But one has to love Bobby’s enthusiasm.
Renowned funhouse showman P.T. Barnum, who was credited as once saying, “There’s a sucker born every minute,” would have loved him.
Of course, since the Pacquiao/Mayweather fight was called off (wink, wink, yet again), it creates a wonderful scenario for the promoters involved.
Imagine that.
Just think, if “Pac-Man” beats Clottey, and “Pretty Boy” Floyd beats Shane Mosley, it would set up the inevitable “No, we REALLY mean it this time” showdown between the two.
But it doesn’t really matter who wins what fight. Regardless of who wins, it will set up a battle between the winning fighters, and you’ll be shelling out another fifty bucks to finally find out who is the best. And that’s after the obligatory rematches. It’s a “no lose” situation for the promoters involved.
Imagine that.
So who beats who?
Well, should “Pretty Boy” step into a ring with the same Shane Mosley that fought Antonio Margarito, he’s a done deal. There is no way he beats THAT Mosley.
And when you consider the Pacquiao/Clottey fight, let’s not forget that Clottey is a natural welterweight, where Pacquiao fought many of his earlier fights at 107 pounds, which is about the weight of some jockeys.
It will be obvious when they step to the center of the ring for pre-fight instructions that Clottey is the bigger man, a much bigger man.
And Clottey can bang too.
Trainer Freddie Roach, on the other hand, has done a fantastic job turning Pacquiao from a one-dimensional fighter to a fighter who is comfortable throwing either hand, from all kinds of angles, and his last two years have been nothing short of spectacular.
Manny swarms his opponents like a nest of killer bees. And like a nest of killer bees, he is almost impossible to keep off. He throws punches in bunches, and keeps coming. When he sees an opening, he’s often there before his opponent has time to react. The damage he does is cumulative. Pacquiao keeps hurting you and he wears you down.
For Clottey, he has to prevent those openings from happening, which is something he does very well. And Clottey will have to keep pressing forward, attempting to stop Pacquiao’s momentum by moving him backwards, which is something Clottey is also very good at.
Then there’s the momentum factor. Like Buster Douglas against Mike Tyson, 20 years ago, Clottey has nothing to lose and everything to gain and, in some situations, it gives that fighter an edge over the fighter who is used to the big stage.
Most of the time, the challenger has more hunger.
Look for Manny to come out on the attack immediately in an attempt to hurt Clottey or draw first blood.
If Clottey can withstand that onslaught, look for him to move forward in a peek-a-boo style, trying to land uppercuts inside Manny’s wide shots.
If Clottey finds a home for that uppercut, and he hurts Pacquiao, he’ll win by either late-round KO, or split decision.
Allan Scotto can be reached at boxingriter@aol.com
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