Manny Pacquiao ready to knock out Joshua Clottey in 'The Super Brawl' in Dallas -- Telegraph

By Gareth A Davies, Telegraph.co.uk

Yet the Filipino pugilist, the only fighter in the sport’s 150 year history to secure seven titles across eight divisions, has been called upon to make a bold statement at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium on Saturday against teak-tough Ghanaian Joshua Clottey.

“We’ve worked on a game plan to stop or knock him out,” said Pacquiao’s Hollywood-based award-winning trainer Freddie Roach. “We see Clottey fighting us in one of two ways. We have game plans for both, and I expect Manny to break him up and hurt him in the middle rounds.”

Roach has a theory that Clottey fails to protect his body with his elbows when he tucks his hands in front of his face. “We’ll go for the body then…but we know he is a tough guy. If Manny has him hurt at any point, I’ll let him off the leash and we’ll go for the finish.”

Roach, who works a tight game plan has his fighter — regarded as the world’s No 1 pound for pound pugilist with 50 wins, three losses, and two draws — instructed to stay off the ropes, make clean shots tell, and avoid fighting on the inside.

“The plan is to control Clottey all night long, don’t let him set up, hit and get out of the way, and make that move to the side.”

What Roach has drummed into Pacquiao, is not to do what did against Miguel Cotto in November year when he allowed the Puerto Rican to attack as he leaned back on the ropes. “That would be a mistake. We can’t give Clottey those type of opportunities. Too dangerous.”

For Clottey — 35 wins, three losses — this is the night when he can project himself by causing a major upset. He has stopped twenty of his ring rivals inside the distance. He is likely to step into the ring weighing 155lbs. He is a genuine, natural welterweight, and is likely to have a 10lb advantage over Pacquiao. He has power, calmness and belief. He has dragged himself up through a shanty town in West Africa to get to this position. The centre will be firm. And he will hold his position.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Clottey actually wobbles Pacquiao early in the contest, even knocking the Filipino down. But Pacquiao’s relentless attacks are likely to eventually wear the bigger man down.

Clottey, the fighter who follows a line of great Ghanaian boxers from the small fishing port on the outskirts of Accra, will not give up the fight however, and I expect him to be stopped - against his will, but with the cold judgement of his corner- around the 10th or 11th round, having taken too much punishment. Should he win, he will become as famous an African boxer as the greater Azumah Nelson, his compatriot who was World Boxing Council feather, and super-featherweight world champion.

The contest will be witnessed by a sell-out crowd, and expected to reach around 700-800,000 homes on HBO’s pay per view telecast. British viewers can see the event on Sky Sports, from 2am.

It marks the first occasion that a prize fight has taken place at the immense Dallas Cowboys Stadium, built at a cost of 1.2 billion US dollars.

When Muhammad Ali fought Cleveland Williams at the new Houston Astrodome in 1966, Bob Arum was the promoter. Four and a half decades later, with the collaboration of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, the fight — originally to have staged Pacquiao versus Floyd Mayweather, which collapsed at the negotiating stage - has taken on major dimensions.

It is now being referred to as 'The Super Brawl’ at the Cowboys Stadium. “It is an honour to fight here this week,” said Pacquiao, who runs for a congressional seat in the Philippines after this fight. “I’m not saying if I win the election it will be my last fight, I’m going to decide (afterwards).”

It should be some event, in what is arguably the greatest stadium on earth.

Source: telegraph.co.uk

***

Khan: we have plans for Mayweather and Pacquiao inside 18 months -- Telegraph

By Gareth A Davies, Telegraph.co.uk

Oscar de la Hoya was in London today with his new charge Amir Khan, whom he strongly believes can be “the next great fighter to come out of England.”

De la Hoya, the ten time, six weight world champion, explained: “He has a tough challenge in front of him, but we want to prove to the world he can become what we think he can become – that is a great champion.”

Khan believes his American debut at the theatre in New York’s Madison Square Garden – which seats 5000 – against Paulie Malignaggi on May 15 will be “electric”. He also sees himself as bound for contests against the likes of Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao in the next 18 months.

