Big Fight. Big Opportunities.

Big Fight. Big Opportunities.

The stakes of the Pacquiao-Clottey fight are bigger than you think.

by rick olivares

After the proposed Pacquiao-Mayweather mega-fight went pfft and Joshua Clottey was lined up in Pacman’s sights, the first thought that popped into my head was the film “Rocky.”

In the film, Rocky, by sheer dumb luck because of his moniker “The Italian Stallion,” he is chosen by the champion Apollo Creed to be his foe after his original challenger drops out after an injury.

There are no similarities other than the change in challengers. And Clottey isn’t a down-on-his-luck pugilist. After all, he does have a 35-3-1 record (35 wins 3 losses and 1 no contest).

But why do I say that this is not a fight that’s in the bag for the pound-for-pound king?

Simple. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime for Clottey. And it’s going to be in front of 45,000 people with millions more watching online and on television.

The belt at stake in the WBO Welterweight crown Pacquiao took from Miguel Cotto. And should Clottey upset the champ, it means his next fight is another big payday.

The Ghanaian is hungry for another championship. He is hungry for respect. You will find some people out there who will say that he was robbed of the title when he lost a split decision against Cotto. He is the Italian Stallion in this larger than life reality show – well, the fight is in Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas and you know that things are big in the Lone Star State -- except that he’s the Ghanaian Hitter.

But Clottey has not fought in nine months since the setback to Cotto. Who knows what rust there is in his fighting bones? Say this though about the challenger, he has bounced back with a win every time he has lost. After he lost to Antonio Margarito, he won five straight matches with three coming via unanimous decision and two by knockout. Then he lost to Cotto.

The challenger fights well against good fighters as evidenced with his match against Margarito, the late Diego Corrales, Zab Judah, and Cotto. Clottey has size, speed, power, stamina, and height yet despite that, he has been unable to knockout anyone worth his salt other than Judah (c’mon, who in the blue hell is Jose Luis Cruz). That’s why against Cotto, he wasn’t able to get the job done. To be the champ, you got to beat the champ.

Manny’s rep in the meantime as a lineal champ (having beaten four champs for their belts) has four of the five strengths and the two-inch height disadvantage isn’t much because the champ’s levels in those four categories are all off the charts.

The Ghanaian is an orthodox fighter while the Filipino, a traditional southpaw, has become a two-handed boxer. Remember that show-him-your-left-then-deck-him-with-your-right move that Manny pulled on Ricky Hatton? That makes him doubly deadly.

This is Manny’s first defense (50-3-2) of the WBO Welterweight crown and is gunning for his 12^th straight victory that could be his last (I’d say if he wins this bout there is one more before he hangs up his gloves).

He is now fighting to cement his place as one of the all-time greatest if not the greatest. He is also fighting for his future because he is running for a congressional seat in the Philippines. It will not do well for him to lose. And he is fighting for one last mega-fight – Floyd Mayweather.

There is an awful lot at stake for Manny. In all his previous fights, it was his opponent who had something to lose – either a career as in the case of Oscar de la Hoya or a belt as in the cases of Hatton and Cotto.

Now he is the hunted.

Freddie Roach, like the master trainer he is, looks for bad habits of fighters. For Clottey, he has this habit of painting himself into a corner then throwing up his hands in a defensive stance. Clottey’s trainer Lenny De Jesus says that they’ve corrected those flaws and will pressure the champ all throughout. If Pacquiao stands in the ring to slug it out, De Jesus doesn’t mind at all because the Ghanaian is good at counterpunching with excellent one-two combos that pack some oomph.

Look for Manny to size up Clottey as he did with Hatton and Cotto in the first round before going to work. When he does, he’ll jab and jab then work on Clottey’s body to open him up to a relentless barrage from all angles.

Manny hasn’t been knocked down since 1999 while Clottey hasn’t been knocked out.

Will this go the distance?

It’s possible but I’d say that someone is going to get knocked out.

In the film “Rocky,” just as the final bell in the 15^th and final round sounds, Creed and Balboa are still locked together all spent. “There’s going to be no rematch,” says Creed. “Don’t want one,” answers back Rocky.

There are no similarities from Pacquiao-Clottey to the fictional Creed-Balboa fight other than someone is given an opportunity.

Oh there is one other similarity – the decision went to the champ. In this case, I’m saying Manny in six.