Pacquiao, clottey final presser

3/10/10, Arlington,Texas -- Surrounded by the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, seven-time world champion and "Fighter of the Decade" Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao (L) and challenger Joshua Clottey(R) pose during the final press conference Wednesday for their upcoming World Welterweight championship on Saturday, March 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas on HBO Pay-Per-View. -- Photo Credit: Chris Farina - Top Rank.

Source: Philboxing.com

Dallas Cowboys great Michael Irvin: Mayweather afraid to tackle Pacquiao

GRAPEVINE, TEXAS—Mark pro football superstar turned broadcaster Michael Irvin down as a guy who thinks Floyd Mayweather should be arrested...

Arrested on suspicion of ducking Manny Pacquiao, that is.

I will concede that the Cowboys former wide reciever is basically part of the promotion for the Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey fight here, given the fact that he appeared at Tuesday's Open Workout for the Pinoy Idol along with team and stadium owner Jerry Jones.

But, at the end of the day, Irvin is a boxing nut who greatly admires the men he refers to as “warriors who fight alone and without teammates.”

And Irvin was sadly disappointed just like the great masses of boxing aficionados who were disappointed when Mayweather-Pacman fight negotiations blew up over Mayweather's insistence on random blood testing”

First, Irvin spoke about how excited he was for the Dallas-Ft. Worth area to be hosting this big bout in the Cowboys $1.2 billion playpen.

“This is really amazing for us,” Irvin said. “You would think a fight like this would go to Los Angeles, to New York or to Las Vegas but we got it now. Manny Pacquiao is becoming on a level like a Michael Jordan or a Tiger Woods and he's fighting in our stadium.

“I am glad Jerry got the opportunity and brought it here.”

Former Cowboys superstar Michael Irvin tells Examiner.com that new stadium wil turn into Manny Pacquiao's House on Saturday night (AP Photo)

Then he discussed why he respects prizefighters at all levels.

“I really marvel at these guys, I really do. In football, when I get tired, I get a timeout because I;ve got teammates who can go in the game. These guys don't get timeouts or halftime breaks/ I marvel because all they do is stand there, in that ring, and it's hit or be hit all the time.”

Irvin asked me and “Lord Jeff” Powell, veteran scribe for the huge Daily Mail in the UK, if we could guess what athlete might be the only one he ever asked for an autograph. Then he answered his own question.

“It was Julio Cesar Chavez, when I met that guy, I said, 'That's it, that's him, this guy is a monster.' I had so much respect for him as a real warrior. I am a huge boxing fan, always have been. I am amazed at guys like Julio, who are all fight and never give in, and now we got a second monster here in Pacquiao.”

Michael Irvin showed good fotwoork on "Dancing With The Stars" with partner Anna Demidova, she's the one in red

As I said, Irvin believes Mayweather used blood testing as a way to avoid or defer a Pacman bout.

“I mean, come on with that blood testing thing. You're supposed to want to fight the other guy when people are saying you guys are the two best out there. You don't run away from such a challenge, you're supposed to run to it. Looks to me like Mayweather is doing the ducking here.”

Further, Irvin thinks when Pacman dazzles a crowd of about 45,000 people in the stadium and across the world's TV screens, his area will have zero chance of landing Pacman-Money May even if it is put together.

“No, Mayweather won't want to come on over here, not after the way it will go down Saturday night. Then he will be thinking and saying that our new stadium, hey that's Manny House now. Mayweather will be saying he won't fight in Manny's House.”

Many former jocks have to master the broadcast business. But you can see from these brief remarks that Irvin is a natural talker, a pull no punches guy. It's no wonder he comes across as fairly smooth behind the microphone.

Irvin heard plenty of loud cheers when he played in the old Cowboys stadium and he said Pacman will be treated like the home team here.

Author: Michael Marley

Source: examiner.com

Can Joshua Clottey Find a Way to Beat Manny Pacquiao?

The upcoming fight between Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey promises to be exciting. Why?

Because Manny Pacquiao is fighting.

The dynamic Filipino could be in the ring with a miniature version of John Ruiz (the most boring fighter in recent history) and it would still make for compelling viewing. Pacquiao’s relentless aggression, speed, power and movement are enough to crack most defensive fighter’s shells, and his ability to knock an opponent out with one punch guarantees an action packed bout.

And in his fight with Joshua Clottey we can probably expect even more.

The teak-tough Ghanaian is not afraid to mix it up and has good power, particularly with his left hand. Despite being somewhat defensively minded, Clottey can switch to outright aggression instantaneously, and has a very keen sense of territory in the ring. Clottey likes to intimidate his opponents physically, and his frame is abnormally dense for 147lbs. Clottey could easily compete at 154lbs and be just as effective, and he will be the biggest, strongest fighter Pacquiao has ever faced.

Stylistically speaking, Clottey has perhaps one of the better ones for facing the Pac Man. He has no problems with south paws (see his performance over Zab Judah), and loves to go toe to toe with aggressive fighters (see his bout with Antonio Margarito). Clottey throws very fast lead right hands that bother southpaws, and his left hook and left uppercut are feared weapons in the division. Clottey also jabs southpaws very well, a very difficult thing to do, particularly against elite level fighters.

