Pacquiao will punish Clottey to submission – Roach
By NICK GIONGCO
Filipino fans of World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao cheer during his weigh-in Saturday. (AFP)
DALLAS, Texas – When Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey answer the bell for their 12-round title fight Saturday night (Sunday in Manila), the memory of a comical incident that took place less than 24 hours before would be a thing of the past.
Before a crowd of 45,000 or more at Cowboys Stadium, Pacquiao will enter the ring with a nastier image of Clottey in mind, not the smiling individual who broke out in laughter as they engaged in a staredown for the cameras.
For Clottey, who has been very vocal about his high level of respect for Pacquiao, that funny episode will have to take the backseat as well as the Ghana banger gets a stab at fame and fortune against a foe whom many ringsiders believe will ruin his lofty ambitions.
“We’ll see what happens,” said Pacquiao when told about Clottey’s appearance on fight night. “That’s what they said when I fought Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, and Miguel Cotto, too.”
“Like before, I trained long and hard for this fight. May the better man win,” added Pacquiao before retreating to the sanctuary of his suite at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center, some 25 minutes away in the city of Grapevine.
During Friday afternoon’s official weigh-in just outside the $1.2-billion stadium in Arlington, Pacquiao checked in at 145 and ¾ lbs.
The Filipino flexed his muscles just as he had done the last six years after conquering the scales, but the man who stood just inches away from him looked undaunted.
Clottey tipped in at the welterweight limit of 147 lbs and it appeared as though somebody had dug up a statue of a Greek god and placed it on the podium next to Pacquiao.
“I have a surprise for him tomorrow,” said Clottey, who could not help but smile whenever he and Pacquiao looked at each others’ eyes to please the fans.
“I am going to shock the world,” added Clottey, who comes from Bukom, a tough neighborhood in the Ghanaian capital of Accra that also spawned the likes of Azumah Nelson and Ike Quartey.
Clottey should be at least 160 lbs by the time he gets up the ring and not lower than 10 lbs heavier than Pacquiao, who will likely gain a maximum of three (lbs) in 24 hours following the weigh-in.
But the extra load that Clottey will carry into the fight doesn’t concern trainer Freddie Roach, who believes the excess baggage would only work in Pacquiao’s favor.
“The heavier he gets, the happier I am going to be,” said Roach, confident that Pacquiao’s fast hands and fancy footwork would “overwhelm” Clottey.
Pressed for a prediction, Roach said he doesn’t see the fight going 12 rounds, saying that “Pacquiao might not be able to knock Clottey out but Pacquiao will make him quit.”
The Pacquiao-Clottey fight will start at 10 p.m. (12 noon of Sunday in the Philippines).
Emulate Pacquiao, political bets told
In Manila, Malacañang is hoping that the Pacquiao-Clottey fight would once again unite the entire nation, as it also asked political candidates to be instrument of national unity like the People’s Champ who is going to defend his World Boxing Organization welterweight belt this Sunday.
Deputy Presidential Spokesman Ricardo Saludo said the political candidates seeking elective posts in the May 10 local and national elections, particularly presidentiables, should follow the example showed by Pacquiao who continues to serve as national honor and pride in the field of boxing.
“Bukas titigil na naman ang alitan, krimen, at panira sa buong bansa sa pagsasagupa ni Pacquiao at Clottey. Magandang aral ito sa politico,” he said. (“Tomorrow, squabbles, crimes, and intrigues will stop during the Pacquaio-Clottey match. This could be a lesson to our politicians.”)
The Palace official said instead of mudslinging and politicking, candidates should engage in nation-building, just like what Pacquiao did, placing the Philippines on the international radar screen with his achievements in the international boxing
Uninterrupted power supply urged during fight
Meanwhile, broadcaster and Lakas-Kampi-CMD senatorial candidate Rey Langit urged the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) not to deprive the Filipino people of the opportunity to watch how their idol Manny Pacquiao slug it out with Joshua Clottey by ensuring enough power supply during the fight’s airing.
The NGCP, Langit said, should assure that there will be no scheduled power outages or rotating brownouts across the country at least either during the live coverage or the delayed telecast of the main event of the Pacquiao-Clottey fight.
“We all know for a fact that it is always a national event every time Pacquiao steps into the boxing ring as revealed by zero-crime incident and less traffic jam in all roads in Metro Manila and key urban areas in the country,” he said.
“I’m sure that the entire Filipinos could forego of the supporting bouts and even willing to have brownouts after the fight, in exchange for that opportunity of seeing either the live coverage or delayed telecast of the actual Pacquiao-Clottey fight,” Langit added.
Past Pacquiao fights have resulted in the significant decrease of crime incidents across the country, prompting a police official to coin the moniker “Peacemaker” to the Filipino boxing icon.
Langit stressed it would be a disservice on the part of the NGCP to the Filipino people when it could not even grant a simple wish of every Pinoy to cheer for their idol via television.
“So I appeal to the NGCP to do its best to ensure that there would be no power outage during the span of the actual match. I believe that every Filipino would appreciate and thank the NGCP for it,” he said. (With a report from Charissa M. Luci)
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