Pac Man looks unstoppable for this Cowboys Stadium showdown with Ghanaian hope Clottey
This weekend, boxing was supposed to showcase the fight everybody wanted to see, instead we have a contest involving the man nobody can afford to miss. Manny Pacquiao remains the sport's number one star - a position that would have been threatened by his original opponent, Floyd Mayweather Jnr. After the Lord Mayor's show it may be but replacement Joshua Clottey - while beatable - has so far proved the immovable object, so there is appeal in him as a stand or fall test for the current Superman of the fight game.
In all seriousness, Clottey should be 1,000,000-1 to win this. Yes he's a big, strong, determined fighter at welterweight and he's a genuine world class operator. But he's been found wanting at Championship level and he's not in Pacquiao's stratosphere. This fight sells because it's 'someone' against Pacquiao, we'll watch because we want to see Pac Man devour another victim.
And the seven-weight World Champion has been voracious over the past 18 months. David Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto all destroyed by the Philipino typhoon; three World titles, two boxing superstars and one national hero. "Done!" as Gordon Ramsay would say. It should have been Mayweather for dessert but the ongoing row over drug testing procedure put that on the back-burner and so we have Clottey. More trifle than pavlova.
Clottey hails from the same Accra fighting landscape as Ghanaian greats Azumah Nelson and Ike Quartey (who also fought De La Hoya) but he lacks their star quality and arguably mental strength. Although he belatedly won a genuine belt when overpowering the increasingly enigmatic Zab Judah by technical decision in late 2008, he failed to build on that when outhustled by - you guessed it - Miguel Cotto last year. I thought Cotto marshalled himself brilliantly after suffering a horrible cut from an early head clash but with general wear and tear undermining him, he was vulnerable down the stretch and Clottey gave the fight away.
I heard the excellent Teddy Atlas say in an interview recently that he thought Clottey 'showed out' in that fight, that he was looking for a way out. It is an interesting observation though one slightly at odds with Clottey's difficult-to-budge record and strong man persona. He usually weighs closer to middleweight on fight night and has never been stopped, so he presents a stumbling block of sorts for Pacquiao. But he can't win. The big question is, can Pac Man earn himself an early bath?
Two years ago, when he was struggling to outpoint Juan Manuel Marquez again, you would say most certainly not. But the current version of Pacquiao - the new and improved Pac Man - who'd bet against it? The Cotto win was a milestone 50th for Pacquiao and his fourth stunning stoppage victory in a row. His maturing talent combined with Freddie Roach's technical expertise has proved formidable but the contribution from conditioner Alex Ariza has also been significant. The application of science and technology - using long words that most writers let alone boxers couldn't spell - alongside strength and conditioning training has been near revolutionary for Pacquiao. It puts breaking raw eggs into a cup in Manchester into some sort of perspective.
Although it has not been necessary recently, Pacquiao is a strong 12-round fighter and that might have a bearing on the conclusion of this fight. Clottey usually does the rounds and he fights with a high-held, difficult to penetrate guard. He's not quick enough or good enough to outbox Pacquiao, despite height and reach advantage, so he will have to press forward. But he ought to be easy pickings on the way in, at least to the body.
I can see Pac Man using his excellent footwork to create angles, slipping jabs and hooks to the body with uppercuts when he's in close. Will this be enough to weaken or dispirit Clottey? Will punch volume and pressure force the referee to step in? If so, I think it will be late on and although Clottey is very much sloppy seconds here, if Pac Man could force him by stoppage it might just make a bigger statement of progress than his recent headline wins. And it might just also force the hand of you know who.