Clottey durable like Nelson, Allotey

When seven-division champion, number one pound-for-pound boxer Manny Pacquiao climbs the ring on Saturday evening (Sunday morning in Manila) to defend his WBO welterweight title at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas against Ghana’s Joshua Cottey, it will be the first time that he will meet welterweight opponent weighing 147 pounds.

There will be no catch-weights that have marked the Filipino boxing icon’s mega buck fights with the dehydrated Oscar de la Hoya and Miguel Cotto.

Clottey, who will be three days short of turning 34 on fight night, will probably weigh close to 160 pounds (practically a junior middleweight by the time the opening bell sounds) and bring into the ring a 35-20-3-1 (win-loss-draw-no contest) record that is highlighted by his attempt to wrest the WBC welterweight title from Carlos Baldomir.

 Clottey’s having won his first 20 fights, 14 of them by knockout, positioned him for a shot at Baldomir’s title. Canadastarboxing.com states that Clottey was ahead on points until the 10th round when he was penalized two points for an intentional head butt. The 5’7” Clottey was warned for his headbutt but he did it again forcing the referee to disqualify him.

Clottey brings to mind another Ghanaian boxer, super featherweight Love Allotey (37-15-3-1), who was also disqualified by referee Jaime Valencia when the former attempted to capture Gabriel “Flash” Elorde’s WBA and WBC super featherweight titles on November 16, 1963 at the Araneta Coliseum.

The roughhousing Allotey had lost a non-title fight in unanimous decision against Elorde three months earlier on August 3, 1963 at the Big Dome. The Ghanaian, however, fought well enough to earn a crack at the crown.

The Ghanaian was penalized a point in the fifth round for hitting on the break and another point in the eighth round for head butting that opened a deep cut over Elorde’s right eye. The deduction enraged Allotey who chased Valencia, thus triggering the disqualification.

If Allotey serves as a reminder of the grit of Ghanaian fighters, it is easier to recall the greatest fighter the West African nation has produced, two-time world champion, Azumah Nelson.

 At 24, Nelson had added the Commonwealth of Nations’ featherweight title to his African Continent crown and was undefeated in 13 fights when he met the talented ring technician, Salvador Sanchez of Mexico on July 21, 1982 for the latter’s WBC featherweight title in Madison Square Garden in New York.

Although Nelson was knocked out in the 15th round, the Ghanaian caught the fancy of the boxing community by engaging Sanchez in what could be one of the most exciting featherweight title fights of all time.

According to various reports, Nelson, in an unusual stroke of bad luck, had his customized mouth guard stolen hours before the fight forcing him to purchase an ordinary mouthpiece that caused him pain and discomfort during the fight. Nelson’s attempts to “customize” the guard with a knife proved to be futile. Two months later, Sanchez died in a car crash in Mexico City, abruptly ending the career of another great Mexican fighter.

Nelson would win on December 8, 1984 the WBC featherweight championship knocking out Puerto Rican Wilfredo Gomez in the latter’s own home turf in the 11th round. Nelson would reign for three years before invading the super featherweight division. Nelson won, by unanimous decision, the vacant WBC crown over Mario Martinez on February 29, 1988. On May 19, 1990, Nelson suffered his second career loss against lightweight champion Pernell Whitaker. Nelson lost a 12-round unanimous decision in his attempt to win a third title. Nelson was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in June 2004.

Aside from being heavier than Pacquiao, Clottey will enjoy at, 5’8”, a one and a half inch height and a three-inch reach (70” for Clottey and 67” for Pacquiao) advantage over the Filipino mega athlete.

 Despite these statistics, Pacquiao remains the prohibitive favorite in a fight that will be Clottey’s biggest payday. The rumor is the Ghanaian will receive $1.2 million, excluding his share in Pay-Per-View (PPV). Pacquiao is expected to rake in $12 million (not including PPV share), a paltry sum compared to the $20 million he would have earned from a fight with the loquacious Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Though shorter and lighter, Pacquiao’s hand speed and heavier punches have nullified his size disadvantage which he also had to deal with against de la Hoya and Cotto. Although Clottey has never been knocked out, neither has he met a quality hard hitter like Pacquiao.

Because Clottey, like most Ghanaian fighters, is tough and durable, and knows full well this could be his last chance to win big, he remains a dangerous opponent capable of spoiling the Philippines’ party.