottey
Round 11
Cotto looking good early in this round. Clottey shook out his leg a bit and hasn't let his hands go much so far. Both men land right hands. Left hook counter from Cotto. Serious swings and misses by both guys. Cotto flurries a bit to the body and head. Clottey picks out a few quick shots. Sharp right by Clottey and Cotto fires right back.
Franchise: 10-9 Cotto
Uatu: 10-9 Clottey
Spartan117: 10-10
Round 12
It's always tough to tell with judges, but one would think this last round is important. Lederman has it even after 11. Clottey scores first, then he almost slips along the ropes. Clubbing shots fly in both directions. The ref checks Clottey left glove. Cotto throws double left hooks. Cotto stays circling and lands a left hook. Cotto hits Clottey in the back of the head, but the ref admonishes Clottey for turning his back. They return to action, but the ref warns Clottey for a low shot. Left hook by Cotto. Thirty seconds to go and they tie up. Cotto is doing more work when it counts. They fight to the bell and we'll see.
Franchise: 10-9 Cotto
Uatu: 10-9 Cotto
Spartan117: 10-9 Clottey
Franchise: 115-112 Cotto
Uatu: 114-113 Cotto
Spartan117: 115-113 Clottey
The judges score it 116-111 Cotto, 114-113 Clottey and 115-112 Cotto. The winner by split decision... and still WBO welterweight champion... Miguel Cotto.
Jim Lampley doesn't think the decision was questionable, but Kellerman thinks the 116-111 score was ridiculous. HBO's cool punching graphics show that Clottey was not as effective going to the body as one may have expected.
Lampley talks to Cotto about another test with the cut to his eye. Asked about the last few rounds, Cotto says he just tried to forget about the blood and make his fans proud.
Does he feel like it was the greatest win of his career? Yes he does, and he also gives props to his cutman for his effort.
Cotto sort of ducks a question about fighting Manny Pacquiao.
Lampley talks to Clottey about his hard luck, and he's disappointed because he says he came forward and blocked so many of Cotto's punches. He wants a rematch.
Clottey knows he didn't throw much in the final rounds but says he was fighting cautiously to avoid Cotto's single punches.
Kellerman feels that Cotto's habit of overcoming adversity while displaying vulnerability may give him an even better shot at landing a megafight with Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather. Steward says he thinks Clottey won the fight but he fell in love with Cotto's performance.
Posted by The Franchise
Live Miguel Cotto-Joshua Clottey Round By Round Updates Tonight
As it always is when Miguel Cotto fights on the weekend of the Puerto Rican Day parade in New York City, it should be a raucous atmosphere at Madison Square Garden tonight when he faces off against Joshua Clottey.
It should be a very good fight too, one you don't want to miss if possible. But sometimes life gets in the way, and you can't always see every fight.
That's where we come in. Join us for live round by round updates out on the main page and we'll keep you abreast of the action.
Don't forget that even though the fight is in NYC, it's a late start for HBO's World Championship Boxing. The broadcast begins at 10:35 Eastern time, and I expect we'll start updating around 11 pm.
Posted by The Franchise
It should be a very good fight too, one you don't want to miss if possible. But sometimes life gets in the way, and you can't always see every fight.
That's where we come in. Join us for live round by round updates out on the main page and we'll keep you abreast of the action.
Don't forget that even though the fight is in NYC, it's a late start for HBO's World Championship Boxing. The broadcast begins at 10:35 Eastern time, and I expect we'll start updating around 11 pm.
Posted by The Franchise
11.6.09
Betting on Boxing: Miguel Cotto vs. Joshua Clottey
Now to go against my actual prediction.
Miguel Cotto is a huge name and is one of the most famous fighters in the game. Joshua Clottey is, in my opinion, as close to a nobody as there is in the boxing world outside of hardcore fans, despite his immense talent. I bet I could ask the entire amount of my 250 classmates who Clottey is and not one would know.
