By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse
Was Ghana's Joshua Clottey hand-picked, or did Filipino superstar, Manny Pacquiao, pick the wrong guy?
The world will discover the truth on Saturday night from The Dallas Cowboys' Stadium in Arlington, Tex., where seven-division titlist Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 knockouts) defends his WBO welterweight (147 pounds) belt against the steel-chinned and sturdy Clottey (35-3, 20 KOs) as the $1.2 billion venue plays host to a boxing match for the first time in its history.
FanHouse sought the predictions of 10 experts concerning the outcome of the fight. Check out the results, below:
Kevin Blackistone, FanHouse.com
Manny Pacquiao unanimous decision over Joshua Clottey: Pacman wins by unanimous decision. He'll pressure Clottey. He'll be more accurate. He'll put Clottey down once, early, like Cotto did.
But Clottey has never been knocked out and won't be. He'll survive on his feet.
Bob Canobbio, CompuBox, Inc.
Manny Pacquiao W 12 Joshua Clottey: It's hard to pick against Manny. He's the busier and more accurate puncher, having averaged 68 punches thrown and 29 landed in his last three fights. He's also landed 24 of 45 power shots (53 percent) in those fights.
Clottey averaged just 52 punches thrown per round in nine of his fights tracked by CompuBox and has never thrown more than 62 punches in any round of those nine fights. Manny by decision.
Scott Crouse, Co-Host Ballroom Boxing Report, Baltimore's ESPN Radio 1300AM
Manny Pacquiao W 12 Joshua Clottey: I believe that Pacquiao will win, but won't have an easy time doing it. This will be a much tougher fight than his previous fight against Miguel Cotto and probably his toughest since the second fight with Juan Manuel Marquez. Clottey is extremely durable; I can't remember ever seeing him cut or even marked up after a fight.
Part of that is because he's built like a piece of granite, but part of it can also be attributed to a tight defense. He will also be the biggest and strongest fighter Pacquiao has ever faced. He doesn't have to make a catch-weight as Cotto was required to, and he won't be fighting Manny in a weight-class he's outgrown as Oscar De La Hoya did.
He could quite possibly enter the ring as a middleweight. However, Pacquiao's speed and ability to throw punches from unorthodox angles will be too much for the straight-ahead style of Clottey. And while an excellent counter puncher, Clottey will have a frustrating time counter punching the elusive Pacman. An x-factor in this fight could be cuts.
Clottey's head has done as much damage as his fists on occasion-- Miguel Cotto, Zab Judah, Carlos Baldomir (Clottey was actually disqualified for using his head against Baldomir). Manny's corner should be well-prepared. In a competitive and possibly grueling fight I see Pacquiao's devastating knockout streak ending--but not his winning streak. Pacquiao by decision.
Doug Fischer, Co-Editor RingTV.com
Manny Pacquiao w 12 Joshua Clottey: I like Pacquiao by unanimous decision. I don't see a knockout. Clottey's going to be very motivated for this fight and he's too tough and defensive minded to get caught clean or seriously hurt by a Pacquiao bomb.
Plus think his jab and hook to the body will keep Pacquiao honest. However, Pacquiao's superior speed, activity and footwork allow him to out-hustle the challenger in the majority of rounds.
Nancy Gay, FanHouse.com
Manny Pacquiao unanimous decision over Joshua Clottey: This will be an interesting fight for Manny Pacquaio. He's facing a tough, determined, well-trained and prepared boxer in Joshua Clottey, who also is known for diving in headfirst and punishing the body.
This is how Clottey won his unanimous technical decision over Zab Judah for the IBF welterweight title -- a clash of heads that opened a cut over Judah's right eye. Pacquiao is wary of fighters like this; Agapito Sanchez cut him with a head butt in their bloody 2001 draw in San Francisco.
Ultimately, I think Pacquaio's ferocious attack and determination will wear down a game Clottey in the later rounds and PacMan will win by unanimous decision.
Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Sports.com
Manny Pacquiao W 12 Joshua Clottey: Pacquiao by decision. This fight is all about speed and quickness. Pacquiao has it and Clottey does not. Pacquiao's speed will be a factor on both offense and defense and should lead him to a wide unanimous decision victory.
Kieran Mulvaney, ESPN.boxing and Reuters
Manny Pacquiao W 12 Joshua Clottey: Joshua Clottey has the physical tools and abilities to pull off the upset. He's strong, he's durable, he has good technical skills, he is a counter puncher with a good left jab - exactly the attributes in theory that are required to beat Manny Pacquiao.
But he has always found a way to juuuuust lose when stepping up his level of competition, and as good as the likes of Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto are, they aren't Manny Pacquiao.
I see Manny starting fast and strong, then Clottey beginning to beat him back with solid left hooks and right hands. But after a few rounds, Manny will begin to time him, and his angled attack will be too much for Clottey. By the halfway point of the fight, Manny is in the ascendant, and he dominates the second half as Clottey increasingly goes into a defensive shell.
Michael David Smith, FanHouse.com
Manny Pacquiao KO 6 Joshua Clottey: Clottey is a good fighter who probably hasn't gotten enough credit from the media in the run-up to this fight: People are talking about him like he's a sacrificial lamb preparing to be slaughtered by Pacquiao. Having said that, Pacquiao is just on another level. He's going to storm Clottey in the early rounds and finish him off in the sixth.
Tim Smith, New York Daily News
Manny Pacquiao unanimous decision over Joshua Clottey: You can't knock Clottey out with a 2X4, so I think Pacquiao will win a decision because the book on Clottey is that he fades in the later rounds.
Joe Santoliquito, Managing Editor, Ring Magazine
Manny Pacquiao KO 10 Joshua Clottey: Pacquiao right now is on a roll and there isn't anything that seems to able to stop him. This poses to be a real interesting fight while it lasts. But once Pacquiao finds his range and starts banging down Clottey's high guard, I see Pacquiao cutting up Clottey and the fight eventually getting stopped late.
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
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