Trainer Freddie Roach has come up with another one of his masterful strategies for his pupil WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao in his upcoming March 13th fight against Joshua Clottey. In an article at Fight Fan, Roach says “He’s [speaking of Clottey] got a good chin and so forth, but nobody has tested his body as much as we well. People with good chins don’t always take it into the body.” You think? Thank you for telling me something I don’t know, Freddie. As far as I can tell, Clottey was already exposed for having problems taking shots to the body in his fights against Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto.
If you watch both of those fights, Clottey slowed way down after Margarito and Cotto started pounding him in the body with heavy hooks. Clottey then spent the remainder of the fight glued to the ropes doing a poor imitation of Muhammad Ali’s rope-a-dope. It would be a complete of waste of time for Pacquiao to even try to take Pacquiao out with head shots, because not only can Clottey take a great shot without showing any signs of being hurt, but he keeps a high guard at all times and it’s hard to penetrate with shots.
Clottey’s midsection is usually wide open and an inviting target for punches. This really the only choice Pacquiao will have if he wants to land anything in the fight. It’s nice that Roach made us all aware of what Pacquiao is planning on doing, though, as if I already didn’t know. I just hope Pacquiao is astute enough to follow Roach’s program and not start head hunting like he always does.
If he does this, Pacquiao will end up probably hurting his hands and taking a lot of shots in return. Pacquiao has his hands full anyway because he’s so little and not a real welterweight in terms of frame. Oaky, so think Pacquiao is probably going to go head hunting and will ignore Clottey’s midsection after giving him a few weak shots. I’ve never seen any of Pacquiao’s fights where he’s paid much attention to throwing to the body.
Pacquiao will probably stubbornly keep throwing to the head, and basically ignore what Roach is saying to him. This will make the fight harder for Pacquiao and make Roach frantic in his corner. I think Pacquiao will still win the fight, but he’s going to come out of the fight looking more like the loser than the winner. But what can you do? Pacquiao will beat up even if he goes to the body as well.
This is Clottey’s big chance and he’s not going to roll over on his back and kick up his legs like a dog an make it easy for Pacquiao. He’s going to pound Pacquiao and mess up his features probably. Pacquiao might not be able to sing that night. He wanted the fight. Getting beaten up is the byproduct of messing around with a tough fighter like Clottey.
source http://www.boxingnews24.com/2010/02/roach-plans-on-having-pacquiao-attack-clottey%E2%80%99s-body/
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