I imagine that more "uneducated" money would come in on an HBO-backed fighter like Cotto than Clottey. So there is the possibility for some skewed odds. Sort of like how Notre Dame football and the New York Yankees always have lower odds on them winning the championship than would seem appropriate, purely because they have way more people placing future bets on them as opposed to the Utah Utes and the Texas Rangers have. Add in the fact that Cotto has a rabid cultural fan base here in the States (and protectorates), and there will be even more money on Cotto.
As I mentioned in my fight prediciton, for the longest time I have thought that Clottey would win. Now I have changed my mind to predict Cotto by victory. How would I bet though? What are the actual odds?
Vegasinsider.com lists the odds as:
Cotto -365
Clottey + 285
This fight is very close to a pick 'em, so I like the bet on Clottey very much. The one thing that makes me nervous is the fact that this fight is in NYC on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day parade, and MSG will be 99% pro-Cotto. That could influence the judges, as every punch Cotto lands, or probably doesn't even land, will be met with thousands of raucous cheers. If this fight was in Vegas, then it would be a no-brainer bet on Clottey. However, even so, I still like the value of placing a bet on Clottey, despite the virtual home ring advantage for Cotto.
Posted by uatu
Miguel Cotto is a huge name and is one of the most famous fighters in the game. Joshua Clottey is, in my opinion, as close to a nobody as there is in the boxing world outside of hardcore fans, despite his immense talent. I bet I could ask the entire amount of my 250 classmates who Clottey is and not one would know.
I imagine that more "uneducated" money would come in on an HBO-backed fighter like Cotto than Clottey. So there is the possibility for some skewed odds. Sort of like how Notre Dame football and the New York Yankees always have lower odds on them winning the championship than would seem appropriate, purely because they have way more people placing future bets on them as opposed to the Utah Utes and the Texas Rangers have. Add in the fact that Cotto has a rabid cultural fan base here in the States (and protectorates), and there will be even more money on Cotto.
As I mentioned in my fight prediciton, for the longest time I have thought that Clottey would win. Now I have changed my mind to predict Cotto by victory. How would I bet though? What are the actual odds?
Vegasinsider.com lists the odds as:
Cotto -365
Clottey + 285
This fight is very close to a pick 'em, so I like the bet on Clottey very much. The one thing that makes me nervous is the fact that this fight is in NYC on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day parade, and MSG will be 99% pro-Cotto. That could influence the judges, as every punch Cotto lands, or probably doesn't even land, will be met with thousands of raucous cheers. If this fight was in Vegas, then it would be a no-brainer bet on Clottey. However, even so, I still like the value of placing a bet on Clottey, despite the virtual home ring advantage for Cotto.
Posted by uatu
Miguel Cotto vs. Joshua Clottey: Predictions
The Franchise says...
It's funny how perceptions in boxing change so quickly.
A few years ago, Miguel Cotto probably wasn't given enough credit for his overall game. He got his props for his tenacity and ability to break down foes, but it wasn't until he defeated Shane Mosley toward the end of 2007 that he got his just due for his boxing skills.
In the eyes of this observer, those same skills were very much on display for most of his fight with Antonio Margarito. But after that one now-suspect (yet undeniably brutal) loss and one bounce-back fight against an outgunned opponent, Cotto all of a sudden is seen as ripe for the picking.
Some of that has to do with the respect that pundits and hardcore fans have for Joshua Clottey, the current trendy pick as the underrated man in the welterweight division. While the returning Floyd Mayweather, Mosley and Cotto get the headlines, Clottey simply does his thing, going 5-0 over the past two years.
His counter punching ability seems to be the perfect weapon against a foe whose first instinct is to come forward, though Cotto has shown he can modify his style when needed. Clottey is also effective at preventing flush shots to the head, and he's never been knocked out in 37 pro fights.
Both men are superior body punchers, and since neither has especially fearsome one-punch power, there should be plenty of time for body work to take its toll. Clottey may be a little more comfortable in the late rounds, as seven of his last nine fights have gone the distance.
