Pacquaio vs. Clottey – Who else could Manny have fought?
January 23rd, 2010
By Dennis Broadhurst: Manny Pacquaio is the main attraction in boxing just now, his image may or may not have been damaged by numerous accusations of steroid or PED use but let’s face it: Pacquiao is boxing at the moment. Everyone wants to see Manny fight. It may be a one sided humiliation (Oscar De La Hoya), a spectacular early knockout (Ricky Hatton), or a slightly more competitive thriller (Miguel Cotto) but we all crave to see it.
Now, people are criticizing him for taking on Clottey. Well to them I ask the question “Who else?” When Pacquaio began talks with Mayweather he was treated like an amatuer, being demanded to use Olympic style drug testing instead of letting the commission decide on the testing. I think that what Manny agreed to was very fair and I don’t blame him for walking away from Mayweather.
Then there were Mosley and Berto who were already training hard for fights with each other. We then have the WBA regular champion, undefeated Vyacheslav Senchenko, not sure of his record either 30-0 or 29-0 with 20kos. Why would Pacquaio fight him? Who is he? What would Pacquaio gain from the fight? We have another “non heard of to the common fan” champion in the IBF, DeJan Zavec.
Neither of these guys are big names so why would he fight them? The only other fight I could see would be Antonio Margarito but why would anyone want to fight a proved cheat? Nobody wants to see that man back in the ring and he was destroyed by Mosley in his last fight anyway.
I see Clottey as quite a poor challenger who will present little problems for Manny who I see winning before round 8, but really there is nobody else that he could have fought. Marquez? No, he is useless at this weight. Williams? In a higher class, if he won then he would be blamed for draining an opponent (risk reward ratio not appealing). The list can go on forever but really, any of you who can think of a better challenger at that weight then let me know (denisboxer@fsmail.net).
Tags: 58 Responses to “Pacquaio vs. Clottey – Who else could Manny have fought?”
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Freddie Roach is and has been accurate on predicting Manny Pacquiao’s fights. He said Pacquiao is going to KO Mayweather because Mayweather has lost some of his foot work and speed. I believe Roach and I’m myself is also good in analizing the outcome of all the fights of Manny Pacquiao. MY prediction is that Pacquiao is going to KO Mayweather on the second or third round. Manny is too fast and too strong for Mayweather. The only problem is Mayweather, he knows that Pacquiao is going to destroy him inside the ring. Mayweather is a wise guy, he would not let Pacquiao destroy him, so Mayweather will never fight Manny Pacquiao, ever, not even for $40 million Dollars. He would like to be remembered as the greatest unbeaten fighter of all time but… that will not happen, instead he will be remembered as the greatest coward boxer of all time.
IF PACQUIAO-MAYWEATHER FIGHT COULD HAVE PUSHED THROUGH, THERE ARE ONLY TWO REASONS WHY PEOPLE WILL WATCH: 1. TO BE THRILLED BY HOW PACMAN FIGHT, AND; 2. TO SEE MAYWEATHER HUMILIATED.
Mike Tyson
wowzabean is correct, and lex_fugitiuve is just being his usual unreasonable self. Why would Pacquiao fight Tim Bradley at 147 when Bradley fights in 140, he would be accused of fighting a smaller man. Also, if Pacquiao asks Paul Williams to come down to 147 he would be also accused of weight draining his opponent.
Pacquiao could fight Tim Bradley at 140 and snatch a legitimate Jr.WW belt but obviously Pacquiao wants to fight in the WW division inspite being the smaller guy (i believe Pacquiao will dominate over Tim Bradley at 140 and especially 147).
to all pacman fighters dont worry your favorite fighter will get a chance. pacman is not like mayweather. he will face everyone in the ring. this is all gravy fights to pacman no one thought that he will be fighting in this weight class. all he need is time. give pacman another year or two. he will clean and sort all this mess. then all of you haters will be satisfied. pacquiao is bisaya (from southern philippines) ducking is not in our vocabulary. where i came from calling someone a coward and shaming in public is like asking for your own death sentence…..and thats the truth. in here southern philippines we dont have the luxury of having the police to protect us. you will surely die. insulting somebody is deadly serious…
Who would have thought Pacquiao fighting the likes of Cotto, Mayweather, Clottey, etc. two years ago? Come on, guys, Clottey is the next big thing after Mayweather pulled out of the fight imposing amateur drug testing. Believe you me, Floyd will not Mosely and risk his 0. He would rather wait for the Pac-Clottey and negotiate with him.
