Archive for March, 2010

This April, we return to the Philippines for another “Boxing at the Bay” fight card produced by Solar Sports this time featuring young up and comer Drian “Gintong Kamao (Golden Fist)” Francisco of Mindoro Occidental taking on Panamanian Ricardo Nunez.  The card dubbed “Young Guns” and rightfully so, Francisco having not yet established a following such as his more esteemed countrymen Donaire and of course Pacquiao but hopes to one day achieve the same success.

The last time we saw Francisco was in the first “Boxing at the Bay” back in October of last year, when he shared the ring with former world titlist and seasoned veteran, Roberto Vasquez also of Panama.  On that fight, Francisco put on a boxing clinic as he systematically took apart Vasquez round by round en route to a 10^th round TKO victory.  Francisco dominated every round even finding time to showboat some.  It was then clear that he was ready for the world stage.

His opponent this time around is Ricardo Nunez.  Despite Nunez’s 83% KO percentage (17W – 15 by KO), this upcoming fight could be considered somewhat of a tune-up fight for ‘Gintong Kamao’, this being Nunez’s first step up against quality opposition, and the first bout fought outside of Panama.  That’s not to say however, that we can underestimate Nunez’s capabalities, he has an impressive KO rate for a reason and we don’t want to look past him like we did with Carlos Tamara when he fought Brian Viloria just last January.  We’ll learn more about Nunez as the fight card approaches.

As previously, you can expect OfficialScoreCard.com to cover the action LIVE from the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City, Philippines!  Stay tuned for more updates!

Manny Steward Training Cotto
Written By:Dax Ramos

Cotto: finally made a good move in picking up Manny Steward the guy is a legend in the boxing game and Cotto ex-trainer Santiago was just horrible. Cotto needs a great trainer and he should beat Yuri Foreman. Beating Foreman will open some doors for Cotto maybe a big fight with Spinks a rematch with Mosley or the winner Berto Vs Quintana.

Saying that Miguel Cotto best path to the Hall Of Fame, after beating Foreman Cotto should challenge Spinks for his title then make Antonio Margarito go up to 154 making and closeout the show and if he runs the table Cotto will be a shoe in the hall of fame. 3 division Champ Junior welterweight, Welterweight, Junior Middleweight

Miguel Cotto is still in the game and maybe Manny Steward is the answer.

Lets see if it’s to late?

Written By: Dax Ramos

Shane Mosley: The Dark Horse to win it all.

Floyd vs Manny Pac who wins? Why doesn’t Manny take the blood test? Why doesn’t Floyd just fight and forget about the blood test? Might be a lewd point….

Here is the real point; with all of this Mosley has a real chance beating Floyd if Mosley doesn’t get old over night. Styles make fights and Mosley has very difficult style for Floyd to deal with, Mosley is bigger and stronger and as I would say has just little bit less speed. Floyd is a counter puncher and Mosley is like Mongoose attacking, quickly inn and out and has great body attack, hmm can anyone say Castillo. My personal pick in this fight is Mosley to win by TKO at the end of 9th round. Mosley with his new trainer Nazzim Richardson who is a great trainer, I would call him better then Freddie Roach as a trainer. Why will Mosley win? Simply put, style makes fights and Mosley will keep Floyd thinking and keep him gun shy and Mosley has outstanding body work and that might all equal the TKO for Mosley.

Mosley vs Manny Pac, everyone discount’s Mosley, the truth is Mosley is the legit welterweight champ not Manny Pac or Floyd. I’ll tell you why Mosley will beat Manny Pac, the reason being Mosley is always a high activity fighter and Mosley’s body work is only second to Miguel Cotto. Mosley throws a killer uppercut and we all saw Manny is wide open for an uppercut’s and every time Shane has been encountered with a high active fighter like Manny Pac, Mosley has always won by TKO he comes right back at you someone just like Erik Morales.

So for the Manny Pac and Floyd fans get use to Shane Mosley’s polite demeanor and great smile because he will be the last man standing.

