GRAPEVINE -- The first punch Joshua Clottey ever took made him barf and he crawled under the boxing ring to cry.
Clottey was a 6-year-old in the Bukom area of Accra, Ghana, when he challenged the boxing haven's bully.
It didn't go well for Clottey.
Fueled by the embarrassment, Clottey left the African soccer fields and began training as a fighter.
"Because of that I started training, I started training and I beat him and he stopped boxing and I became a boxer," Clottey recalled.
Clottey, 32, won't be taking on a bully tonight in his WBO world welterweight title fight against Manny Pacquiao at Cowboys Stadium.
But he will be taking on a persona that far eclipses his quiet, thoughtful demeanor.
The Bukom area serves as a boxing playground, which has produced champions Azumah Nelson and Ike Quartey.
All three fighters hail from the "Ga" tribe, though Clottey now lives and trains in the Bronx.
Clottey arrived at the Gaylord Texan this week surrounded by about five people, all who served training purposes.
Pacquiao brought an entourage of roughly 170 people.
Clottey's open training session featured about 10 autograph seekers who were just as interested as in catching Jerry Jones' and Bob Arum's signatures.
Pacquiao's public workout featured at least 500 fans, some of them lined up three hours before the event began.
Clottey has held one world title.
Pacquiao reigns as the only fighter to win seven in different weight classes.
Clottey worked out in standard gray T-shirts.
Pacquiao has his own series of Nike training shoes.
"Both of us respect each other," Pacquiao said. "When we get to the ring, nothing personal, we're just doing our job to give a good show. We're going to do our best."
At Wednesday's final news conference, Clottey brought longtime New York boxing trainer/cutman Lenny DeJesus and his manager, Vinny Scolpino.
Pacquiao lined up the table with trainer Freddy Roach, a strength coach, several handlers and an assistant trainer whose nameplate simply read, "Buboy."
Throughout the week, Pacquiao continued to smile, laugh, sing and exhibit the charisma that has made him a worldwide sports figure.
Meanwhile, Clottey can often be seen staring off above the heads of the ever-growing media contingent and packs of autograph seekers.
He remained thankful for the opportunity and seemed to understand his role in the PacMan circus.
"I feel so good about it," he said. "This is a very big opportunity for me, a very big opportunity. I'm so proud and happy of where I come from and where I've been in boxing all around the world trying to become somebody like this. Today I am. I'm so proud and happy for myself."
Clottey does possess at least one thing that Pacquiao doesn't. He is a natural welterweight, fitting comfortably at 147 pounds.
DeJesus prepared the righty Clottey with 90 rounds of sparring against left-handers, combined with a strict diet and plenty of running.
"He's in tremendous condition," DeJesus said. "... I think we are prepared for a real tough fight because we are fighting one of the greatest fighters on the planet. Manny Pacquiao has one of his toughest fights coming."
Pacquiao continues to grow in weight, and generously listed at 5-foot-6 is pushing the boundaries of what his frame can hold. Pacquiao can't get much bigger and still maintain the flexibility and more important, his hand speed, which rivals that of a flapping hummingbird's wings.
DeJesus thinks Pacquiao's rise in weight could see a dropoff in his speed late in the 12-round bout.
Clottey has never been knocked out.
"We Africans have that thing, we always have a good chin," Clottey said. "We take a lot of punches, but we never feel pain. I have a good chin."
Scolpino agreed that Clottey fits this weight class naturally and will bring impressive power despite his low-key demeanor.
"He's very humble, he comes from a humble beginning and he's still that way," Scolpino said. "He wants to take care of his family and bring money home to Ghana. It's a poor country. They have basically nothing and so that's what he wants to do."
TOBIAS XAVIER LOPEZ, 817-390-7760
tlopez@star-telegram.com
Source: star-telegram.com
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