When it became clear that Manny Pacquiao wouldn’t be fighting Floyd Mayweather anytime soon the boxing world was disappointed and had to face the reality that both men would be moving in different directions. While it is still unclear as to what Mayweather’s next move is going to be, Pacquiao went on to surprise many by opting to face off with the very formidable Joshua Clottey this coming March 13th.
Carrying a 35-3 record with 20 knockouts into the ring, Clottey has made a mark for himself in the sport in recent years. He has lost close decisions to former champions Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto while also beating the likes of Shamone Alvarez, Richard Gutierrez, and Zab Judah.
One man who will be present for the Pacquiao-Clottey contest is well respected boxing writer Thomas Hauser. I spoke to Hauser earlier this week about the still developing situation between Mayweather and Shane Mosley and was sure to also get his thoughts on the Pacquiao-Clottey encounter as well. More than anything else, Hauser seems to be impressed with Pacquiao’s decision to face Clottey as well as his other accomplishments in recent years.
“Manny obviously does not duck challenges,” Hauser points out. “One of the impressive things about him is that in that most of his recent fights he has gone in very tough. David Diaz was a soft opponent but when he went up against Oscar many people thought that he was too big. Then he fought Ricky Hatton and people said that Ricky might be too big and strong. They thought the same thing again about Cotto but so far Manny has been delivering in the ring. It’s very impressive what he’s done lately.”
When asked to assess Clottey’s strengths and weaknesses inside of the ring, Hauser was straightforward. While the Ghanaian fighter has tremendous physical strength, an air tight defense, and adequate power, Hauser still sees holes in his game. In the New York writer’s opinion Clottey will either fall victim to his tendencies just like in past fights or he will find a way to turn a new leaf against Pacquiao.
“Joshua Clottey is a very good fighter,” Hauser says. “He’s not a great fighter. In his biggest tests he has come up short. I felt that if he had been a little more aggressive he might have beaten Miguel Cotto because seemed to be there for the taking. But in the late rounds Joshua didn’t push the action. One of two things can come out of that. Either it can be systematic of the kind of fighter he is in which case Pacquiao would beat him. Or he could learn from that lesson in which case he’ll be even tougher as an opponent for Pacquiao.”
Hauser was than asked to take a look at the fight from a stylistic manner as far as how the two fighters stacked up against each other. Both men have been blessed with their share of gifts inside of the ring but their styles are worlds apart. Hauser sees danger on both sides of the fence.
“Obviously Manny relies on speed and power,” Hauser claims. “He thinks that he can wear Clottey down and possibly break his will. Clottey just has to show that his size and strength are such that he can wear Pacquiao down. It’s a tall order. It’s a dangerous fight for Manny. This is not an easy fight. There would have been plenty of easier fights that Manny could have taken but he chose to go in tough.”
(Click to hear Hauser’s opinion of a possible Shane Mosley-Floyd Mayweather contest)
When the Pacquiao-Mayweather talks were ongoing there was debate and uncertainty as to where the fight would be held. Rumored cities to host the fight included Los Angeles, Atlanta, New Orleans, Miami, and Dallas among others. Las Vegas would end up winning out but it soon became a mute point when the bout fell apart.
Eight of Pacquiao’s last eleven fights have been in Nevada and it has become the Filipino icon’s home away from home in many ways. It was assumed by many that the Pacquiao-Clottey bout would be held in Las Vegas but Dallas Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones made an offer for the fight that Top Rank promoter Bob Arum apparently couldn’t refuse and won out on the fight. While hosting the bout in Dallas inside of the recently renovated Cowboys Stadium will certainly be a change of pace, it’s one that Hauser is looking forward to.
“I think it’s great for boxing to stage it in a new venue,” Hauser says of the fight. “That’s not a knock on Vegas because Vegas does big fights as well as anybody in the world. For boxing to create a new generation of fans people have to be able to go to fights. When boxing was at its most popular you had fights in outdoor stadiums across the country. Fights in places like Yankee Stadium and the Polo Grounds were legendary. If you can have an outdoor fight in Dallas it will be wonderful.”
When touching on the subject further, Hauser believes that the Stadium itself will give the fight a completely different feel. The award-winning author feels that if Pacquiao-Mayweather were to ever land in the same location that the hype would have been tremendous but Pacquiao-Clottey is an outstanding consolation prize.
“To me, just having the fight in Dallas in this new stadium will create a buzz,” Hauser predicts. “It will become part of the storyline. That’s one of the reasons I was very disappointed and a lot of people were disappointed that Richard Schaefer refused to go to Dallas to even look at the stadium. That might have been because of his relationship with the MGM Grand but my sense is that if Pacquiao-Mayweather had occurred and it had been in Dallas Stadium the buzz created on the fight alone and all of the news articles that came out of it would have been notable.”
In closing you can sense that Hauser has an obvious amount of respect for the way Las Vegas has hosted fights in recent years. The Valley has become the fight capital of the world for many reasons but Hauser believes a change was in need and is excited about the new endeavour.
“Having it at Cowboys stadium makes it much more of an event. I’ve been to Vegas many times for fights and it’s really easy. You get on a plane, you’re there, and everything is under one roof. Vegas knows how to do things very well and Dallas will be more difficult for someone like me because I’m not sure where the media center will be or where the hotel will be. Obviously we’ll have to travel to see the stadium but I’m psyched for it. It’s going to be a new experience and there is going to be a buzz about this fight.”
