DALLAS, Texas — Freddie Roach was very pleased with Manny Pacquiao’s performance against Joshua Clottey Saturday night despite Pacquiao’s failure to knockout his foe.
“I give him an A+,” said Roach, who was a bit disappointed that the fight went 12 rounds.
Roach said he had expected Clottey to be aggressive and not defensive-minded because he was shooting for a world title.
“He fought a very defensive fight. I thought he would be more offensive.
He was more in survival mode and when a guy is trying to survive, it’s hard to knock him out.”
When it looked like the fight would go the full route, Roach instructed Pacquiao to go in for the kill.
But Clottey had other things in mind.
“I was looking for a knockout in the last round but he just did not open up,” said Roach, who has been in his ninth year as trainer of the world’s No. 1 fighter.
This was the first time since March 2008 that Pacquiao heard the final bell, having gone the whole nine yards the last time against Juan Manuel Marquez for the world super-feather crown.
After Pacquiao was pushed to the limit by Marquez, the Filipino went on to rack up four straight stoppages.