Pacquiao has ironed out most of his technical flaws and presents a very difficult challenge for any fighter in the sport. His jab and right hook are now just as potent as his lethal left, and his lateral movement has improved almost beyond recognition. Pacquiao doesn’t just move in and out like he used to, he side steps, pivots and turns as well as any of the greats. But Pacquiao is often a victim of his own extraordinary fighting heart and tends to go toe to toe when he doesn’t have to, and can sometimes get caught while unloading his power shots. Juan Manuel Marquez and Miguel Cotto both caught Pacquiao with well timed hooks and uppercuts while Pacquiao steamed in with his trademark aggression.

If Clottey can keep Pacquiao on the end of his jab and fire out consistent lead right hands, he may be able to control the action for good parts of the bout. Clottey may also find success if he bulls Pacquiao to the ropes and unleashes his uppercuts and hooks. He must be careful to stop him from ducking and swiveling out (a trick Pacquiao has learned extremely well over the years), but Clottey’s wide frame and unusual physical strength will give him a better chance than most.

It is hard to see Clottey effectively catching Pacquiao between punches because the African fighter tends to cover up while his opponents are punching and wait for his turn to start his own offense.

And this is why Clottey probably doesn’t have what it takes to dethrone the pound for pound king.

While Clottey may be able to control the pace for portions of the bout, Pacquiao’s incredible speed and movement will force Clottey into his shell. When he does that, Pacquiao will begin to step around and attack Clottey’s body to bring his hands down. Pacquiao’s unorthodox punches will begin to find their target, and Clottey will either have to blend offensive punching with his defense, or lose more rounds than he wins. Freddy Roach will insist that Pacquiao doesn’t stand infront of Clottey for too long, and by the time the Filipino is done punching, Clottey will be swiping at thin air.

Fighters who have mastered the art of counter punching have a chance of beating Pacquiao, and as it stands, only Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley operate at a high enough level to make it work (and maybe Juan Manuel Marquez at a much lower weight). Miguel Cotto fought on even terms for three rounds with the Pac Man due to his effective counter punching, but his chin wasn’t good enough to keep him competitive throughout. Clottey’s chin is world class, but his counter punching isn’t, and for those reasons he won’t be the pick this Saturday.

It is difficult to see Pacquiao scoring a knockout over Clottey, but it might start to look pretty bad for the Ghanaian in the later rounds as Pacquiao’s speed and rhythm take over.

My prediction: Pacquiao via unanimous decision.

Author: Ben Cohen

Source: trueslant.com

Joshua Clottey 5-1 Underdog Play Looks Big to Many

When the initial line opened up for "The Event" this coming Saturday, line-makers opened Manny Pacquiao as a 4-1 favorite over the highly overlooked Joshua Clottey.

These odds were in line with the expectations of most that the Ghanaian would offer some solid resistance to the future hall-of-fame entrant but not necessarily anything stiffer than seen in recent fights.

Since the betting line opened up nearly two months ago in January, the line has moved gradually in favor of the "Pacman" which currently lists him as a -800 favorite. This means that either all of the money being wagered on this fight has been for Manny or that a tremendous amount of money has been bet on him in comparison to that of Clottey.

With this type of betting taking place, the rugged African prize-fighter has now made his way to the +500 region.

This means that he is a 5-1 betting underdog which has apparently caught the eye of the value seekers looking to maximize their betting leverage.

Boxing is one of the few sports in which the odds are largely based on the popularity of a fighter rather than the true level of competition within the ring.

Being that Joshua Clottey is not only considered by many to be the first legitimate welterweight test of Manny Pacquiao's career (meaning no catch-weight), but also the most rugged individual the "Pacman" has ever laced them up against points to the fact that these odds are probably a bit "off". When I refer to "off" I'm pointing to the fact that this fight would appear to be much more competitive on paper.

Usually an 8-1 spread signifies that the fight will lack any real competition and that the outcome is already a foregone conclusion.

While the line is completely correct in favoring Pacquiao, listing Clottey as a 5-1 underdog has raised the eyebrows of numerous fight fans I've spoken with thinking that it might not be a bad value bet simply based on the wideness of the line.

I'm expecting the value bettors to rear their heads leading up to the fight and by fight time Pacquiao will probably be listed as a 7-1 favorite with Clottey listed as a 4-1 underdog.

Author: John Chavez

Source: examiner.com

Clottey: I’m gonna crush Pacquiao

MANILA, Philippines – Just like Manny Pacquiao, Joshua Clottey has been in Texas for the past 2 days.

On Tuesday, the mild-mannered Clottey accidentally met Pacquiao’s coach Freddie Roach. Despite belonging to opposing camps, the 2 men warmly greeted each other and even posed for pictures.

In an interview with ABS-CBN, Clottey said he is grateful to be given the chance to fight the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion.

“I'm a nice person, so you know good things happen to good people so if you're nice to people, God is always watching you. So I thank God that I will fight Manny Pacquiao,” he said.

However, he said no matter how he admires the Filipino boxer, it will be all business when they climb the ring.

“No matter how much I like him... this is a business, so whoever you meet in this business, you must crush him. I will meet Manny on the line and I'm going to fight him,” he said.

In his open workout in Texas, fewer fans came to see him box compared to Pacquiao.

He is considered an underdog compared to his more popular opponent but it didn’t bother him at all.

Clottey said he has what it takes to upset Pacquiao.

“I have everything to stop his speed. I will fight him because I'm very, very ready. I have myself, Joshua,” said the Ghanaian.

The challenger said Pacquiao would have to work very hard to beat him.

“It's not going to be easy , because I know how to adjust myself, and I'm in good shape, so its not going to be easy at all,” he said.

Author: Dyan Castillejo

Source: abs-cbnnews.com