Sunday, February 7, 2010

Roach: “Manny [Pacquiao] will be the bigger, stronger guy” [compared to Clottey]

By Dave Lahr: Trainer Freddie Roach made a shocking statement in an article at the Sports Editor, where he said I think when the fight [Pacquiao-Clottey] comes off, Manny will be the bigger, stronger guy.” What does that mean? Is Roach going to put Pacquiao on an extensive lifting and eating regimen so that he ends up bigger than Clottey? I can’t imagine how Pacquiao, with his teeny frame, is going to end up bigger than Clottey.

That just doesn’t make sense. Clottey may not be the tallest of welterweights at only 5’8”, but he tends to struggle to make the 147 pound welterweight limit and he often gains a lot of water weight after he weighs in for his fights. On fight night, my guess is Clottey will likely weigh as much as 160 to 165 for the fight.

If Pacquiao is going to end up being bigger than Clottey, as Roach says, then Manny is going to look like a little tank at only 5’6”. That’s too much weight for Pacquiao to be putting on. He’ll end up slow, lethargic and take way more punishment than he would have otherwise taken if he would come in light for the fight at say 140. Pacquiao doesn’t need to be big to be the likes of Clottey. He wins this fight just by entering the ring and waiting until Clottey tires around the 6th round.

Roach goes on to say the typical Roach-speak, saying “Clottey has a good chin, and he takes a good shot, but he makes too many mistakes. Pacquiao will be the first person to knock Clottey out.” I’m now looking forward to Roach predicting which round Clottey will fall. He’ll start high and then soon have it occurring between the 1st and 3rd rounds unless I miss my guess.

Pacquiao will be making his first defense of his World Boxing Organization welterweight title on March 13th, against the 32-year-old Clottey at the Dallas Cowboy stadium, in Arlington, Texas. Clottey has never been stopped before during his 15-year pro career, but that doesn’t bother Roach. He’s still predicting a knockout. I don’t know why, because I can’t see Pacquiao committing himself enough to get a knockout. I think Clottey can be knocked out, but it would take a sustained effort of Pacquiao standing in front of him and drilling him with shot after shot for that to happen.

With Pacquiao’s in and out style of fighting, he won’t even make a dent on the chin of a sturdy welterweight like Clottey. That kind of in and out type stuff works on fighters who have a lessoned punch resistance and those who have recently been badly beaten in fights. Clottey has a great chin, hasn’t been beaten up recently and won’t be coming into the fight weight drained.

So I think Roach is going to be way off on his prediction. I do think Pacquiao will win, but he’s going to get beaten up in the process of getting the win. I think Pacquiao’s face is going to get cut up, swollen he may end up with another messed up ear from Clottey’s hard left hooks.

Source: boxingnews24.com

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