Who do you pick…….?

Before Manny Pacquiao broke out into the mainstream and turned into the phenomenon that he is today, the boxing world was abuzz with a fighter of a different nature.  Before “The Pacman”, there was “The Pretty Boy”.  Upon the decline of then consensus Pound-4-Pound best Roy Jones Jr. in the late 90’s, Floyd Mayweather Jr. was primed and ready to take over the sport as its new king.  The new king did not disappoint as he displayed pure boxing ability and unparalleled skill that left spectators in awe of what he was capable of.  He had been subject to tests that would place him at the top of the sport, and he passed them with flying colors knocking out Emanuel Augustus, the late great Diego “Chico” Corrales, beating Carlos “Famoso” Hernandez and also surviving two wars and then dominating a then prime Jose Luis Castillo.  All these battles served as proof that Mayweather’s skills were of elite caliber, in fact, they are still referenced to this day as to why Floyd Mayweather is so great.  In 2003 however, a featherweight sensation from the Philippines shot into the scene like a fireball blitzing right through Marco Antonio Barrera, stealing the show from Mayweather.

Enter Manny Pacquiao, the most exciting fighter the boxing world has seen over the past decade.  When he beat Barrera, it was definitely a shocker.  Barrera just came from a war with Erik Morales, knocking out Kevin Kelley, decisioning Johnny Tapia and dominating Prince Naseem Hamed so you can’t say Barrera was old and washed up, but Manny made him look that way.  Manny captured the hearts and minds of boxing experts, he became one of the most exciting fighters in the sport.  Suddenly, people stopped talking about Floyd Mayweather.  Suddenly, it was all about Manny Pacquiao.  From 2003 onwards, Pacquiao blazed through weight divisions and won multiple world championships, leaving a trail of fire in his wake.  Today he is one of the world’s most recognizable figures, an icon in fight sports.  While Manny Pacquiao was busy taking on all comers, Floyd Mayweather sit lackadaisically on his throne atop the sport.  With his success and fame, he became lax and complacent, seemingly only content in facing meager opposition to pad his growing undefeated record.  What’s worse, it became a habit of his to fight only those who never posed any great threat to him and made up for it by further belittling his opponents and bragging about his incomparable abilities.  This resulted in him being branded as a ‘ducker’ or a fighter who avoided certain other fighters that were ready, willing and able to pose a stiff challenge.

Talk to ‘the man on the street’ and he will tell you that he is not impressed with Mayweather’s recent opposition or apparent lack thereof.  ‘The man on the street’ will put his foot down and tell you outright that Floyd Mayweather ‘ducked’ a prime Miguel Cotto, a prime Antonio Margarito and yes, a prime Shane Mosley.  His reputation has gotten so bad that it caused people who know nothing about the sport, people who don’t even know who he is to change his name from Floyd Mayweather and start calling him “Fraud Gayweather”.  All this was happening before his eyes while Manny Pacquiao was busy capturing the heart of millions with his relentless fighting style and warrior heart.  Manny had taken from him the sport that he loved.  He had become the villain and Pacquiao the hero that would slay him.  Not only that, but Pacquiao had also captured US mainstream pop culture appearing on US national television on multiple occasions, he had become the face of hard work and sports apparel giant, Nike, made sure that people knew about it.

Of course there are those who still support Mayweather – those who remember his exciting victories against Boxing’s elite in the early 2000’s, before the world knew of Manny Pacquiao.  But these handful of fans that are left are decreasing by the day.  Some are full of seeing their hero constantly avoid legitimate challenges and opt to fight older, smaller men (See Juan Manuel Marquez).  Others have grown tired of defending him, when Mayweather himself refused to prove his detractors wrong.  Some have even joined Team Pacquiao.  Pacquiao obviously has the support of millions of Filipinos and Filipino-Americans, aside from the fact that Americans are also behind him and so is nearly all of Hollywood.  Simply put, Pacquiao’s popularity has surpassed Mayweather’s.  Pacquiao is the draw in boxing, despite Mayweather’s claims that he is the ‘cash cow’.

