As fine a fighter as I know Joshua Clottey is, I just see Miguel Cotto edging him out at the finish line for the welterweight championship Saturday night on HBO from NY’s Madison Square Garden.
In the crowd will be Manny Pacquiao, who is making the long flight over 12 time zones to both be at the Boxing Writers Association of America dinner the night before to pick up his second fighter of the year award and to be considered as the prize for the winner of Cotto – Clottey if something goes wrong with next month’s Floyd Mayweather – Juan Manual Marquez fight.
My examiner brother (New York) Michael ‘White Gorilla” Marley, who managed such fighters as heavyweight pretender King Ipitan, certainly has the Manny Pacquiao concession locked up. Marley is something of an iconic figure in The Philippines.
King Ipitan. (Photo: Don King Productions)
King Ipitan was a 6’5 Nigerian heavyweight. At least that is what brother Marley would have us believe. Also known as Murray Schlepstein, Ipitan won all of his first 13 fights until one day on a Don King under card in Mexico he faced journeyman Bobby Crabtree and the gifted Ipitan actually broke his ankle throwing a punch and hasn’t gotten up since.
I think I saw parts of Ipitan’s glass jaw on display a couple of months ago while the awesome King Tut Exhibit was on display at the Dallas Museum of Art.
That was the end of Marley’s managerial career. Actually Ipitan beat Ross Purrity who beat a young Vladimir Klitschko.
So while I concede rock star famous Marley has the Pacman account tied up, I’m moving my interests and energies to Eastern Europe.
I have decided to wrap myself within the Romanian flag and super lightweight contender Jo Jo Dan of Bucharest. Dan is now 25-0 (13 KO’s) and already world rated by legitimate sanctioning groups.
I’m taking Jo Jo to the title from my little burg in Dallas, Texas.
