Experts see Pacquiao-Clottey as one horse race
So who are boxing’s keenest minds picking for tonight’s huge welterweight clash between Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey? Let’s take a look:
Graham Houston (Fightwriter.com/Boxing Monthly magazine)
“A head clash ending is an unfortunate possibility — Clottey has been involved in a few of those as he tends to lean in with his head when he throws uppercuts, and Cotto was badly sliced in a collision. I tend to lean a bit towards Pacquiao by decision rather than by KO or TKO, but he is on fire right now and Clottey might need all his durability and closed-shutters defence to hear the final bell.”
Tim Starks (Queensberry-Rules.com)
“Clottey has been good enough to hang with the likes of Cotto and Antonio Margarito. I don’t think he’ll hang with Pacquiao. It’s a legitimate fight, Pacquiao-Clottey, and it might offer good two-way action, but mostly I think it will be a one-sided thrashing, albeit an entertaining one. It will probably be damn near the most fun you ever have at an execution (Pacquiao forces someone to pull the plug on Clottey by round 10).”
Tris Dixon (Editor Boxing News magazine)
“If Clottey is repeatedly getting nailed and not having any joy in return he might start looking for a way out and there’s no getting away from it-Pacquiao’s a predator. If there’s an opportunity to apply the finish, he will, and one can see Clottey regularly trapped on the ropes with his hands high in trouble in the later rounds. But he can survive to hear the final bell and, bearing in mind Pacquiao’s destructive recent form, he will be able to take some consolation from that.”
Doug Fischer (Ringtv.com)
“Clottey will gradually give up trying to manhandle Pacquiao and go on the defensive as the little dynamo mounts a late-rounds attack. Clottey’s defensive shell and rock-solid chin will hold up and he will survive to hear the final bell but he will lose the championship rounds. Pacquiao will win a competitive but clear-cut unanimous decision”.
Bert Sugar (Boxing historian)
“Manny will outwork (Clottey) but I don’t think he’s going to knock him out,” he said. “He’s facing a man who was born a welterweight. (Clottey) is that big and he’s going to have a 10 to 15 pound weight advantage by the time he walks out of that door.”
Mike Marley (Boxingconfidential.com)
“Tough fight for both but they will be paid handsomely so they can’t expect something easy…… I see a fight with some good exchanges but Clottey fades, as he did against Cotto, down the stretch, late stoppage or wide UD 12 for Manny. Believe it or not, Manny is still coming to his peak.”
Kieran Mulvaney (ESPN/Reuters)
“Clottey may cause Pacquiao some trouble early, a little like Cotto did, but once Pacquiao finds his timing and rhythm; Clottey will have a hard time keeping him off. I think Pacman will dominate the second half of the fight and wind up a comfortable points winner.”
Kevin Iole (Yahoo! Sports.com)
“Pacquiao by decision. This fight is all about speed and quickness. Pacquiao has it and Clottey does not. Pacquiao’s speed will be a factor on both offense and defense and should lead him to a wide unanimous decision victory.”
Tim Smith (New York Daily News)
“You can’t knock Clottey out with a 2X4, so I think Pacquiao will win a decision because the book on Clottey is that he fades in the later rounds.”
Joe Santoliquito (Managing Editor, Ring Magazine)
“Manny Pacquiao KO 10 Joshua Clottey: Pacquiao right now is on a roll and there isn’t anything that seems to able to stop him. This poses to be a real interesting fight while it lasts. But once Pacquiao finds his range and starts banging down Clottey’s high guard, I see Pacquiao cutting up Clottey and the fight eventually getting stopped late.”
Result: Pacquiao 10 Clottey 0 (8 picks via decision; 2 by knockout)
2 comments on “Experts see Pacquiao-Clottey as one horse race”
Leave a Reply
Blog at WordPress.com. Theme: Duotone by Automattic.
Rather ominously, Oscar De La Hoya has predicted an easy night’s work for the Pac-Man. Now that’s a kiss of death if ever there was one.
Ha, I nearly choked when I saw old smiley chops trying to put the mockers on it.
I’m feeling a bit Yoda-like this morning after a nice little return on Smith and Pacquiao to win on points at a tad over 9/1.
Looked a bit dicey though around the eighth and ninth as Clottey’s inactivity made me think the corner might pull him out. Mind you, watching the Smith fight was a right old nail biter when his head exploded after 30 seconds. God bless Mick Williamson!!