MANILA, Philippines – In facing a guy like Joshua Clottey, 7-time world champ Manny Pacquiao would have to use the strategy he utilized in beating boxing great Oscar de la Hoya.
Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach said they would have to remove Clottey’s accurate punches by using almost the same lateral movements that confused De la Hoya.
“Clottey’s accurate if you stand in front of him, but the thing is, we’re going to be in and out and side to side and use our angles on him… It’s going to be very similar to the Oscar de la Hoya fight, I feel,” Roach said in a report by FanHouse.com.
Pacquiao outpunched De la Hoya in 8 rounds during their Dream Match in December 2008. So outclassed was the boxing great in that match that his corner was forced to stop the fight.
Roach said for the “De la Hoya strategy” to be effective, Pacquiao would again rely on his superior speed.
“He’s not going to be able to catch us,” said Roach.
Pacquiao is currently toiling at Roach’s Wild Card gym in Los Angeles, California in preparation for the March 13 fight.
He will be staking his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title, which he won from Miguel Cotto.
Roach said he has studied Clottey’s fights and saw some of his strengths and weaknesses.
“Well, he’s got a good chin, and he takes a good shot, and he can be a little heavy-handed. But he can be passive at times, and he lays on the ropes and kind of rests there a little bit. I’ve been studying him really well, and he makes too many mistakes,” said the trainer.
Roach said these weaknesses, coupled with Pacquiao’s punching power and speed could mean Clottey’s first career loss by knockout.
“Pacquiao, I truly feel will be the first person to knock Clottey out,” he said.
Pacquiao, meanwhile, had another good training day at the Wild Card Gym.
His conditioning expert Alex Ariza told PhilBoxing.com that the Filipino boxer is again in his usual unstoppable self, going 10 rounds on the mitts with hardly a break. This was aside on top of his regular training routine, including his exhausting conditioning exercises.
Despite the gruelling session, Pacquiao has found time to face the media to share his thoughts about Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The Filipino boxer said he understands why Mayweather came out with the drug testing demand, which led to the collapse of negotiations between their camps.
“I think I understand Floyd,” Pacquiao told Robert Morales of BoxingScene.com. “He just can’t say, ‘Oh, I don’t want to fight. I’m not ready for the fight.’ He’s just making alibis to cancel the fight. He’s not ready.”
He said such “excuse”, which sparked allegations that he was on performance enhancing drugs, is unfair and damaging to him.
“I’m really disappointed because I sacrifice and train hard and focus for what I have achieved in boxing,” said Pacquiao.
“If you are a true champion, no alibis, just fight.”
Source: abs-cbnNEWS.com
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