When Floyd Mayweather went into retirement after splitting a decision against Boxing’s ‘Golden Boy’ and knocking out Ricky Hatton, he believed there was nothing for him to prove any longer, that there was no reason for him to return to the sport, that he had done all that he could, that he was Jordanesque.  But for the nearly two years that he was inactive, he watched Pacquiao, as did most of us, take Boxing and the world by storm.  I truly believe that Floyd Mayweather came out of retirement this time not for money but for legacy.  He came back against Juan Manuel Marquez and called it a tune-up fight, and rightfully so.  And if you need proof that Mayweather is “in it to win it” this time, look no further than May 1^st when he finally takes on Shane Mosley (who by the way is ready to take his head off).  Mayweather had grown envious of Pacquiao’s following and success.

Manny Pacquiao forced Mayweather out of retirement and now after he gets past Shane Mosley, Pacquiao will be next.  For Floyd Mayweather to recapture the glory he once had as the sport’s best pound for pound fighter, he will have to fight and beat the man they call ‘The Pacman’.  I believe this is what Mayweather has set out to do all along.  The fight with Marquez, the PEDs accusations, the delays in negotiations and now the fight with ‘Sugar Shane’ were all just devices to buy time – to get ready to fight Manny.

Now with the world watching, he sets foot on his journey back to the top.  The Filipino Firebomb is waiting.

ALL ROADS LEAD TO MANNY PACQUIAO.

Usually the buzz surrounding the post fight of a Manny Pacquiao fight is all positive but I’ve gone around and talked to ‘the man on the street’ and I’ve been hearing a lot of negativity.  People are talking about how the fight was boring, that Joshua Clottey was boring or even as absurd as saying that Pacquiao’s skills were ‘deteriorating’.  All these stemming from the fact that Manny wasn’t able to kayo Josh Clottey.  So I’m here to set the record straight.  For those true lovers of the sweet science, the fight that took place last Saturday night was a sight to behold.  Jerry Jones, Bob Arum, Manny Pacquiao and yes, even Joshua Clottey helped to set the bar on how fights should be experienced.  The excitement and intrigue of the sport of Boxing was on full display and the players involved made history, emphatically.  So I’m here to both give praise to the spectacle that is Manny Pacquiao, and defend the warrior from Ghana, Joshua Clottey.

Let’s get one thing clear.  Joshua Clottey is NOT a boring fighter.  If you’ve been watching his previous contests, Clottey always comes to fight which is why boxing analysts consider him a very dangerous opponent and one of the top five active Welterweights today.  He would give anyone problems.  If you’re new to boxing, you were probably one of the ones going around saying Josh was ‘boring’ or ‘scared’ to fight Pacquiao.  Josh grew up in one of the toughest places to grow up in, on the streets of Accra, Ghana.  If you came up to me and told me that he was scared of Pacquiao, I would laugh in your face!  The man’s fighting style is to absorb the full intensity of his opponent’s bombs, so ‘fear’ is not something he has in him.  ‘The Shell Defence’ IS HIS FIGHTING STYLE and though it could tend to be a little ‘boring’ sometimes, it is a very effective defense and is very tough to crack.  For those out there that didn’t know, that’s how Joshua Clottey was supposed to look like.  However, I do agree that he didn’t do nearly enough to win the fight, he could have in theory been more active which would have been effective since he was landing cleanly on Pacquiao’s face.  In fact, that’s what he and head trainer Lenny de Jesus came into the fight planning to do.  They had planned to bring the fight to Pacquiao, put the pressure on him and make him fight going backwards.  In the words of Mike Tyson, “Everybody got a plan until they get hit”.  Unfortunately for Clottey, they didn’t have a Plan B to carry out when Plan A failed to materialize.  But okay, he did throw less punches per round on an average as compared to his other fights which I understand would lead others to label him as ‘boring’, but there is a perfectly good explanation for that.

