Some guys just can’t catch a break and Ike Quartey was one of those guys that never won a big fight. Yes he had some good wins against Crisanto Espana, Oba Carr, and Vince Philips, but for some reason he could never win the big one and failed to capitalize on his opportunities against Oscar De La Hoya and Fernando Vargas. You could say that he went into to those fights handicapped since he hadn’t fought in over a year going into his bout with the Golden Boy or that he was a natural 147 pounder fighting a 154 pounder in Fernando Vargas, but at the end of the day it doesn’t manner. He lost both fights. Great fighters overcome adversity and produce regardless of the situation. Sugar Ray Leonard beat Hagler after a three year layoff and Muhammad Ali beat George Foreman even though he was past his physical prime. And Julio Cesar Chavez roared from behind to stop Meldrick Taylor with two seconds left in the final round. In analyzing Joshua Clottey’s chances against Manny Pacquiao you have to wonder, “Is Clottey one of those guys that can’t win the big one?” In 1999 the Ghanaian strong man was 20-0 and was dominating Carlos Baldomir with booming right hands, but he was warned and penalized multiple times for head-butting. The referee even took two points away from him for the infractions yet despite being penalized just moments before, he crossed a fine line. And when the two fighters were in close quarters he forced his head against Baldomir’s face and was disqualified in the eleventh round. Clottey was visibly upset afterward and left the ring before the official announcement, but If the referee warns you for head-butting and takes two points away, you don’t go on the inside where head clashes occur. It’s not rocket science. And Clottey failed to make the adjustments that would have brought him the victory so his actions actually had a part in the final result. This inability to persevere and adjust to circumstance also cost him in his other two losses. He was beating Antonio Margarito during the first four rounds of their fight in the fall of 2006 until he decelerated down the stretch and allowed Margarito to work his way back into the fight and win a hard fought decision. Again Clottey was disappointed in his effort and commented, “I hurt my hand in training about two weeks ago, but I wanted to take the fight because I am a warrior. I felt it hurting with my jab. I have a very strong jab. I didn’t want to quit. That is not my style. But once I broke my hand, I could not fight anymore.” Just last summer Clottey again clutched defeat from the jaws of victory in his bout with Miguel Cotto. He was applying steady pressure and was stalking Cotto and landing some good punches and seemed as though he was on the verge of winning the fight, but he started complaining to the referee about fouls and failed to intensify his attack and lost a split decision. And Cotto had been treading water since the early middle rounds. He had sustained a large cut above his left eye which impaired his vision and was visibly fatigued and Clottey still failed to close the show. That’s the thing. Some insiders think Clottey has a chance against Pacquiao, but few are picking him to upset the Pac-man due to his inability to implement a winning strategy through the course of a big fight. Henry Ramirez who trains a staple of fighters which includes heavyweight Chris Arreola doesn’t necessarily believe that Clottey’s losses are due to a lack of strategic focus and commented, “I don’t think its so much that he falters. He’s in there giving good accounts of his-self, but he’s coming up a little short. Not throwing enough at times or going too much on defense. The guy is a world class fighter. He’s losing to some of the very best fighters in the sport so maybe that’s just where he is at. I just seems like he always finds a way to lose, but in reality those are the guys that are more talented than him anyway to be honest. “And Maybe Ramirez is right; maybe he’s just not as good as the fighters he’s lost to just as countryman Ike Quartey was probably a notch below his welterweight contemporaries of the 1990’s. Still after seeing Clottey lose three fights that he could very well have won if he had just done some things a little different in the last three rounds, you have to think that maybe he’s like the Buffalo Bills of the early nineties and is destined never to win the big one. In talking about peoples’ propensity towards losing or winning Heavyweight contender Chris Arreola said it best after his fight with Klitschko when he tearfully commented, “He found a way to win and I found a way to lose.” So far Clottey has been one of those guys that finds a way to lose.
Notes:
I think Yuriorkis Gamboa is one of the twelve best pound for pound fighters in the world. I picked him to be Juan Manuel Lopez even before Saturday’s bout. In boxing they say you can’t teach height. Well in boxing you can’t the teach the dynamic mix of speed and power that Gamboa possesses. Talent-wise, he’s one of the three most talented fighters in the sport. We just have to see if he has the heart and ring smarts to go with it. Go to youtube.com and check out our video page. We have accumulated over ninty videos in less than four months.
