Rusty Clottey Could Fall in Early Rounds of 'The Event' Match

Joshua Clottey risks being knocked out by Manny Pacquiao in the early rounds of 'The Event' due to his lack of tune up fight during the past 10 months after his last fight with Miguel Cotto in June 2009 at the Madison Square Garden in New York

Former IBF welterweight champion Joshua Clottey could fall in the early rounds of his fight with Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao dubbed 'The Event' on March 13 at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The possibility of an early ending in favor of Pacquiao is not remote. Pacquiao's initial assault in the first few rounds will determine the the state of preparedness of the Ghana boxer. Once Pacquiao finds out that Clottey is not physically conditioned, it could lead to a sustained attack by the pound-for-pound king and finish off Clottey for good in the early rounds. Clottey is coming out to face Pacquiao on March 13 after a 10-month hiatus that boxing analysts say made the Ghana boxer rusty. Clottey's last major fight was with Miguel Cotto at the Madison Square Garden in New York last June 13, 2009 or almost 10 months ago. He lost the fight on a split decision. For his upcoming fight with Pacquiao, Clottey is coming from a 10 long months of R&R and that could make him a little rusty. Clottey, a.k.a. 'The Hitter' said he plays soccer to keep him in top shape. But staying out of circulation for 10 months without serious tune up fight could take its toll on the boxer's physical preparedness. On the other hand, Pacquiao is fresh from his recent fight with Miguel Cotto which happened only last November or barely four months ago. Joshua Clottey is a welterweight boxer from Accra, Ghana who now lives in Bronx, New York. He ia 33 years old and stands 5'8" with a reach of 70 inches. He fought 39 times winning 35 with one no contest. Pacquiao is 31 years old, stands 5'6.5" with a reach of 67 inches.Clearly Clottey is the superior fighter with a 3" advantage in reach and a 1.5" in height. Overall, Clottey is the bigger fighter. The Pacquiao-Clottey match will be held at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas on March 13, 2010.

Source: digitaljournal.com