What’s the explanation you ask?  Manny Pacquiao – the most dynamic puncher in Boxing today, and one of the all-time greats in the history of the sport.  What we have to understand is that Pacquiao is one of the most devastating and overwhelmingly offense-oriented fighters of all time.  He belongs among a list of elite fighters that provided the same fistic fireworks throughout history – a list that includes Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Roberto Duran and ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson among others.  The sheer brilliance and greatness of Manny Pacquiao caused Joshua Clottey to be overly defensive.  He forced Clottey to constantly have his guard up to cover the vulnerable areas of his body.  Clottey knew that if he took chances and ‘let his hands go’ that Pacquiao’s speed would definitely catch him and that Pacquiao’s power would break him down.  Clottey claims that Pacquiao’s punches didn’t hurt, but if we were to accept this as truth, then why did he cover up so much if he could take Pacquiao’s power?  I would like to think that had Clottey opened up, we would have witnessed the fifth consecutive knockout victory by Manny Pacquiao.  Clottey hid behind his shell defense and it served him well.  Truth be told, Manny Pacquiao is simply amazing and there is no one out there not named Floyd Mayweather Jr. that could beat him.  Pacquiao pummeled Clottey into submission, hitting anything he could on Clottey’s body including his forearms and elbows (which should be pretty swollen right about now).  He also did some astonishing body work, digging into Clottey’s midsection with devastating force – a testament to both Pacquiao’s growth in combination punching AND to Clottey’s reputable toughness (and believe me, Clottey felt every single one of those body shots).  Pacquiao is simply unbelievable and forces you to adapt your gameplan mid-fight once you step in the ring with him and realize that you are in there with a monster.  In the end, he didn’t get the kayo win, but he sure as hell put on a show.  He threw over 1,200 punches!  Each loaded with bad intentions!  And that made it very exciting to watch.

The fight that took place last Saturday night at the wonder that is the Dallas Cowboys Stadium was an “Event” of epic proportions.  The atmosphere was incredible and will forever change the way boxing is enjoyed throughout the generations to come.  But as great as the evening was, something better our way comes, a fight looming in inevitability.  Should Floyd Mayweather Jr. get past Shane Mosley this May, it would be the most amazing event in Boxing, EVER.  Here’s to hoping that egos are pushed aside and that THE fight is made.  Hope to see everyone back in Dallas for the fight of the century.

DALLAS, TX – It was a night of stars in the Lone Star State, but the biggest and brightest star of them all was the two-fisted sensation Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao as he battered Joshua “The Grandmaster” Clottey from pillar to post late Saturday night.  Pacquiao, who was the overwhelming favorite coming into the contest seemed at times turning Clottey from “The Grandmaster” into “The Human Punching Bag”.  As was expected, Pacquiao though seeking his fifth consecutive TKO victory, could not retire Clottey within 12 rounds and probably no one ever will as Clottey fortifies his claim as the toughest man in Boxing today.  The man is simply a structure made of granite with muscles of steel.

Those who witnessed the fight saw the lopsided nature of the contest.  From Round 1 all the way to the final bell, it was all Manny Pacquiao all night long.  Pacquiao known for his blitzing speed and devastating power overwhelmed Clottey with 6, 7 and 8 punch combinations without rest.  Clottey who seemed content with just hiding inside his highly regarded “shell defense”, rarely took any chances.  At times when he would let his hands go however, he would do some significant damage to Pacquiao, but it was not enough.

“His speed was a problem” said Clottey, “I was taking my time”.

