Get to know Joshua Clottey … soon

By Sev Sarmenta
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:01:00 01/22/2010

So we’re not getting the fight we wanted.

Manny Pacquiao versus Floyd Mayweather Jr. just isn’t going to happen—yet—as neither camp was willing to give in to each side’s stand regarding urine and blood testing.

Despite failing to stage some choice pairings in the past, boxing can still spring a few surprises and give fans a Pacquiao-Mayweather show in the future. There’s just too much money and pride involved for the fight not to happen.

Abangan (wait for it) as the telenovelas would say.

* * *

As alternative, we’ve got bull-strong Joshua Clottey, a 5-foot-8 welterweight to wage war against Pacquiao.

Experts and ardent followers of the fight game know Clottey’s achievements and near wins: a 35-win, 3-loss and no-draw record; never been knocked out; a close, some say controversial, loss to Miguel Cotto.

Clottey goes by the sobriquet “Grand Master,” a calm moniker that feels like a departure from the tough, macho-man nicknames of fighters today.

* * *

And yet chat with the ordinary Pacquiao fan in the streets and you’ll find out that despite Clottey’s high-profile fights and skill and tenacity, he is still an unknown to many Filipinos.

We’re not talking about the passionate fight fans that send comments to the boxing forums or come up to me in coffee shops to talk about the scoring of a close fight. They know who Clottey is.

We’re talking about the Pacquiao fans who latched on to big time boxing simply because the Filipino pound-for-pound king has done what no other fighter has achieved: winning titles in seven different weight categories and becoming a certified headliner of the sport.

Many of them are not fans who can recite fight records with their eyes closed or replay fight highlights with both arms. They follow Pacquiao.

* * *

These are fans who know Mayweather because he’s had fight extravaganzas with Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton.

There would have been no problem knowing Mayweather, who is also great TV material because he gives the media the sound bites they need.

But enough of Mayweather for now. He didn’t want Pacquiao that badly and so he will have to wait for another time.

* * *

But don’t worry. In time, when the usual media run-up to the March 13 fight night gets going, we’ll know so much more about Clottey.

That’s just the way it is with Pacquiao opponents, save for Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez, De La Hoya and Hatton who were already known to Filipinos.

To name a few, we’ve gotten to know Oscar Larios, Jorge Solis, David Diaz and Cotto a little better because Pacquiao battled against them.

With his superstar status across the globe, Pacquiao’s spotlight rubs off nicely on not-so-popular opponents.

* * *

Get to know Joshua Clottey in the next two months. We’ll learn everything about his background, training, fight views and plans if he gets by Pacquiao.

He’s due for quite a payday but Clottey knows that the road could just be opening up for bigger fights if he snaps Pacquiao’s 11-victory streak since 2005, when he lost the first Erik Morales fight.

After March 13, we won’t be saying “Clottey, who?” that much.

Source: sports.inquirer.net

PACQUIAO TRAINING CAMP OPENS ON THURSDAY

By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 21 Jan 2010

The training camp of pound-for-pound boxing hero Manny Pacquiao opens on Thursday (Friday, Manila Time) at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles and according to conditioning expert Alex Ariza that’s when Pacquiao sets aside the fun and games and begins to train relentlessly.

Ariza told us that Pacquiao was in a jovial mood when they exchanged text messages while Pacquiao was returning to Los Angeles from a highly successful media event at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.

Ariza said he texted Pacquiao asking him when he wants to start running and “Manny responded, in March,” which gave Ariza the impression that the super star of boxing was relaxed before he starts his training grind for the showdown with tough Joshua Clottey at the Dallas Cowboys stadium on March 13.

Pacquiao, as always, has kept physically fit despite a hectic schedule of shooting political advertisements, playing pool and handling commercial endorsements and business deals, by playing basketball on a regular basis although trainer Freddie Roach essentially frowns on this.

The New York press conference with Clottey, Roach and Top Rank promoter Bob Arum also had a bevy of attractive Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders in attendance, clearly underscoring the determination of Dallas Cowboys stadium owner Jerry Jones to make “The Event” a resounding success.

