As expected, Manny Pacquiao threw bundles and bundles of punches in hammering out a unanimous decision win against Joshua Clottey to retain his welterweight crown in Arlington, Texas, Saturday night (Sunday morning in Manila).
It was a show of boxing skill and savvy by a boxer at his peak. Even the playful slip in the fourth round—when he hit Clottey’s head with both hands—was excusable in the context of displaying the sweet science of the sport.
Going for Clottey was his physical presence. He made it appear that the Pacman was grinding to pieces a chunk of granite that was once part of a mountain.
Still, Clottey’s seemingly intimidating figure did not stop Pacquiao from throwing the punches that mattered and earning the nods of the judges.
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We should not at all feel that this win is less dramatic than all the previous knockout wins Pacquiao scored in recent years. It was a win carved by a skillful master that night in Arlington, Texas.
Not all the punches connected but the sheer volume of the bombs were enough to make Clottey acknowledge that he lost to a champion with great hand speed.
Pacquaio again showed opponents that they could prepare all they want for him but still remain unprepared once they set foot inside the ring.
His speed was probably at its best as he uncoiled six-, seven- and even eight-punch combinations that baffled Clottey.
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Clottey was hardly the Grandmaster, as his sobriquet goes, because he hardly made enough moves to really rock Pacquiao. His defense was there but it was soon useless against Pacquiao’s attacks on his ribs, midsection and chin.
Pacquiao was patient in breaking down the defensive wall and hurting Clottey despite the Ghanaian’s efforts to mask his pain.
Lenny DeJesus, Pacquiao’s former cut-man who now runs Clottey’s corner, begged his fighter to use his power, to be creative and to take chances.
Either something got lost in the translation or the words fell to the canvas as soon as they were uttered. Clottey’s dance while taking that long walk from the locker room probably had more creativity.
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Clottey’s chance came in the 10th round when he tagged Pacquiao with an uppercut and several straights.
Other than that, it was Pacquiao’s show.
The Filipino superstar was visibly tuckered out at fight’s end given the number of punches he threw. There was a tad of disappointment in him because his biggest shots seemed to just bounce off the Ghanaian granite.
So what’s next after this evening of grinding?
A fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. is on the horizon no matter what happens in his fight against Shane Mosley, or whatever he says about Pacquiao’s training methods.
Abangan ang susunod na kabanta (Wait for the next chapter).