@pone
if you had watched the fight betwn cotto and clottey you would not say that…
Believe me paul williams would have been a nightmare for the pacman
wowzabean,
The high risk/low reward scenario is in the eye of the beholder. I happen to think if Pac beats Bradley that’s a bigger win than a victory over Clottey. It would mean he defeated a young, hungry fighter who has been making some noise. Going with Clottey is not a terrible choice. I just think Bradley is a superb one, mainly because he can match Pac’s determination. Gotta look at it from a die hard’s standpoint instead of a casual fan’s perspective. Besides, Arum has thrown Bradley’s name around as one of the potential opponents for Pac in the past. Now that Bradley has shown some shine, seems like he is no longer a blip on Arum’s radar.
If Pacman is dirty and gets caught, he will not only be dishonored by the boxing world and committee, but by his legions of fans from his country for bringing shame. However, “Innocent till proven guilty” is still the reason why America is a wonderful country and the reason why I stand by Pacquiao and his Pound for Pound title.
I am bored with Mayweather and his desperate need for attention. He and his family are very shameful and very dishonorable. The reason why people love the Pacman and why Nike among other companies endorse him and shower him with fortune is because he is a gentleman. He pleases the masses and brings hope and joy to his Countrymen. That is a truly sellable commodity. How do you sell Mayweather other than “the guy everyone wants to beat”. True he has outstanding skills as a boxer. He is smart in the ring and lures his opponents into traps like a great hunter. However, the style, though effective, is not so fun to watch. Especially knowing that he should be challenging tougher opponents. But Pacquiao challenges larger, tougher opponents, Throws, throws, throws, gets hit every once in a while, dominates, and then defeats them, and then stays humble. He doesn’t claim to be the best. He says all his accomplishments came from God. The humility and humbleness is truly endearing and THAT my friend is the selling factor.
Truthfully, I would like Shane Mosley to take on Pacquiao. Mosley is a gentleman. Aggressive, a veteran fighter, and quick. I think this would be more sellable than Mayweather. Especially IF he succeeds in defeating Mayweather. But even I know that would be a BIG “if”. So good luck to all boxing fans and let’s pray we all get what we want. No matter if you are a fan of Pacquiao or a fan of Mayweather!
I’m sorry but people are saying Bradley hasn’t done anything significant?? He’s only the #1 ranked fighter at 140 lbs. His resume obviously isn’t as flashy as Pac’s but neither is Clottey’s. How is Clottey more deserving when he’s a guy who mentally quits when he’s gassed? In the corporate world you’d get canned for that. Giving him a fight with Pac is like promoting a guy who doesn’t work hard enough. But whatever. I guess it could’ve been worse. Clottey over Malignaggi and Foreman anyday.
Pac vs. Clottey is just another case of, “good big man vs. superb little man.”
Little man will almost always win.
Let Pacquiao fight Clottey, and when it’s all over – let him fight others, like Shane, Mayweather or Berto. After winning 7 titles in 7 different weight classes – the guy has nothing more to prove. Let Mayweather go to hell with his phony blood tests!
who wants to make the wt. w/water?ODLH, And thats what I mean pac made ODLH come down wt.
wowza;
go to bodog right now. they still have odds for a Mayweather-Pacquiao. And Mayweather is -160. Let me know where you got those odds, because I will definitiley be doing business there if its legit.
And Pacquiao is favored -450 against Clottey. Mayweather wasn’t even favored that much against Marquez. Manny fans say JMM is cherry picking but Clottey is a legitimate opponent.