Truest to his nature, Pacquiao showed what makes him the most dynamic fighter in his era, his lightning fast speed combined with his relentlessness.  There were moments when Pacquiao, much like he did with Miguel Cotto last November, would invite Clottey to get in some “free” punches to try and open up that guard.  Clottey was very hesitant as he knew that abandoning that shell defense for just a few seconds could set him up for a damaging combination from Pacquiao.  Outpointed and completely dominated, Clottey nevertheless proved that he belongs among the elite in the Welterweight division.  Though he wasn’t able to do really anything against Pacquiao, he did prove that his defense is iron clad and definitely impenetrable.  However, his defense-first mindset proved to be his undoing even being prompted by head trainer Lenny De Jesus in between stanzas that they were “losing every round”.

In the end, Pacquiao performed like the star that he is in front of more than 50,000 screaming fans in the packed Cowboys Stadium.  Celebrities and NFL Stars were in attendance, among them were Cowboys legends Troy Aikman and Deion Sanders.  With the victory, Pacquiao adds another legitimate name to his growing resume and is lying in wait to challenge the winner of Mayweather-Mosley on May 1^st.  The atmosphere in the new stadium was electric and unparalleled.  It set up Cowboys Stadium as a premeire location for huge mega fights and the Jerry Jones – Bob Arum partnership could turn a new leaf in the sport.

I know many of you were expecting Pacquiao to be the first to take out Clottey, albeit so was Freddie Roach.  But man, Clottey is one tough customer.  Pacquiao threw everything but the kitchen sink!  He did some amazing body work as allthroughout the fight you could hear thuds as Pacquiao’s gloves hit Clottey’s muscular midsection.  Pacquiao was as fast as ever and showed it the entire fight without ever slowing down.  His unparalleled speed is the most amazing dynamic he has in his arsenal.  It sets up his power shots and what most of his opponents describe as “punches you don’t see coming”.  To give credit where credit is due, Clottey wasn’t kidding around when he said he would block all of Pacquiao’s punches!  The man’s defense is iron clad.  Clottey just simply was not getting knocked out tonight, no way.  The fight was one sided as was expected, Clottey had nothing in his game that would offset The Pacman’s speed and in-out style.

With thousands of fans in attendance and the millions who ordered PPV around the world, you could bet that “The Pretty Boy” was among those watching.

Wherever he is, bring on that loud mouth from Grand Rapids.

 Thanks to Bob Arum’s Top Rank Boxing, Manny Paquiao is fighting Joshua Clottey today in Dallas, Tx, someone that has helped headline the biggest fight thus far in 2010. Although not many people give Clottey a chance at winning the fight, I don’t see Manny breaking down the bigger fighter as easy as he has in the past. This will be the true definition of moving up in weight, because Joshua Clottey is clearly the bigger man. He has a Winky Wright type of defense, where he covers up and let’s his opponenets pitty pat him without them truly inflicting any damage. 
  So, I guess the real question is, can Manny break down his defense mechanism? Because I don’t see Clottey being busy enough to force Manny to be defensive throughout the fight. With that said, can Manny’s aggresive style, make an exciting fight with a guy that believes so much in his defense that he is constantly on the defensive? Being defensive is a good thing, if you are someone like Floyd Mayweather Jr, and are able to turn on the offensive switch when you need too. But I don’t see Clottey being able to put together an offense effective enough to out work, or out box Pacman. I know that Joshua Clottey has the power to knockout Manny, but so did Oscar, so did Hatton, and so did Marquez. Having the power isn’t enough, you need to be able to be defensive enough against his aggressive, offensive onslaught, to still be able to be offensive yourself. 
  I like Clottey. And I don’t think Manny will break down his will, or his heart like he has with his opponents in the past, but unless he catches Manny running in throwing shots wreckless and off balance and knocks him out, I don’t see Clottey winning this fight. You have to give Paquiao the edge when it comes to experience, speed, and even athleticism, I guess you can give Clottey the edge when it comes to heart, considering we have never really seen anybody test Paquiao’s heart. So, can Clottey be the bigger man that test Manny’s heart and chin, or will he just be another bigger fighter that Paquiao destroys with his lethal combination of speed and power? Should be interesting! 
  Also, make sure you tune in to the undercard as well. The WBC Super Featherweight title will be on the line when Humberto Soto takes on David Diaz. And in a Lightweight bout, Jose Luis Castillo will face Alfonso Gomez, this one should be exciting. Also on the undercard, Michael Medina will fight John Duddy in a Middleweight bout.   