While Pacquiao’s focus is on the Clottey fight, the prospect of a mega-fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr later this year, possibly in September or November, still lingers in the background although the initial effort to arrange a fight that the fans have been longing for, collapsed on a cut-off date for random drug testing.

Although Pacquiao told the media he was focused on his training and the Clottey fight and asked them to “forget about Mayweather,” the undefeated former pound-for-pound champion, Pacquiao went on to claim that Mayweather was “making alibis to cancel the fight and doesn’t want to fight because he’s scared to lose.”

Underscoring his amiable nature which Clottey reciprocated, Pacquiao referred to the bigger former world champion as “a nice guy” and noted that he’s got size and “is tough and can take a punch. He can stand and fight toe-to-toe and I don’t want to underestimate him.”

While Pacquiao is set to begin training on Friday, Clottey has been training for the past two weeks and like most Pacquiao opponents has gotten a head-start on the champion whose WBO welterweight title will be on the line.

Meantime Ariza informed us that three Filipino fighters who will be seeing action on the Top Rank “Pinoy Power III” card at the Las Vegas Hilton on February 13 are training at the Wild Card gym. The fighters are veteran, former two-division world champion Gerry Penalosa who battles another former two division world champion Eric Morel in a WBO bantamweight title eliminator, world-rated Bernabe Concepcion who faces tough Mario Santiago.

Also working out at Wild Card under Pacquiao’s Filipino trainer Restituto “Buboy” Fernandez is promising Philippine bantamweight champion Eden Sonsona who is being handled by Pacquiao and his adviser Michael Koncz.

Koncz said he has plans of putting Sonsona on a Top Rank fight card in Mexico which will be co-promoted by Fernando Beltran before hopefully getting him a world title shot should he win impressively. Although Bob Arum told us he has one slot vacant for a Filipino fighter on the Pacquiao-Clottey card, there’s no word on whether Sonsona would be the one to fill up the slot although Koncz indicated it is highly unlikely.

Source: PhilBoxing.com

Boxing: Pacquiao, Clottey all smiles ... now

NEW YORK — Joshua Clottey smiled for photographs, hugged two Cowboys cheerleaders, then stood behind a podium and thanked Manny Pacquiao for the opportunity to fight him.

Three times.

The two will vie for Pacquiao's version of the welterweight championship March 13 at the new Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, but they looked anything like foes Wednesday. They shook hands, spoke glowingly of each other and promised fight fans something to remember.

Or perhaps a reason to forget the last two months.

Pacquiao admited at a news conference at Madison Square Garden that even he wanted to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr., the braggadocios welterweight who held the pound-for-pound mantle until the Filipino champion came along. Negotiations for the biggest fight in years began in November, but by late December had spiraled out of control.

The main sticking point became the protocol for drug testing, though that's simplifying six weeks of contentious talking.

There were accusations that Pacquiao used performance-enhancing drugs, a defamation lawsuit filed against Mayweather, a failed attempt at mediation and seemingly dozens of negative press releases dispensed by both sides.

"He didn't want to fight me," Pacquiao said, shrugging his shoulders. "I think maybe Mayweather is scared to lose."

The end came when Mayweather insisted on blood testing 14 days before the fight, even though Pacquiao agreed to 24 days out. Pacquiao had blood drawn the night before losing to Erik Morales and vowed never to let it interfere with training or a fight again.

"When Manny gives blood, he feels weak for about two days," his trainer Freddie Roach said.

Despite becoming the biggest attraction in the sport over the past few years, generating huge pay-per-view numbers with high-profile wins, Pacquiao is still an introvert when surrounded by TV cameras. He speaks softly, barely above a whisper, and is reluctant to say anything negative.

He leaves that to promoter Top Rank and outspoken chief Bob Arum, who sounded incredulous that Mayweather would seek more stringent drug testing than required by state athletic commissions.

"If Mayweather wants to fight Manny, it will have to be under the rules of the commission that governs the fight," Arum said. "You cannot have fighters in this sport imposing regulatory restrictions on other fighters because they damn well please. That is chaotic. Nobody in their right mind should allow that to happen, whether it's Mayweather or God knows who else."