On paper this fight looks like a toss-up, and since the winner is likely to be prominent in the "who's going to fight Manny Pacquiao" sweepstakes, there should be plenty of motivation to go around. That means picking a winner largely boils down to gut instinct.
For me, that instinct is telling me Cotto finds some way to come out on top. Even though it's a pick that doesn't make me super confident, I'm taking Cotto to win by close decision.
Uatu says...
Ever since this fight was announced I have been riding the Clottey wagon against Cotto. I think this guy is a very hard out for anyone at 147, including Paul Williams and Money May. He has tight defense, a strong and sturdy frame, and comes into his fights in tremendous shape. No one ever blows him out, and I have never seen him in trouble in any fight. Add on the fact that Cotto has a new trainer, and signs point to Clottey for the upset.
I have decided to change my opinion, however. I have thought about this fight from many angles, and I just think that Cotto is the better actual boxer. I believe we will have a repeat of both the Mosley and Margarito fights. Cotto is going to outbox and outwork Clottey and get himself a comfortable points lead. He is going to fade down the stretch, and Clottey will be pressing him towards the end. However, Clottey lacks the (possibly questionable) "power" that Margarito had in the final rounds, and he will not have the activity that Shane had either, and of course, Shane came up short anyway. So even though there will be drama in 10, 11, and 12, and Clottey will not be in any danger, I now like Miguel Cotto by decision, possibly split.
Posted by The Franchise
It's funny how perceptions in boxing change so quickly.
A few years ago, Miguel Cotto probably wasn't given enough credit for his overall game. He got his props for his tenacity and ability to break down foes, but it wasn't until he defeated Shane Mosley toward the end of 2007 that he got his just due for his boxing skills.
In the eyes of this observer, those same skills were very much on display for most of his fight with Antonio Margarito. But after that one now-suspect (yet undeniably brutal) loss and one bounce-back fight against an outgunned opponent, Cotto all of a sudden is seen as ripe for the picking.
Some of that has to do with the respect that pundits and hardcore fans have for Joshua Clottey, the current trendy pick as the underrated man in the welterweight division. While the returning Floyd Mayweather, Mosley and Cotto get the headlines, Clottey simply does his thing, going 5-0 over the past two years.
His counter punching ability seems to be the perfect weapon against a foe whose first instinct is to come forward, though Cotto has shown he can modify his style when needed. Clottey is also effective at preventing flush shots to the head, and he's never been knocked out in 37 pro fights.
Both men are superior body punchers, and since neither has especially fearsome one-punch power, there should be plenty of time for body work to take its toll. Clottey may be a little more comfortable in the late rounds, as seven of his last nine fights have gone the distance.
On paper this fight looks like a toss-up, and since the winner is likely to be prominent in the "who's going to fight Manny Pacquiao" sweepstakes, there should be plenty of motivation to go around. That means picking a winner largely boils down to gut instinct.
For me, that instinct is telling me Cotto finds some way to come out on top. Even though it's a pick that doesn't make me super confident, I'm taking Cotto to win by close decision.
Uatu says...
Ever since this fight was announced I have been riding the Clottey wagon against Cotto. I think this guy is a very hard out for anyone at 147, including Paul Williams and Money May. He has tight defense, a strong and sturdy frame, and comes into his fights in tremendous shape. No one ever blows him out, and I have never seen him in trouble in any fight. Add on the fact that Cotto has a new trainer, and signs point to Clottey for the upset.
I have decided to change my opinion, however. I have thought about this fight from many angles, and I just think that Cotto is the better actual boxer. I believe we will have a repeat of both the Mosley and Margarito fights. Cotto is going to outbox and outwork Clottey and get himself a comfortable points lead. He is going to fade down the stretch, and Clottey will be pressing him towards the end. However, Clottey lacks the (possibly questionable) "power" that Margarito had in the final rounds, and he will not have the activity that Shane had either, and of course, Shane came up short anyway. So even though there will be drama in 10, 11, and 12, and Clottey will not be in any danger, I now like Miguel Cotto by decision, possibly split.