Pac: The Greatest Ever?

Below are the 6 fighters Pac should consider next and why:

1) Mayweather – Of course for obvious reasons: April showers bring May flowers; it good for boxing when the cream of the crop meet… This would be the Super Bowl of boxing for sure.

2) Juan Manuel Marquez – Win, lose, or draw against Mayweather, to silence any remaining naysayer, this trilogy must happen. Every great fighter needs a trilogy on his resume. This one will have them talking for 100yrs. If JMM hasn’t gotten old since the Mayweather fight he still should be able to outbox Pac and get the win that eluded him in the first 2 fights.

3) Edwin Valero – Is he for real? I would pay $100.00 to see this because they both are come forward fighters. Who would back up first? Since Amir Khan is having Mayweather aspirations he should first go through and conquer the Valero gate to even have his name brought up. Of course it won’t happen because he’s being protected. The only person Khan should be calling out is Bredis Prescott. Your US debut should be against Prescott not Paulie. He knocked you into the middle of next week. You should avenge that on your debut if you want respect in the American market. You don’t need a name to get respect. You should beat the guy that crushed you in your own backyard! No better way to get it (in my book) than to come to his backyard (albeit a very distant backyard) and prove yourself.

4) Shane Mosley – Mayweather is a runner and potshot-er. Clottey is a plodder that will not throw enough to win. I will be shocked if he did anything different against Pac. He had Cotto beat and let him off the hook. I think 154 is calling Clottey. If a fighter with his work-rate (or lack thereof) takes the last 2 rounds off, he must be drained at 147. Hence a natural, well-tuned, athletic welterweight: Shane Mosley. He has the “pop” to get Pac’s respect and movement to neutralize his aggression. I think Mosley would win even at 40.

5) Humberto Soto – Yes I said it. Is he too small? I think 140 will help his career. He (like Valero) should be begging for a Pac shot. Also, I think he has wasted the last 3yrs at 130. He should have moved up when JMM and Pac was moving to 135. It may be to late for him to be a major player in the Pac sweepstakes. His management should be fired! Is it that no one would to fight him? Matter of fact he should have went to 135 after the Rocky Juarez fight. Guzman exposed him though. This leads me to my final contestant:

6) Joan Guzman – Also, is he too small? He has the athleticism and boxing skill to expose Pac. I don’t he has the “pop” to keep Pac off. I think Pac would walk him down with that straight left and crush him late. He’s another that has wasted the last 3yrs. He should have been in that 130 exodus with JMM, Barrera, and Pac. Now he has to fight monsters and freaks to re-establish himself. What a waste of talent.

I’m not a Pac bandwagon-er, neither am I a hater; but I feel that Pac is not a welterweight. Of course he’s at the top of the food chain; but the longer he stays at 147 the greater the risk of him getting crushed by a natural young 147lb-er (like Berto, who is improving with every fight). The better competition is at 140 anyway.

I know most if not any of the matches will every happen; but for a true boxing fan (like me) these are dream match-ups. A win against any 3 of the 6 on this list would put him in the top 5 of boxing greats of any generation because he would have faced the very best of his generation from 130 to 147. Look at the list. Any 3 get him ahead of Henry Armstrong.

