ARLINGTON, TEX -- The end, for challenger, Joshua Clottey, may happen along the ropes or in the middle of the ring.
But either way, it will happen -- before a screaming crowd of about 4,500 at The Dallas Cowboys' Stadium on Saturday night.
Trainer Freddie Roach has envisioned it to be so.
The 32-year-old Clottey will be covering up, or, more-or-less, cowering, as he tries to employ his vaunted hands-held-high-around-his-ears, peek-a-boo defense.
But even that will no longer protect the wilting challenger from the gattling-gun blows that will be coming at him from all sides as seven-division champion, Manny Pacquiao, forces local referee, Rafael Ramos, of San Antonio, to come to the Clottey's rescue.
"That type of defense? That's just not going to work. Not with a good fighter," said Roach, a 50-year-old, four-time Trainer Of The Year. "A passive defense with no counter-punching is not going to win a fight."
With that, the 31-year-old Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 knockouts) will make the first successful defense of his WBO welterweight (147 pounds) title -- this, by stopping a man who never has been knocked out, and by toppling the largest opponent that he will have faced.
"Joshua Clottey is a very good defensive fighter, but we're going to adjust right away. We studied, like what I said, we a lot of different techniques for this fight," said Pacquiao, a three-time Fighter Of The Year and one-time Fighter Of The Decade.
"Whatever happens, we're going to adjust right away. Freddie Roach knows the style that we have to do to win that fight," said Pacquiao. "He's prepared for it. In every situation, he knows what moves we have to make. And now, it's just up to us doing it."
In victory, Pacquiao's unbeaten run will have increased to 12-0, with nine knockouts, including his fifth consecutive stoppage gainst Clottey (35-3, 20 KOs).
"I don't think we can knock him out or knock him down, but I think that we can overwhelm him and make him quit possibly, maybe take too much punishment," said Roach, under whom Pacquiao is 18-1-2, with 15 knockouts.
"Because I know that he's got a good chin. I know that he's been in there with some big punchers. He's pretty solid. When I say knockout, I think that we can stop him."
Although he respects the durable whiskers of Clottey, Roach doesn't rule out the fact that a well-placed, wicked, Pacquiao counter-punch can still seperate the Ghanian-born, Bronx resident from his senses -- just as one did during his second-round knockout of Ricky Hatton.
"Clottey's got a good chin, and all of that, but the punch that will get you is the one that you don't see coming. And Pacquiao's so quick, you know, things...sh** happens," said Roach. "That's what I'm plannig on. When you work from angles, that's more effective than being right in front of a guy and letting him see what's coming."
David Diaz can attest to that, having been among the first of Pacquiao's past four knockout victims.
"The guy is pretty amazing. I couldn't see it at the time. But now, you've seen everything that he's done. Beating Oscar De La Hoya [in eight rounds], knocking out Hatton, and really beating [Miguel] Cotto [via 12th-round knockout,]" said Diaz, whom Pacquiao dethroned as WBC lightweight (135 pounds) champ with a ninth-round knockout.
"Manny's not just just running away and eluding his punches. He's something to watch. I still think that the benefit for this fight is going to be his speed. It's just that speed is going to be a factor," said Diaz.
"People said, 'Oh, you should retire,' and this and that. But people didn't understand the person I fought," said Diaz. "I didn't lose to no bum. I lost to a great fighter that is Manny Pacquiao. That was my first, really big butt-whupping of my career."
Unlike champions who, "Get lazy," and lose late in their career, Roach said Pacquiao shows no signs of slowing down.
"They [champions who lose] get satisfied. Pacquiao, I haven't seen that yet," said Roach. "I'm waiting for the day that he comes through the doors to the gym and doesn't have that work intensity that he does."
Roach took careful note of Clottey's split-decision loss to Cotto in June, when he "thought Clottey gave the fight away in the last two rounds."
"Manny knows that Clottey is a dangerous guy. He thought Clottey won the Cotto fight," said Roach. "He thought that Clottey should have been our first opponent, actually. So, he respects Clottey and he knows he's a tough fight."
Pacquiao won't say that he's going to stop Clottey, but he did seem to enjoy the prospect of performing admirably before the massive crowd.
"I'm really excited and happy, because I'm imagining that there's a lot of people who are going to watch the fight. I'm inspired to give a good show and to do my best," said Pacquiao.
"I think I'm going to see people screaming," said Pacquiao. "But you have to understand that not all of them will be for me. They will also be there for my opponent."
Although usually in tune with Roach's instruction, Pacquaio does have an occasionaly tendancy to freelance.
That was the case early against Cotto, when he tested the ex-champion's punching power -- particularly his powerful left hook -- by going to the ropes and beckoning for Cotto to pursue him.
Pacquiao paid a price for deliberately absorbing punishment, namely, a ruptured ear drum and a wrist injury.
"We had discussions about him wanting to go to the ropes and to see how hard [he] Clottey really hits. I told him I'd rather keep that, and not find that out on the ropes," said Roach.
"But we had a discussion about that, and if he goes to the ropes with Clottey this time, it will be for a reason this time, and it will be a setup -- not just to see how hard he hits," said Roach.
"We have an agreement that he's not going to do that this fight, but when fighters see things and do things in ring, they feel it, they'll do it," said Roach. "I can't guarantee that it won't happen, but I think it's the wrong thing to do, because I think that one punch can change the outcome of a life."
In this case, however, Roach believes that a knockout loss for Clottey will be the result.
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
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