I hate when people say Cotto beat clottey. The fact that he was given the verdict doesn’t mean he won the fight. Cotto had long been scheduled to fight manny, and a lost for cotto would have impeeded the long awaited party(making more money)by these so called promoters. Boxing experts like Emmanuel Steward among others, and the compubox all had Clottey winning. You haters, don’t close your eyes on this. Bribed judges have killed the sport long ago. C’mon, just give credit where it is due and stop saying negative things about clottey. Those of you who have not seen clottey’s fights, go on youtube. You will be shocked on the 13th march.
@wowza
The point is at what wt. Pac and ODLH fought,WW is where it was.ODLH came down to fight the best.For Pacquiao hes been
fighting at Jr. WW for quite some time (IN-RING weight, CHECK “THE RUMBLE”) prior to the fight, its not a really big gain in wt,regular fighting weight.
wowza,
Actually Floyd was -160. I admit its 5 less than ODLH was against Manny. And yea I get your point, ODLH was a very slight favorite and Manny pulled off a monumental upset.
wowza;
Once again you show your ignorance. PBF had been a WW for less then two years when he signed a fight with ODLH.
wowza,
ODLH was only -165/Pacquiao+135. Thats not that big of an upset. Actually, Mayweather was favored by more than that against Pacquiao before Arum called the fight off. The jets winning the superbowl would be a much, much bigger upset. It wouldn’t even be close to the same. Nice try though
So Pacman made DLH come down to WW and Mayweather made JMM come up. Then these two big sough after welterweight should fight without bullying each other.Take these opponent as it is. JUST FIGHT next time.FIGHT ANYWHERE,ANYHOW,ANYTIME…
TO BE THE BEST…YOU HAVE TO BEAT THE ADVERSARY AT IT BEST.
motownhitman no reply so that means goodbye!
see you soon!
yes that doesnt matter .#1for doing nothing?give me a break
losers…glad you chose a great name for yourself. Bradley is the number 1 guy at 140…guess that doesn’t matter huh?
wowzabean…let me ask you a question…have you ever griped about DLH fighting Pac???
Why are you complaining about Floyd fighting JMM at WW when DLH fought Pac at WW, difference is, as I have said before, JMM had two fights at 135 before going up to WW whereas Pac only had one before moving up to WW, so based upon that wouldn’t it seem that JMM was physically more equiped to move up? The only reason people gripe about the Floyd/JMM fight but not the DLH/Pac fight is because Floyd made easy work of JMM and DLH lost to Pac. Both Pac and JMM moved up to fight a bigger guy, yet the bigger guy that actually won gets dogged because he won, but honestly isn’t it worst that DLH came down from 154 to fight Pac?????
motownhitman are that ignorant?
who did bradley beat? williams vs pacman? sure but the weight is 135! dumb ass
Reply to Money:
You have to remember Pac has to pay both Top Rank and Golden Boy. I suspect he also has to compensate his entourage which consists of about 50 people (I’m exaggerating but still a big number). You’re right about one thing – Pac isn’t hungry to make a few million bucks. BUT the fact that a fight with Floyd would be one of the biggest fights in history AND the contempt he has for Floyd – you have to think these are enough reasons to get Floyd in the ring. Wouldn’t you jump on the opportunity to not only beat up the guy who annoys you but also get paid millions for it?!! Add the fact that you’re doing it to please millions of fans and it’s a no-brainer decision.
Btw, hate him if you will but Floyd deserves more credit. I have no problem with giving a ton of credit for Pac KO’ing an old, weight drained DLH. Floyd beat Oscar at heavier weight class which to me is more impressive. And let’s not forget his wins over Corrales, Castillo, G. Hernandez (at the time considered too tall, too experienced for Floyd).
wowzabean…uhhh when Manny fought DLH didn’t he go up in weight and in that same fight didn’t DLH have to come down in weight? The answer to both of those questions is…YES!!! So why not fight Williams or Bradley. Bradley would do what Pac did when he fought DLH…move up in weight and Williams would have to do what DLH did when he fought Manny..come down in weight!