We are now just a few days away from one of the biggest fights this year and the boxing world is buzzing once again.  After a very quiet couple of months with nothing much happening, we find ourselves on the edge of our seats once more eagerly anticipating an all-out war between Pound for Pound king Manny Pacquiao and rough and rugged Ghanaian, Joshua Clottey.  Coming into the fight, most observers didn’t give Clottey much of a chance to upstage Pacquiao, even going so far as to dub Clottey the equivalent of a “Miguel Cotto Lite”.  And rightfully so in my opinion, Joshua Clottey though easily the largest fighter Pacquiao will have ever fought to date is a perfect opponent to showcase the Filipino’s extremely aggressive style.  For those of you that don’t know, Clottey is a safety-first fighter and tends to cover up during attacks.  He employs a shell defense that though can be very effective in deflecting shots, is not the ideal way to combat Pacquiao’s ultimate offense.  Anyone who knows boxing, knows that the only way to beat Pacquiao is by counter-punching, a department Clottey lacks talent in.  The result is lopsided betting odds in favor of the Philippine’s finest.

Manny Pacquiao’s Keys to Victory:

Already expected to win, Pacquiao is the overwhelming favorite.  What’s left to discover about him?  We all know how explosive he is, how his blinding speed suffocates and hits you from all these unconventional angles.  In his last fight with Miguel Cotto we discovered how durable he really is in the Welterweight division.  All Pacquiao has to do is be himself, and that is the two-fisted beast that Freddie Roach created.  Pacquiao’s strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza pointed it out that the blueprint to defeating Clottey would be the same as when they fought Cotto, and he was right.  Clottey is Miguel Cotto minus the mobility but with better defense.  And just like what happened in his last fight, Pacquiao’s offense will throw Clottey off his game and completely frustrate the guy.  Pacquiao’s foot speed and volume punching is key here.  He will have to dart in and unleash his combinations, then dart back out before the retaliation comes in, just like he has done so brilliantly in the past.  He will have to make Clottey work every minute of every round, constantly on the offensive, beating Clottey to the punch.  Another tactic that he and Roach had perfected is when he throws a right hook and simultaneously slips a counter-punch by stepping to the side, spinning his opponent and out of harm’s way, a sequence that shows unbelievable coordination.  This should be very effective against a plodder like Clottey.  Will we see a knockout?  That may be difficult but Pacquiao is notorious for trumping the odds and defying the logical.  I don’t see Clottey being knocked out cold, but a referee stoppage would not be surprising if he isn’t able to defend well against Pacquiao’s crazy angles.

Joshua Clottey’s Keys to Victory:

Clottey has to use his size advantage.  He simply has to.  I know Pacquiao’s previous opponents all tried but failed, but for Clottey to have any chance at beating Pacquiao, he will have to be the first to effectively rough Pacquiao up and win the fight on the inside.  Clottey needs to use his strong Welterweight jab to keep Manny off balance and rush in quickly to close the gap.  Once he is in position he has to score clean shots, preferably to the body in the early going to slow down Pacquiao.  Easier said than done as Manny is a quick little guy and is very hard to catch.  Most importantly however, Clottey cannot be content with just covering up.  He has to counter-punch, which is a tall task, since he is not a counter-puncher by nature.  Everytime Pacquiao launches himself forward for an attack, Clottey will have to catch him with his strong jab.  He needs to make use of his 3 inch reach advantage to do some damage.  If Pacquiao tries his rope-a-dope on Clottey the way he did against Cotto, Clottey will have to take that as a sign from god to move in for the kill.  That is a golden opportunity to deal out some real hurt.  Make every opportunity count and we could be seeing Pacquiao in a real fight since his battle with Marquez.

Prediction:

I foresee a very exciting match with great back and forth action.  Clottey is a tough customer and will not bow down easily.  I go for a referee stoppage by the 10^th round in favor of Pacquiao.  I believe Clottey will be tired from all the defense he’d be playing up until that time and against a guy with boundless energy like Pacquiao, it will be his downfall.  He will take too much damage without dishing out his own that the referee will have no choice but to stop the fight.  Score another TKO for the Pacman.  Pacquiao by TKO 10.

I went around and asked a couple of my boxing friends what their predictions are and here’s what they had to say.  Fight fans from all the way over here in the Philippines!