The big winner — perhaps the only winner — in the failed negotiations was Clottey, a former titleholder coming off a narrow loss to Miguel Cotto last June.

Born in Ghana and now training in the Bronx, Clottey is taller and stronger than Cotto, who was stopped in the final round by Pacquiao last November. He also has a granite chin and, unlike Mayweather, prefers to fight toe-to-toe.

"This is a very big fight. He's one of the best fighters out there, and he's beaten everyone they've given him. But we're going to fight," Clottey said. "I know it's not an easy fight for me and it's not an easy fight for him."

Even so, it's difficult to sell anything less than the best in sports, which is why Arum understands he might have to work overtime to promote an alternative to Mayweather.

That's one of the reasons the fight will be at Jerry Jones' $1.2 billion showplace, where Arum hopes to see 40,000 fans the night of the fight. It's also the reason five Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders accompanied the entourage to New York for an introductory news conference, and why Top Rank is trying to put together an enticing undercard.

• KHAN WILL FIGHT — Amir Khan has reached a tentative agreement to defend his WBA lightweight title against mandatory challenger Marcos Maidana of Argentina. The WBA says the fight will be at the end of March or early April at a location yet to be determined, but most likely Las Vegas or Manchester, England.

The British fighter first defended his lightweight title by knocking out Dmitriy Salita in 76 seconds in December at Newcastle, England.

Source: modbee.com

Pacquiao is the most exciting and best fighter -- Clottey

by Don Tagala, ABS-CBN North America News Bureau | 01/21/2010 3:20 PM

NEW YORK – Forget Floyd “Money” Mayweather, Jr.

Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao is gearing up to fight New York’s “Grand Master” from Ghana, Joshua Clottey.

Dubbed as “The Event,” there is no better place to announce the Pacquiao-Clottey fight than the Madison Square Garden in New York, known for its place in the history of boxing.

Before promoters like Don King and Bob Arum moved boxing to Las Vegas, many of the biggest boxing fights were held here, including the first Joe Frazier vs Muhammad Ali bout.

“I’m not gonna promise I’m gonna win the fight but I will do my best to give an honor to my country and of course to give an honor to the boxing fans and to give a good fight, to make people happy, to make you guys happy,” said Pacquiao during the press conference.

The 32-year-old Clottey may be bigger and stronger than 31-year-old Pacquiao, but he lost to Miguel Cotto in a 12-round split decision. Pacquiao, meantime, beat Cotto in November via technical knockout in Round 12.

Clottey, a former International Boxing Federation (IBF) welterweight champion, said he is not about to underestimate the little Filipino champ.

“If Pacquiao beat me down, this is the first time I lost a fight… I’m fighting with the most exciting fighter and the best fighter out there, I don’t have to think I’m gonna knock down Pacquiao, that’s no good for boxers, thinking that you’re gonna knock your opponent out and will surprise with little punches and by the time you realize, you lose,” the Ghanaian said.

Pacquiao will defend his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title against Clottey on March 13 at the Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas.

Out of the question

Promoter Bob Arum told the press that Clottey is a better opponent for Pacquiao than Mayweather. He even said a Pacquiao-Mayweather clash would hardly be a fight.

“Mayweather-Pacquiao is a one guy running [Mayweather], the other guy trying to hunt him down [Pacquiao], I mean that’s sorta interesting, to a fight where you know Manny will have no trouble knowing where Clottey is, Clottey will stand up and fight,” said the Top Rank Promotions big boss.

Team Pacquiao said even if they are given the best deal and if the right conditions are met, fighting Mayweather is already out of the question.

Arum once and for all set the record straight on why Pacquiao refused the drug testing procedure that was too close to the March 13 fight.

“I know if you want blood testing after the fight, that you subject the fighter to the risk of infection, if you’ve ever been in a dressing room after a fight you know that it’s not sanitized,” he said.

Pacquiao added, “I’m agree to blood testing but not the day of the fight, I tried that before on the day of the fight, the [Erik] Morales one and I lost the fight because my body I feel so weak and I didn’t recover.”

All-out support

The Pacquiao-Mayweather bout may have gone down the drain but fans in New York still believe that no matter who Pacquiao fights, he will always continue to bring pride and honor to his homeland, the Philippines.