Posted by The Franchise
29.1.09
Report: California Suspends Margarito Until Hand Wraps Tested
Apparently I just needed to wait a few days until the controversy over the "plaster-like substance" found and removed from Antonio Margarito's gloves before his fight with Shane Mosley took off.
ESPN boxing guru Dan Rafael is reporting that the California State Athletic Commission has suspended Margarito and trainer Javier Capetillo until the substance found in the wraps can be fully analyzed. Hey, I hear Gil Grissom is available!
All joking aside, I raised the issue of whether or not Miguel Cotto's camp would wonder whether Margarito and Capetillo did something similar before their fight. In the same vein, Rafael notes that people representing Kermit Cintron and Joshua Clottey - two relatively recent Margarito victims - are watching the developments in the hand wrap saga carefully.
And while Yahoo's Steve Cofield may be overstating things (no surprise there) when he wonders if this may spell doom for Margarito's career, it's more understandable to read that Mosley trainer Nazim Richardson is outraged - both for the potential danger posed to his man and the pall it could cast over the sport if it's decided that Margarito and company were knowingly cheating.
Boxing fans don't agree on much, but I think most would concur that there is a portion of the media and the sports-watching public just waiting for any opportunity to pile on boxing. Here's hoping this gets resolved quickly and decisively.
ESPN boxing guru Dan Rafael is reporting that the California State Athletic Commission has suspended Margarito and trainer Javier Capetillo until the substance found in the wraps can be fully analyzed. Hey, I hear Gil Grissom is available!
All joking aside, I raised the issue of whether or not Miguel Cotto's camp would wonder whether Margarito and Capetillo did something similar before their fight. In the same vein, Rafael notes that people representing Kermit Cintron and Joshua Clottey - two relatively recent Margarito victims - are watching the developments in the hand wrap saga carefully.
And while Yahoo's Steve Cofield may be overstating things (no surprise there) when he wonders if this may spell doom for Margarito's career, it's more understandable to read that Mosley trainer Nazim Richardson is outraged - both for the potential danger posed to his man and the pall it could cast over the sport if it's decided that Margarito and company were knowingly cheating.
Boxing fans don't agree on much, but I think most would concur that there is a portion of the media and the sports-watching public just waiting for any opportunity to pile on boxing. Here's hoping this gets resolved quickly and decisively.
2.8.08
Round by Round: Judah v. Clottey
We just finished watching the now classic Cotto v. Margarito and it's time for the main event. Judah is back in the ring after canceling his last bout with Shane Mosley because of a hand injury. He faces Joshua Clottey, who is 34-2 with 20 KOs. Tonight's fight is for a title, but the winner, if he wins convincingly, will also get back into the upper echelon of welterweights.
Rd 1: Zab strikes first and establishes the jab. He gets off between 7 and 10 punches before Clottey throws a punch. Clottey looks to be waiting to counter. Clottey is keeping his hands high. Clottey lands a grazing hook and backs up Judah. Judah is using good upper body movement to get out of the way of Clottey's fists. Clottey gets in close and lands a combo to the body. Clottey is the aggressor in this round. Clotey lands a strong counter. Zab sticks with the jab but they have mostly been blocked. Clottey backs Judah up again.
Spartan117: 10-9 Clottey
Uatu: 10-9 Judah
Rd 2: Zab uses his jab some more. Clottey throws a hard combo but Judah blocks it well. They square up in the middle of the ring. Judah now starts to throw good combos and scores. Clottey now goes to work to the body. Judah follows suit and throws some shots to the body. Judah's punches look as fast as ever. Zab gets some good jabs in between the gloves. Judah is the more active fighter in this round.