The WBA light-welterweight title defence is Khan’s first since joining Golden Boy promotions after his split from Frank Warren. The 23-year-old Bolton boxer – a silver medallist at the Athens Olympics in 2004 – believes a contest with Malignaggi will be a night to remember. Others say he is simply ducking mandatory WBA title challenger Marcos Maidana. Khan is certainly not yet the finished article. Not by a long way.

“I will have a real test ahead of me on my American debut at Madison Square Garden, which is the Mecca of boxing. I have fought there before as an amateur, but to fight there as a professional is a whole different ball game. I have a new deal now with Golden Boy Promotions, and they are going to get me the big fights, so I am looking at a bright future. my style and his style, it is going to be electric.”

Khan defeated Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera in March last year, before stepping up a weight and claiming the WBA light-welterweight crown with victory over Andreas Kotelnik. He then destroyed Dmitriy Salita in just 76 seconds in a mandatory title defence in Newcastle last December.

The British boxer had been expected to face Juan Manuel Marquez, but that fight fell through. Marquez pulled out, and the rumours are that he may be matched with Ricky Hatton for a fight in September.

Khan aims to win over the American audience. “I respect Paulie, he has some great fights in the past and has a great record, beaten only by great fighters like Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto – but now there is another fighter coming out who is going to beat him. I am confident, so is my trainer, and I just want to put on a great fight for the American fans and for the British fans who will be travelling out to the US with me. There is only going to be one winner – I am going to keep this title, it is mine.”

Malignaggi, 29, beaten by Hatton, looked good last time out against Juan Diaz “I am a much better fighter today then when I fought Ricky Hatton. I have been inconsistent a lot, but there have been shining moments where I have looked tremendously good, and I feel I am getting back to that point now. I feel sharp, and with a strong team around me. I am now coming into my own.”

Personally, I think Malignaggi’s style, and his lack of a heavy punch, is made for Khan to exploit. I can also see Khan growing as a figure in the US market. But it will take time.

Source: blogs.telegraph.co.uk

***

Amir Khan urges Ricky Hatton to retire from boxing -- BBC Sport

BBC Sport

Britain's Amir Khan has urged former champion Ricky Hatton not to continue his boxing career.

"I think he should retire," said Khan, who is preparing for his American debut with a WBA light-welterweight defence against Paulie Malignaggi on 15 May.

"He's beaten some great fighters and the only two he has lost to have been pound-for-pound best in the world.

"He has the respect of the British fans and boxers and I think he should hang his gloves up and relax now."

Hatton first retired after losing to Floyd Mayweather in 2007 but returned to the ring a year later.

He has not fought since being knocked out in the second round in Las Vegas by Filipino Manny Pacquiao last May, but announced plans for a return in 2010 last December.

Malignaggi was one of Hatton's victims but has warned Khan he has raised his game since that defeat in 2008.

The American, stopped by Hatton in the 11th round, won a rematch with Juan Diaz in December to re-establish his credentials as a world title contender.

"I am a much better fighter today than when I fought Ricky Hatton," he said.

The 29-year-old New Yorker added: "I have been inconsistent a lot, but there have been shining moments where I have looked tremendously good, and I feel I am getting back to that point now."

Khan, 23, beat Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera last March, before stepping up a weight and defeating Andreas Kotelnik to claim the WBA title.

He hammered Dmitriy Salita in 76 seconds and had been expected to face Juan Manuel Marquez before the fight fell through.

The Malignaggi fight, confirmed on Tuesday, is Khan's first since joining Golden Boy promotions and will take place at Madison Square Garden.

Khan, who will start training with Freddie Roach next week, said: "We have watched a lot of tapes of Paulie, and we really think it is a style we can beat.

"With my style and his style, it is going to be electric. We both have heart and just don't quit."

Khan added: "I respect Paulie, he has had some great fights in the past and has a great record, beaten only by great fighters like Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto - but now there is another fighter coming out who is going to beat him.

"I am confident, so is my trainer, and I just want to put on a great fight for the American fans and for the British fans who will be travelling out to the US with me."

Golden Boy Promotions president Oscar De La Hoya, who won 10 world titles in six different weight classes, is billing the bout as the "fight of the year".

"We are witnessing history in the making," he said. "We strongly feel Amir Khan can be the next great fighter to come out of England.