“I called out sick just to show our support to Manny Pacquiao,” said Linda Tumanda Clifton of New Jersey.

Ronnel Padagas from the Bronx, New York expressed his loyalty to the pound-for-pound king: “I’m always for Pacquiao, so whoever he fights, we’re all Filipinos. Best luck for Paquiao.”

Mikhael Tividad, who is also from the Bronx, said: “The Clottey-Pacquiao [fight] is going to be action-packed, so it’s really gonna be worth the pay-per-view, the money that we’re gonna be paying, good for the fans, good for boxing.”

Source: ABS-CBNNews.com

Manny Pacquiao preps for Joshua Clottey

Thursday, January 21, 2010
BY KEITH IDEC
The Record
STAFF WRITER

NEW YORK — Critics called Bob Arum crazy when he supported Manny Pacquiao's decision to walk away from a potential $40 million payday for a March 13 fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. over blood-testing issues.

The colorful promoter joked Wednesday that they must've thought he completely lost his mind when Arum picked Joshua Clottey as Mayweather's replacement. Clottey isn't Pacquiao's primary competitor for pound-for-pound supremacy and he doesn't boast Mayweather's mainstream fame, but he's widely viewed as a high-risk, low-reward threat to end Pacquiao's remarkable run since he last lost a fight nearly five years ago to Mexico's Erik Morales.

"This is a tough fight for us," Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's trainer, told reporters at Madison Square Garden to promote the March 13 clash in Arlington, Texas. "Joshua is a big, strong welterweight."

Ghana's Clottey (35-3, 20 KOs, 1 NC) is a tough former champion who many ringside observers believe beat Miguel Cotto in their welterweight title fight last June 13 at the Garden. Puerto Rico's Cotto was awarded a split-decision win, however, which secured Cotto's November fight against Pacquiao in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) dominated Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs) in such surprising fashion, a Pacquiao-Mayweather match became boxing's must-see attraction.

Negotiations finally fell apart after representatives for Pacquiao and Mayweather couldn't come to an agreement on time frames for Olympic-style drug testing following mediation two weeks ago in Santa Monica, Calif.

Pacquiao already had filed a defamation lawsuit against Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions, which represented Mayweather in the negotiations, because they've at least insinuated that Pacquiao has used performance-enhancing drugs. Clottey, who is managed by Oakland's Vinny Scolpino, made no such suggestions during negotiations.

Clottey claims he won't make the same mistakes Cotto made in the ring against the Filipino southpaw, either.

"Cotto is stronger than Pacquiao," Clottey said. "But Cotto [didn't] respect Pacquiao. He [thought] Pacquiao is too small to hurt him. I'm not thinking that at all. I will give him a lot of respect. With that, he's not going to surprise me with any punch."

Clottey, 32, is considered a smart, defensive-minded fighter who sometimes doesn't throw enough punches against top opponents.

But he has never been knocked out and has beaten former welterweight champ Zab Judah (38-6, 26 KOs, 2 NC) and the late Diego Corrales (40-5, 33 KOs) in recent years. He has lost on points to Cotto and former welterweight champ Antonio Margarito (37-6, 27 KOs, 1 NC), and by disqualification to former welterweight champ Carlos Baldomir (45-12-6, 14 KOs).

Pacquiao, 31, said Wednesday he thought Clottey defeated Cotto. He also expects a much more difficult fight against Clottey than his 12th-round TKO over Cotto.

Pacquiao doesn't know what to expect from Mayweather, though, if he defeats Clottey. If Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) fights Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs, 1 NC) — a proposed Pacquiao replacement — Pacquiao expects Mosley will win, which would ruin the Pacquiao-Mayweather momentum they had before the blood-testing controversy.

If Mayweather overcomes Mosley or another opponent, Pacquiao still won't count on facing him.

"I'm not the one who's making alibis to cancel the fight," said Pacquiao. "I think the real thing is he doesn't want the fight."

Source: northjersey.com

MANNY PACQUIAO vs JOSHUA CLOTTEY Promotion

By Blue Mercury

Pacquiao Clottey: The Event Press Conference