“Of course Manny Pacquiao will win, but I hope Clottey lasts more than 4 rounds. Clottey is a hard and tough fighter, but we are only human, if you get hit multiple times on the chin you’re going down.” –Adz Garcia, Computer Expert/Pro Gamer

“I see Pacquiao winning by ref stoppage in the 9th, if Paquiao catches Clottey clean on the chin, we could see a real knockout but I doubt it.  What we’ll be is seeing speed, speed and more speed, bunches of punches against a guy who stops throwing punches after the 6^th round.  I do think that Clottey’s chance to get Pacquiao is if he hits him hard to the body.  I think Clottey is a harder body puncher than Cotto.  Pacquiao has to stay off the ropes.” –Hans Visitacion, Call Center Trainer/Athlete/Boxing Enthusiast

“Contrary to popular belief, I think Pacquiao is stronger than Clottey.  Speed and more importantly strength will be in favor of Pacquiao.  I do think Clottey is a tougher fight than Cotto, but Pacquiao should catch him with something he doesn’t see in and around rounds 10-12.  Clottey’s only chance is to land a lucky punch.  Pacquiao by stone cold knockout.” –Elijah Ortiz, Tech Support Agent/Pacquiao Fan

“I think either Pacquiao wins by late round stoppage or on points.  There is absolutely no chance that Clottey can win on points, his punch output is way too low and he only fights for half a round as opposed to Pacquiao, who fights the full 3 minutes.  People, even judges nowadays want to see offense.  We are tired of seeing ‘impressive defense’.  We have enough of that with Floyd Mayweather.   Look for Pacquiao and Clottey to redefine what throwback fighters are all about, expect a war on the most impressive stage of them all, the Dallas Cowboys Stadium, with Pacquiao staking his claim as Boxing’s biggest and brightest star!” –Marco Garcia, Long time boxing fan

First of all let me say I’m from Bayamon, Puerto Rico and growing up I met Vazquez Sr. I didn’t live there but played ball in Residencial Celso Barbosa where I still have friends and I’ll will be interviewing WV2 around April. So yes I might be little bias but not blind.

So, let’s start with the Arroyo brothers McWilliams and McJoe the Puerto Ricans with the Irish names. These two young prospects have looked great and they will be built up to become good contenders and possible champions. So let’s get to the main event, Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. Lets start by saying yes he talked his garbage but he backed it up 100%. I laughed when most people were picking Sonsona to beat Wilfredo, the reason why Wilfredo might not have had a great amateur career but believe me Wilfredo being raised in Celso Barbosa there’s a great boxing gym right there and this guy has great experience in the amateur realm, he didn’t just pick up his boxing gloves yesterday.

Moving on to the fight, the first round was basically an even round the edge going to Sonsona, the 2nd round Wilfredo measured and felt his power and targeted Sonsona for termination. Sonsona looked like child fighting with a man, Wilfredo bounced Sonsona off the ropes like a rag doll, 3rd round it was a matter of time, even my friend from
(Boxingscene.com) Ryan was hoping that Sonsona would pull it off, but he didn’t, the 4th round was Wilfredo with calm power shots to the ribs and chin which ended the fight. Sonsona had to quit to a bigger, stronger and more skillful WV2. The Filipino training camps have to stop thinking that they have the next Manny Pac. And start building up there fighters to big fights. There’s only one Manny Pac and he’s trained by Roach. I was hoping there will be rivalry building up between Puerto Rican Fighters and Filipino ones, but there isn’t. Puerto Rican fighters are trained to almost perfection they go through an amateur coach then the pro trainer. It’s a factory folks!!!

Junma Lopez will make short work of Concepcion. The Filipino fighters just look to raw to be fighting at this level, let’s not forget before Roach Manny was getting beat. Well it looks within two years Puerto Rico will have at least 4 to 6 champs. I’m not against Filipino Fighters or the possible Rivalry with Puerto Rico, but to tell you the truth Filipino Fighters are just not ready yet!

Dax Ramos