ARLINGTON – Seven-time world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao ran into a brick wall at the Cowboys Stadium here last weekend and couldn’t bring it down even with a sledgehammer.
The wall stood like the Chinese wonder of the world – however, not as proudly – and didn’t crumble like the Berlin version. For 12 rounds, Pacquiao threw everything he had at that wall. A wall made of less sturdy stuff would’ve collapsed way before the halfway mark. Pacquiao drilled the corners, dug into the sides and banged away. Still, the wall wouldn’t fall.
A lot of fans felt short-changed by Ghana’s Joshua Clottey, the reluctant challenger who appeared more frightened than frightening in defending himself assiduously against the rampaging Pacquiao. Clottey showed little offense because Pacquiao didn’t give him room to open up. Clottey held his arms up, chin tucked down and elbows protecting the middle. Pacquiao tried to bring down the guard by blasting Clottey’s arms and shoulders. But the Ghanaian wouldn’t budge. He knew that if he did, Pacquiao would be all over him in a flash.
Trainer Freddie Roach was disappointed because he expected Clottey to at least be competitive. He wanted Pacquiao to prove himself against a bigger and stronger opponent. Roach and Pacquiao worked long hours in the gym to prepare for Clottey but in the end, they seemed more frustrated than even the Ghanaian who hardly got untracked.
Occasionally, Clottey sneaked in a left uppercut, a left hook and a right straight. Whenever Clottey landed, Pacquiao winced. If Clottey threw more punches, would it have made a difference? Pacquiao actually waited for Clottey to unload because that would’ve created opening for his own shots.
Because Pacquiao found a standing target in Clottey, he sometimes forgot to protect himself. Clottey’s right hand was particularly pesky and Roach later commented some tweaking will be done in the gym to tighten up Pacquiao’s southpaw defense.
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As it turned out, Clottey proved to be gun-shy. Not known as a volume puncher, Clottey kept his reputation intact. He threw only 399 punches to Pacquiao 1,231. Believe it or not, Pacquiao unloaded over 100 punches a round during the entire fight – amounting to more than 30 a minute, an incredible workrate. What Pacquiao unleashed in four rounds, Clottey threw in 12. The exchange was 3-to-1.
Was Clottey scared? Without a doubt, he was – he was scared of getting hurt. At the end of the bout, he claimed Pacquiao’s power was not a cause for concern. So if he could take Pacquiao’s shots, why didn’t he take chances when his trainer Lenny de Jesus begged him to? Why did he run for cover in the 11th after Pacquiao penetrated his defense with scorching combinations?
Unfortunately, Clottey is a poor excuse for a fighter. If heart was a factor of consequence in the fight, Clottey failed the test badly. He probably figured to tire out Pacquiao but the Filipino’s lungs were fully loaded up to the final bell.
De Jesus said before the fight, the battleplan was for Clottey to go for broke in the first six rounds. He obviously meant to throw off the media, hoping to also throw off Pacquiao. Clottey was hardly aggressive in the early going although two of the three judges gave him the third round as a gesture of mercy. Clottey apparently planned to step up his attack in the late, not early, going – after Pacquiao will have punched himself out.
The crowd of 50,944 fans cheered Pacquiao lustily like the global icon that he is. Pacquiao has given the sport of boxing a shot in the arm. No fighter today is as explosive, exciting and charismatic. Pacquiao is the modern-day Pied Piper. Wherever he goes, the fans follow. Wherever he fights, the crowd swells and the turnstiles go crazy.
Pacquiao admitted when he found out what the Cowboys Stadium capacity was, he got worried that not enough fans may fill up the cavernous facility. Initially, 45,000 tickets were placed in the market. About 20,000 were gobbled up within the first few days and a week before the fight, the report was 41,000 had been sold. Remarkably, on fight night, even more fans showed up.
In the event Pacquiao fights Floyd Mayweather Jr. next and it is held at the Cowboys Stadium, the attendance will go over 100,000 for sure and eclipse the indoor record of 63,315 for boxing by Ali-Spinks at the Louisiana Superdome in 1978.
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The high estimate for pay-per-view sales was 600,000 to 700,000. Because Clottey was considered a lowly substitute for Mayweather as Pacquiao’s opponent, it was difficult to perk up interest in the subscription market. If the figure breaches the one million mark, it will be a phenomenal achievement for Pacquiao as a marquee attraction and money draw.
Because of Clottey’s turtle-shell defense, Pacquiao virtually did away with the jab (he landed only 14 for the fight) and concentrated on throwing power shots, connecting on 232 to the Ghanaian’s 82.