Pacquiao 100% ready – Roach

Source: Manila Bulletin
By NICK GIONGCO
March 12, 2010, 6:37pm

DALLAS, Texas – Stay off the ropes, strike and avoid infighting. That, in a nutshell, will be Freddie Roach’s instructions when Filipino fighter Manny Pacquiao faces Joshua Clottey on Saturday night at Cowboys Stadium.

After capping seven weeks of training Thursday afternoon, Roach told reporters from Manila that Pacquiao is “100 percent ready” for the first defense of his World Boxing Organization welterweight crown.

Roach said Pacquiao has Clottey all figured out and that the African will likely follow the path that Oscar De La Hoya took in December 2008.

“The plan is to control him (Clottey) all night long, don’t let him set up, hit and get out of the way, and make that move to the side.”

Reminded of what Pacquiao did against Miguel Cotto last year when he allowed the Puerto Rican to land some telling blows as he lay motionless on the ropes, Roach has cautioned his prized pupil not to commit the same mistakes again.

“No,” answered Roach vehemently when asked if Pacquiao could play abit and allow himself to get hit.

“No,” hollered Roach when told if the purpose is to gauge Clottey’s power.

“If Manny’s going to the ropes, we are setting him (Clottey) up (to fall into a trap). That’s the only reason why he’s going there. I told him let’s keep a secret. Let’s not find out how hard he hits.

“I told Manny not to do anything stupid (this time),” said Roach, who wasn’t pleased when Pacquiao veered away from the original game plan and allowed himself to get hit by the Puerto Rican’s best blows.

Conditioning coach Alex Ariza, meanwhile, doesn’t see a quick ending to the bout but is very optimistic that Pacquiao’s superior talent will be more than enough to either make Clottey quit or force the referee or Clottey’s corner to step in.

“I have a feeling that the referee will not allow a repetition of what happened to Cotto against Pacquiao,” said Ariza, who will be in Pacquiao’s corner for only the fifth time.

“If he sees that there’s no light at the end of the tunnel, he will stop the fight. Clottey might not even get knocked down because he has a strong chin but if he is getting hit like Pacquiao did to Cotto, he will get stopped,” said Ariza.

The official weigh-in will be held at 5 p.m. Friday (7 a.m. of Saturday in Manila) and Ariza said Pacquiao will tip the scales at the limit of 147 lbs and would be 149 lbs by the time he answers the bell.

Clottey should also conquer the scales but he will be much heavier than Pacquiao by the time they slug it out.

“Clottey will be at least 160 lbs but I am not concerned,” said Roach. “The extra weight will only make him sluggish.”