Mar. 14–ARLINGTON — Thunderstruck.
Thunderstruck played as part of Manny Pacquiao’s entrance music, it was the reaction of the Cowboys stadium crowd and it was the demeanor in which challenger Joshua Clottey fought.
It was clear that the Pacquiao mystique as the world’s top boxer and the environment proved too intimidating for Clottey.
Pacquiao (51-3-2) remained an active puncher throughout his WBO world welterweight title defense, which he won by on overwhelmingly unanimous decision.
“It was not an easy fight. It was hard,” Pacquiao graciously said. “He’s a good fighter. ?‚… He’s so strong I could tell he was looking to land the big shot throughout the fight.”
One judge gave all 12 rounds to Pacquiao while the other two scored 119-109 meaning they thought Clottey claimed only one round.
Pacquiao landed more power-punches (232) than the total amount of punches landed by Clottey (108). Pacquiao threw roughly three times as many punches with 1,231 compared to 399 by Clottey. Pacquiao landed more than twice as many with 246 punches.
Long before the bout started PacMan fever gripped the Cowboys Stadium crowd of 50,994. When he was first shown entering the arena there was a massive eruption of cheers. The support continued whenever his mug flashed in high definition.
The first round began with Clottey utilizing a tight guard to defend his face and chin. Pacquiao delivered some solid gut shots to try and open up the cautious Clottey. It was clear Clottey, who is known for his staunch defense, didn’t want to open up his chin.
The Ghanaian challenger threw few punches of consequence.
The second round provided more of the same as Clottey’s mitts rarely faced any direction other than toward the retractable roof in a committed defensive posture.
Clottey finally landed a few legitimate punches in the third round but suffered far more damage from Pacquiao’s five, six and seven punch combinations.
The fourth round highlight featured a bit of frustration on Pacquiao’s part as he delivered an unorthodox two-hand double punch to Clottey’s ears.
Clottey enjoyed a clear reach advantage against the smaller Pacquiao but rarely exploited the lead jab.
Each round continued as the previous one with Clottey giving himself little chance to win the scorecards with his lack of activity.
“This is the first time I’ve lost a fight,” a humbled Clottey said.
In reality, Clottey (35-4) picked up his fourth loss but he felt his first three were the result of bad decisions.
The only question about Pacquiao’s performance came in his inability to hurt the bigger Clottey. Pacquiao has risen through the weight classes but a 5-foot-6 has essentially reached his weight limit.
The hearty attendance marked one of the largest fights in United States boxing history. The Julio Cesar Chavez-Pernell Whitaker bout in the Alamodome drew 58,891 but this bout featured the third largest indoor boxing event in American history.
Sadly for Clottey both trainers including his own, Lenny DeJesus, felt Pacquiao won every round.
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