Joshua Clottey Keys to Beating Manny Pacquaio
Joshua Clottey’s trainer, Lenny DeJesus, believes that he doesn’t need to watch any tape in order to come up with a plan to beat Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao, the pound for pound best fighter in the world, will be watching tape, or at least his trainer Freddie Roach will, in order to come up with a plan to beat Joshua Clottey.
But Clottey’s trainer doesn’t believe that he needs to do what Ring Magazine’s 4 time trainer of the year does for every single one of his fighters. DeJesus, who is a locksmith when he isn’t training fighters, which is most of the time, recently stated that he “has the key to beating Manny Pacquiao” and that “he doesn’t need to watch any tapes.”
I almost feel like sending this article to Joshua Clottey because I feel so bad for him. There’s no way to beat Pacquiao without watching tape and coming up with a strategy. Seriously, DeJesus, seriously? Just because you were a cut-man for Pac in 2005 you believe you know how to beat the dude? Maybe, you’ve been sniffing too much of that metal that burns off of the keys you make.
In any case, let’s take a look at Clottey’s keys to victory in his fight against Manny Pacquiao. Clottey is a +450 underdog. So, there is a lot of things he’s going to have to do right to beat Manny.
When: 3/13/2010
Where: Cowboys Staidum, Arlington, Texas
TV: HBO Pay-Per-View
Boxing: Joshua Clottey vs. Manny Pacquiao
Clottey’s Keys to Victory
Keep the Peek-A-Boo Style: Clottey needs to maintain the style that’s been so effective for him in the past. Clottey fights the way that Winky Wright and Bernard Hopkins used to fight, that is using your hands in a high-guard stance to block punches, and then counter-punching. Clottey used the style to great effectiveness against both Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito. The problem, of course, is that Clottey lost both of those fights. He did use the peek-a-boo style to beat up Zab Judah and there has been talk that Judah’s style, speed and aggressiveness, is like Pacquiao’s. The difference between Pacquiao and Judah is that Pacquiao can actually take a punch. Judah never really could. So, besides keeping his style, in order to beat Manny, Joshua’s also going to have to…
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…Change His Style: At least a bit. It won’t be enough for Clottey to try to goad Pacquiao into making a mistake, counter-punching, and then wearing Pacquiao down. Clottey’s going to have to be way more aggressive in this fight then he ever has in any of his previous fights. Manny has a way of making defensive fighters look ridiculous. Pacquiao used to be a straight-ahead, aggressive pit-bull type that would throw punches at his opponents with abandon. He could get caught and did get caught by Erik Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez, but that was then and this is now. If DeJesus turned on his VCR, he might notice that there’s a difference. Clottey can’t expect Pacquaio to get frustrated in this fight. Pac has learned to be very patient and trainer Freddie Roach won’t allow him to move forward, head bowed, arms swinging. Instead, expect Manny to come in at an angle to prevent Clottey’s counter-punches from landing flush onto his head and body. What it means is that Clottey’s going to have to take his chances against Pacquaio, he’s going to have to move forward at times, and he’s going to; unfortunately, have to trade with the brilliant Filipino boxer but he doesn’t have to trade in the traditional sense.
Get on the Bike but Don’t Just Stay There: One fight that DeJesus might want to check out in regards to beating Pacquiao is Sugar Ray Leonard’s brilliant victory over Marvelous Marvin Hagler in their 1986 classic. Hagler was a brawler like Pacquaio, although not nearly as fast, and a big favorite over Leonard who was fighting Hagler after having retired a few years earlier. How did Leonard win the fight? By staying on his bicycle and keeping Hagler at bay until the final 10 seconds of each round. At that point, Leonard stood in the middle of the ring and traded with Hagler. Because it was a surprise to Hagler, Leonard got in the flashier, better shots. Could Clottey employ those same tactics? Yes and no. Clottey isn’t as fast as Pac so he won’t want to trade with the champ for a full 10 seconds. Instead, he will want to be more aggressive at spots during the round while Pac is moving forward. Clottey will want to “go lower” than Pac at times, punching Pac to the ribs and then punching down on Pac from up top at other times. Instead of standing right in front of Pac, Clottey will want to move to the side, unleash combinations, and then get back on his bike. Maybe, DeJesus should put in tape of a fighter who used these types of tactics brilliantly in his career, Bernard Hopkins.
Use the Fear: Being afraid of Manny Pacquiao might not always be a bad thing for a fighter. Clottey should use that fear to his advantage. He should use it to cover his face with his gloves and then use it to be more aggressive with Pacquiao then he ever has been with any other fighter before. Clottey needs to realize that he will have to hurt Pacquiao in order to win the fight because Pacquiao no doubt is gong to hurt him at least a few times during the fight.
Here’s the thing, if Joshua Clottey does everything that I’ve listed above, he’ll have an outside shot of beating Manny Pacquiao. The truth is that Clottey won’t just have to implement a real, bona fide strategy in order to beat the best pound for pound fighter in the world, but he’s going to have to be perfect with every single part of that streategy.
Manny Pacquiao doesn’t make mistakes and neither does his trainer, Freddie Roach. Good luck, Joshua Clottey. You’re going to need it on Saturday night.
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