Why wouldn’t Bradley fight Pac? Don’t act like weight is an issue. I’ve heard Bradley talk on a radio show and trust me, he sounds like he wouldn’t hesitate to make concessions for Pac if he’s given an opportunity. Aside from Clottey, there’s: JMM, Bradley, PWill (he can and will make 147, Cintron.
I’d rather see Pac fight Clottey than Foreman. But that’s like improving your grade from a D to a C. Bradley would’ve been the obvious A.
PWill would’ve been a nice fight style-wise since both him and Pac are action fighters. But I don’t think anyone, including Pac’s camp thinks Pac has a chance at beating Paul
Although im quite certain that the pacman will goble up clottey i believe the ghanian fighter is as tough and hard as they come,the african will show up to fight and present manny with a few more problems than alot of people are anticipating and i expect this to be a cracking fight right through the 12 rounds with of course manny having his hands raised at the end!!!!!!!!!!! CAMON MANNY!!!!!
seems like some cherry picking going on. there were many options for Pacquio. and lets not hype up Clottey to be something he is not. an A class fighter, he is B class at best. didn’t you guys watch him against Margarito and Cotto
get off the pactrain you losers. Hes overated and he puts needles in his ass.
Manny afraid of a real challenge?
bwahaha! What about floyd?
Floyd afraid of a real welterweight?
You just screwed floyd himself……
Just call floyd and ask him to make an announcement evwn if the negotiation is not yet finished that he will fight shane anytime….pleaaesssee!
first of all, dont worry about mayweather, pacquiao had first dibs on anyone of those two. Second, Mayweather-Mosley has been in the works for years. Plus, Mayweather-Mosley will sell much more than any other (not including pac)
Well Manny got a fight on his hands already.
Maybe PBF can, These are better option than Mosley!
No, Bradley or Williams would be better. 147 Clottey’s weight? Not for 11 of his fights. 11 fights he weighed over 147. And now he has 1 1/2 months to make weight and train???
whats wrong with Williams and Bradley some want to know? Manny wouldn’t win, thats the problem. If you make a second tier fight on short notice, thats really sad. Its Clottey’s biggest payday and he’s not going to turn it down and Manny knows this. Clottey is literally sacrificing his body for $1 million. I can’t blame him, but if Manny is as good as his fans think he is he wouldn’t be pulling stunts like this. Manny is just afraid of a real challenge.
If bradley the critics will say “fattened”
Williams it will be “drained”
Just remember the belt is 147, Clotty’s weight.
Mayweather could have fought Clotty.
Manny won’t even fight Clottey if he has enough time to train properly. And Mayweather was trying for Mosley since Manny walked away. Before Berto cancelled there were talks to get a fight signed for June. the only other name anyone involved with Floyd ever mentioned was Cintron. All this talk about Hatton and Maliginalli and Campbell only came from reporters speculating or from the camps of a fighter trying to get his name known and some free press.
paul williams is not coming back down to 147. he can say it all he wants.
manny’s choices are getting limited
Williams and Bradley were both willing to fight him, both are better then Clottey, and also would of sold more PPV with either two.
i would not blame pacquiao for asking Williams to come to 147! Williams has openly stated he is willing and ready to come down to 147 for a big fight! what a load of poo poo
what about reading the last paragraph of the article?
what about…uhh…PAUL WILLIAMS!?
Timothy Bradley.
@lex_fugitive
Timetable lex…timetable that would have been perfect for
Floyd…3 fights in three years,Manny just fought last Nov.
14.
Who’s the best “AVAILABLE” at 147, Floyd of course.not at 140 or 135.The belt is for WW.
Clotty is not second rate,Floyd didn’t even want to risk there,he went to JMM instead.
Manny is the champion now. He gets to fight according to his schedule. When Manny was “unknown” and fought Ledwaba, Manny had a two week notice but won by tko. It’s certainly not Manny’s job to make sure Clottey has a visa. Clottey is the best fighter for Manny at this moment. Clottey is a dangerous fighter. He beat Zab Judah. Zab Super Judah KNOCKED DOWN Mayweather. Pacman vs Clottey will be an exciting fight. This time, we will see Manny evolve again to as he learn from Master Freddie.
clottey and cotto the two fighters that mayweather been avoiding. get it! these are true WW’s,Mayweather is cornered that’s why he’s going to fight mosley and if that ever happened i’m sure he’ll find a way to cancelled that fight too.
