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Pacquiao dominates Clottey, wins by unanimous decision


Joshua Clottey proved to be indestructible but that did not prevent Manny Pacquiao from pulling off a unanimous victory on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) in their World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title fight at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. It was a virtual boxing clinic for the reigning pound-for-pound king in his first title defense of the WBO welterweight strap that he won over Miguel Cotto. He hiked his ring record to 51 wins, with 38 by knock out, against three losses and two draws.

Boxing champ Manny Pacquiao celebrates after defeating Joshua Clottey of Ghana, with a unanimous decision in Arlington, Texas on Saturday (Sunday in Manila). AP
The three judges — Levi Martinez, Nelson Vazquez and Duane Ford — all scored in favor of the seven-time world division champion as Pacquiao. Two judges scored the fight 119-109, the other 120-108. The Associated Press gave every round to the Filipino. With 50,994 fans — the biggest fight crowd in the US in 17 years — cheering him on at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium, Pacquiao made sure the result was never in doubt. It wasn't as flashy as his knockout of Ricky Hatton or as savage as the beating he gave Oscar De La Hoya, but there was no doubt Pacquiao was in command the entire way against Clottey, who kept his gloves up high in front of his face, rarely risking a flurry. The Ghanaian’s strategy got him to the final bell, but he was never competitive in the biggest fight of his career. "He’s a very tough opponent," Pacquiao said. "He was looking for a big shot." Pacquiao was supposed to have been fighting Floyd Mayweather Jr. instead of Clottey, but the megafight between two claimants to the title of the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter fell apart over a dispute over blood testing. "I want that fight, the world wants that fight, but it's up to him," Pacquiao said. Pacquiao controlled the fight from the start, throwing mostly body shots because Clottey, who was never aggressive and tried to step on the feet of the hard-hitting southpaw, (35-4) had locked his arms in front of his face opting to play defense. Neither fighter went down. Pacquiao advanced against his taller opponent and threw punches with both hands from all angles, the same style that gave him spectacular wins in his past three fights and, though Clottey was clearly the bigger fighter, he rarely sought to use his reach advantage. "Everything's working now," trainer Freddie Roach told Pacquiao after the third round. "It's easy." The Ghanaian, despite having all the physical advantages against the seven-time world division champion, just let Pacquiao throw a variety of punches hoping that the champion would get tired. Pacquiao, wearing red and white trunks, never slowed down and intensified his attacks further targeting Clottey’s mid section hoping to force the Ghanaian’s defense to open up. Clottey, showing that he can take on Pacquiao’s bombs, had a few great moments in the 12-round slugfest where he managed to sneak in a number of right straight, 1-2 combinations and uppercuts but he proved to be no match against Pacquiao’s punching power and bull-like stamina.

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Pacquiao, who slowly made Clottey in to a human punching bag, showed his frustration in the fourth round when he smacked Clottey’s gloves as if challenging him to go toe-to-toe. Clottey's corner was urging him late in the fight to take some risks, but even in the final round when he needed a knockout to win, the Ghanaian only sparingly dropped his guard. "Let's be creative! Throw punches now!," said trainer Lenny De Jesus. He briefly followed De Jesus’ advice and has done something offensively in the sixth to eight rounds where he managed to push the champion towards the ropes and opening a cut under Pacquiao’s right eye. Before the start of the 11th round, the trainer again implored: "This is the 11th round. I know you have the power to knock him, but take a chance!" But Pacquiao, who received an accidental low blow in the eighth, survived Clottey’s counter attacks and unleashed a barrage of punches towards the challenger’s body and head. The close to 51,000 fans chanted “Manny! Manny!" in every round as if boosting Pacquiao’s confidence in order to knock out Clottey, who has yet to suffer a KO loss in his past 38 fights. It was the 12th straight win for Pacquiao and the seventh time that his fight went the distance. He now holds a 5-1-1 (win-loss-draw) record in his fights that went the full 12 rounds. It was also Pacquiao’s first fight outside Las Vegas since his 2007 World Boxing Council (WBC) international super featherweight title fight against Jorge Solis at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Next up for Pacquiao is an election for Congress in his native Philippines. He's also hoping for a megafight against Floyd Mayweather Jr., presuming Mayweather beats Shane Mosley on May 1.
Manny Pacquiao unleashes his body shots against the ‘high guard defense’ of Joshua Clottey Saturday at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas (Sunday in Manila) AP
Clottey, who was a former International Boxing Federation (IBF) welterweight title holder, lost his second straight fight and in his third attempt to win the WBO’s 147-lb. strap. He beat Zab Judah in Aug. 2, 2008. Congratulations Malacañang congratulated Pacquiao immediately after the match. In an interview on dzBB radio, Deputy Presidential Spokesman Gary Olivar said Pacquiao had united Filipinos anew as the country ventures into a new chapter in its history. "Manny proved that the strength and determination of Filipinos is a cut above the rest. On behalf of our jubilant nation, we thank you Manny for uniting the country as it steps into a new chapter in our history," Olivar said in Filipino. – GMANews.TV, with a report from AP
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