I'm not Josh-ing; 7 reasons why Clottey shocks Pacquiao

Boxing Examiner | Michael Marley

Seven Reasons Why Joshua Clottey Shocks Manny Pacquiao on March 13:

1.Low expectations favor Clottey. Coming in as the “B” side, it's not his face on the cover of Time magazine and he's not being trailed by a CBS “60 Minutes” TV crew. His chore is simplified, train and then fight with ZERO distractions. We always say and think distractions never distract Pacman but can it always be so?


2.Clottey may be physically stronger than Megamanny. If he bull Pacman around a bit, make the fight rough and tumble, his strength could wear on Manny. Look at Clottey's body and you might think his birth weight in Ghana was 147 pounds.


3.Fighting for his nation. Mental self talk can convince a fighter he can win against great odds. We just marked the 20th anniversary of James “Buster” Douglas talking himself into the belief that he could upset Leviathan Mike Tyson in Tokyo. He went out and did just that. Maybe Clottey can do the same. He's vowed to take a victory for Ghana, you know.

4.Using Miguel Cotto as a measuring stick, is Pacman that much better than Clottey? Had he not taken his pedal off the mettle in the closing rounds, Josh would've taken a decision victory over the brawny Puerto Rican battler.

5.Bad day at the office factor. I saw Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard and other ATGs have off nights. Sure, Pacman has been phenomenal but is it is possible if not probable that one of these nights he won't be at his best. If he is even slightly off kilter, Clottey could take advantage.

6.Mayweather Mania. Similar in scope to #5 in that I wonder if all the blather about and from Floyd Kill Joy Mayweather could be a distraction for Manny. Mayweather will be at owboys Stadium without physically being there.

7.Pilot error. This flight, I mean this fight, has been carefully scripted by Top Rank. Bossman Bob Arum “cleared” the match with trusted matchmaker (Hall Of Fame bound) and my onetime New York roommate, Bruce “Southland” Trampler. But even this Teddy Brenner protege has stubbed his toe from time to time. If he does it this time, it may require amputation of the foot.

Source: Examiner.com