Can’t give a second rate fighter time to get in shape or train properly. Not what you would expect from a top fighter. But then again, everyone can’t be a Floyd Mayweather and take on the best. We understand, Manny can’t fight the best at 147, (or 140 or 135 for that matter), but does he really need these extra advantages over an opponent like Clottey??? Mayweather is taking on Mosley and giving him time to get ready for the fight. Pacquiao is fighting Clottey who after 10 months of no activity has 1 1/2 months to get ready.
Will Clottey be fined $10 mil if he cant make the weight because that might be a problem for him
@T-Dub,
Manny turned down the fight? Its the other way around. Its Floyd demand, its up to him to retract it. If manny said ok ill take the bloodtest. but first, mayweather has to suck my ****.
Would floyd be considered the one ducking if the fight didnt happen cause he wouldnt suck pac’s ****? Floyd is the one who made the unusual demand – no pro boxer ever took random blood test ever. he is the one who should have compromised.
Besides, Floyd is already taller with longer arm reach. you can take stuff to make your arms longer. the playing field already isnt level. Floyd is fighting the smaller man. Whats he scared of?
Manny’s timetable is to fight on March 13. The Mayweather
fight did not materialized, so he moved on the next best
AVAILABLE WW, and there is Clotty, similarly a defesive boxer that can punch, and agree to fight on March 13.If he can’t make the weight or short training time,nobody force somebody to sign,thats on his own prerogative.
A Mayweather vs. Mosley would be better. But Pacquiao vs. Clotty will be as good.Actually these four boxers can switch
opposition and it still a good fight.
When I heard Pacquiao will fight Clottey, I was really impressed with his choice. Clottey is an avoided fighter, and tough as hell. Pacquiao could probably have fought a guy like malinaggi like floyd wanted to, and got the same money, or even marquez, but instead he went for a dangerous opponent.
Seriously, if a year ago, somone told me Pacquiao would be whipping Cotto and josh Clottey i would think youre crazy.
I think they should’ve held back before signing with Clottey and then we could’ve seen a great fight…Shane Mosley vs. Manny Pacquiao. My hope is that whatever else happens with Mayweather and all that BS that this fight can be made before Pacquiao retires. To answer your question I think Bradley would’ve been a goodun’.
Pac again wanted Mayweather to agree to a 10 million dollar overweight pentaly and he did, but Manny would agree to a blood test. I think Manny is hiding something to turn down 40 million dollars before PPV sells. Manny don’t want to fight Paul Williams, Manny would be the underdog and that is a fight he can’t win.
Again, Clottey has trouble making 147 and has weighed more than 147 11 times. He wears out and can’t finish fights. He hasn’t fought or trained in 10 months. Now he will have 1 1/2 months to make weight and train for the biggest fight of his life. Clottey needs 4 months to train properly for a fight. So, manny signs him and makes sure he doesn’t have time to get in his best shape or train properly. If Manny doesn’t knock him out in 6 rounds or less, Clottey will be so exhausted it will be sad.
Williams, JMM, Bradley… Manny made 7 demands and when Floyd only agreed to 6 he walked away. The commission themselves say the testing is a matter of private negotation. Why couldn’t Manny let the commission decide the rules for being overweight? And Manny signed a contract as fast as he could to get away from Floyd. And he needs every possible advantage over a second rate fighter. Clottey has trouble making 147 and he’s known to wear out and get really tired in the later rounds. So, Manny has him sign a contract before Clottey can even make sure him and his trainers have proper visas. And make Clottey only have 1 1/2 months to train. After not fighting or training for 10 months.
Good question…
I think Pacquiao has answered all his critics and fought the very best at each weight, there was only Mayweather left to face. I think Clottey is a tough guy and again I have to respect Pacman for taking this fight.
I cannot think of anyone right now except for Mayweather… as soon as that fight is over then Pacquiao can retire a proud and well respected legend, regardless of the result.