Spartan117: 10-9 Judah
Uatu: 10-9 Clottey
Rd 3: Clottey's trainers tell him to work the body. Judah is doing a good job of hitting and ducking. Judah throws a good combo to the body that scores. Clottey gets Zab against the ropes and lands a hook to the body and head. Judah clinches to get out. Clottey is now turning up the punching output. Both fighters are throwing more punches to the body, probably because they are both keeping their defense high. Clottey has been winning on the ropes and Judah has been winning in the center.
Spartan117: 10-9 Clottey
Uatu: 10-9 Judah
Rd 4: Judah slips on the canvas and Clottey takes advantage and lands two shots. Judah composes himself and throws multiple combos and lands most of his punches. Clottey is now complaining about a low blow. It looked on the low side but not that low. The ref says fight on. Judah's face is starting to swell. Clottey comes in and lands a solid jab. Judah now takes more punishment but fights through it. Clottey lands some heavy shots in round 4.
Spartan117: 10-9 Clottey
Uatu: 10-9 Clottey
Rd 5: Clottey moves forward and Judah stays light on his feet, ready to dodge. Judah's upper body movement has helped him get out of the way of some big shots. Clottey has been getting some uppercuts through the gloves of Zab. It doesn't look like Zab's punches are taking a toll on Clottey. Clottey leads in with a straight right. Clottey smiles at Zab's lightning fast combo at the end of the round.
Spartan117: 10-9 Clottey
Uatu: 10-9 Judah
Rd 6: Zab turns up the intensity at the start of the round. Most are blocked. Zab looks ready to get out of the way of Clottey's punches. Zab doubles up with the combos and lands to the body of Clottey. Zab gets in trouble for another low blow and Clottey is given time to regroup. Zab does not lose a point. Clottey now goes back to counter punching. Zab is landing more punches but Clottey is landing the cleaner punches.
Spartan117: 10-9 Judah
Uatu: 10-9 Judah
Rd 7: Clottey's stronger punches are landing as we get into the later rounds. Judah is still moving around a lot and moves out of the way. Max Kellerman now quotes Robert Frost. Clottey lands a bomb of a combo and Judah is in trouble in the corner. He dodges and holds on to make it out of the round.
Spartan117: 10-9 Clottey
Uatu: 10-9 Clottey
Rd 8: Judah's punch output has been fading as the fight moves on and Clottey continues to land at a higher percentage. In this round Judah is throwing more now and Clottey is throwing less. The fight is still very close and Judah is showing that he really wants to win. Judah's face is badly swollen and his nose is bleeding profusely. Judah is still fighting back very hard. Clottey gets backed into the ropes and takes some serious bombs by Judah. It wasn't enough to steal the round in my opinion.
Spartan117: 10-9 Clottey
Uatu: 10-9 Clottey
Rd 9: Zab doesn't look tired in there as he continues to duck and dodge. Clottey is now throwing more and Judah is on the run. A cut has opened over the right eye of Judah. The ref stops the action to examine the cut and it's being ruled as an accidental clash of heads. Judah says that he can't see and the fight is stopped. Clottey is being raised by his camp as if he is the winner but the fight must go to the scorecards.
Spartan117: 10-9 Clottey
Uatu: 10-9 Clottey
Judge 1: 86-85 Judge 2: 87-84 Judge 3: 86-85
All for the winner by unanimous decision, Joshua Clottey.
Spartan 117: 88-83 Clottey
Uatu: 86-85 Clottey
After examination of the replay, it appears that the cut was opened by an uppercut by Clottey.
Clottey says that everyone knew that Zab would get tired after the 4th round, so he trained to bring the pain after that round. He says that Zab never hurt him and nobody in his boxing career has ever hurt him. He says of course he wants Margarito, but if that can't happen he says he wants Andre Berto, which I think would be an amazing fight.
Judah says he knows that Clottey always headbutts. Kellerman shows him the replay that shows the cut being opened by an uppercut by Clottey. Zab is speechless for a few seconds, then says to trust him that it was a headbutt. He asks the fans who won and the crowd chants for Judah.
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