Pacquiao was heavily favored by the crowd of spectators that surrounded the official weigh in area just outside the Cowboys Stadium in Dallas Texas on Friday. Clottey came out early to pre-check his weight. Results of this unofficial weigh in were not announced, but upon seeing Clottey's weight at that time, Bob Arum jokingly advised him not to eat anything. Joshua “The Grand Master” Clottey weighed in a 147 lbs even. Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao weighed in at 145 and ¾ lbs.
In his usual, humble style, Pacquiao said, “I'm not gonna promise you a knock out but I'll do my best to make people happy.” On Saturday night, Pacquiao delivered on his vow to do his best.
I spoke with Freddie Roach before the fight and he stated that he believed that Pacquiao would be able to break Clottey down and finish him in the later rounds. Nobody could have predicted that Clottey would have stayed in his defensive shell the entire night. Though Clottey's defense proved to be extremely tough to penetrate, Pacquiao exhibited supreme dominance throughout the match.
51,000 roaring spectators attended the first boxing match ever to be held at the Cowboys Stadium, vastly exceeding the expected turnout. For most of the bout, Clottey refused to let his hands go. When he did, he managed to land some great shots but Pacquiao took advantage of the openings and retaliated with flurries of counter punches. Pacquiao worked the body hard for much of the fight, but also threw a large number of punches that were caught by Clottey's gloves and forearms.
At the post-fight press conference, Bob Arum gave the official punch stats as follows: Pacquiao threw 1,231 punches, landing 246. Clottey threw a total of 399 and landed 108. Pacquiao threw 682 power punches to Clottey's 237. It was also noted that Manny threw more jabs in the first round of the fight than any other round of his career. One judge scored every round for Pacquiao, while two gave Rnd. 3 to Clottey, giving Pacquiao a unanimous decision victory.
Clottey said that while he didn't feel that he had lost to Margarito or Cotto, he said “I lost this fight with Manny Pacquiao”. When asked if he would do anything different if he could fight Pacquiao again, he said, “I think I did my best”. “Manny Pacquiao is fast,” Clottey said. “He’s extremely fast. That’s the best thing about him, his speed.”
One of the most interesting statements made by Clottey was his answer to one journalist who asked how he felt a fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather would play out. He stated that he thinks it would be an extremely difficult fight for Mayweather due to Pacquiao's aggressiveness and speed.
Freddie Roach once again stated that Pacquiao-Mayweather is the fight the world wants to see. Pacquiao said, “I want that fight, but it’s up to him. I’m ready to fight any time. Maybe if Mosley wins, I’ll fight him.” When Bob Arum was asked about the possibility of the fight, he said, “All extraneous issues are not to be raised. The issue of drug testing is not for one fighter to raise in negotiations. It doesn't belong there. There are applicable people who are charged with a policy of administering items like drug testing. We believe that Floyd Mayweather raised that issue to duck fighting Manny Pacquiao. If we're wrong, let him sign a regular fight contract.”
It's obvious that Team Pacquiao is ready and willing to open negotiations with the winner of the Mayweather-Mosley fight. If Mayweather wins, as he is expected to do, the public outcry and the money involved might just lead to what would undoubtedly the biggest fight in the history of boxing.
Contact Lorne: lscoggins@8countnews.com
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