"He has a tough challenge in front of him, but we want to prove to the world he can become what we think he can become - that is a great champion."

Source: news.bbc.co.uk

***

David Diaz Doesn't Need A Plastic Belt To Prove His Worth -- The Sweet Science

By Ron Borges, The Sweet Science

He’s already gone farther than he ever expected but David Diaz sees no reason to stop his forward progress now. That job will belong to Humberto Sosa, the WBC junior lightweight champion with whom Diaz will tussle with Saturday night over the vacant WBC lightweight title, and it will not be an easy one.

The reason for this is not that Diaz is the most talented fighter in boxing because he would be the first to tell you he is not, but he may be the one who best understands himself. He understands his strengths and his weaknesses, his limitations and his abilities. Most of all, he understands how to win, or at least what he has to do to win.

That self-knowledge has brought Diaz farther than he ever anticipated after failing to medal in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. That, actually, had been his only goal in boxing. To become an Olympian would have been enough so once he’d reached that goal Diaz was stymied for a while by a lack of focus and family problems that kept him away from boxing at one time for several years.

When he came back it was with one expectation. Boxing would be his job until it wasn’t any more. But instead of a job it became a journey, one that led him to the lightweight championship of the world on the night he cold cocked highly regarded Jose Armando Santa Cruz to lay claim to the WBC title in a fight where for a long time it looked like nothing was going to go right for him.

In the end it did because he persevered and he went on from there to defeat Erik Morales as well before finally being stopped nearly two years ago by the man who will fight the main event at Cowboys Stadium Saturday night – Manny Pacquiao. Diaz took a dreadful beating that evening but he displayed to the world the one thing he has in abundance – a heart that does not pump kool-aid.

“I just took that loss as these things happen in boxing,’’ said Diaz, who was badly cut and bruised before finally being driven onto his back by a barrage of punches there was no reason he should have been allowed to take. “It was just that type of fight. To be honest with you, the next day I was perfectly fine. I swear to you. The only thing that was really, really hurting me was my ego but I always said I rather go out on my back than quit.

“After I saw the way he beat (Oscar) De La Hoya and (Ricky) Hatton, I figure I did better than they did and they were supposed to be the crème de la crème of boxing. I gave it the old college try. I did OK. I didn’t do great but I did OK, considering my level of ability.’’

Imagine another world class athlete, which Diaz is, saying such a thing. His understanding of his limitations and his strengths, and his acceptance of both, works to his advantage not against it because while he believes in himself he knows the kind of fighter he is and the kind he is not.

For a time it appeared he would become the retired kind, a boxer whose achievements had eclipsed the talent God gave him. He had reached his goal, the Olympics, and his dream, a world championship, so maybe it was just time to move on. Diaz thought about that but in the end he is what he is. He’s a fighter and still glad to be one.

“I think I can still compete at this level another two years,’’ said the 33-year-old Diaz (35-2-1, 17 KO) this week from Dallas. “I still feel good. Everyone was saying I should retire after the Pacquiao fight but they don’t understand. I fought a special guy that night.

“He was just so effin’ fast! My God! The speed was just incredible. I’d see a punch coming and block it and get hit by three or four I didn’t see. It was my first, you could say, dramatic loss but it wasn’t like I was getting a lot of those kinds of beatings. If I was, I’d be the first to admit it. But I wasn’t so I kept working (despite a knee injury that set him back for a time) and this opportunity came along.

“It’s a good opportunity against Soto. I didn’t expect it. I thought it would take me at least a year to get another title shot but it is here. This is what you box for - to take this kind of risk.’’

Soto (50-7-2, 32 KO) previously held the WBC featherweight and super featherweight titles, leaving the latter behind to accept a shot at the 135-pound championship against Diaz and he is a formidable opponent. Tall for a junior lightweight, Soto stands 5-foot-7 ½ inches and has a 72-inch reach, a three-inch edge over Diaz. Opponents with an edge are nothing new to him however and so he is philosophical about Soto’s apparent physical advantages, just as he is about the beating he took from Pacquiao a year and a half ago.

To him, it’s all part of the life he chose. Or the life that chose him.

“My career has been a lot more than I expected,’’ Diaz admitted. “I thought being in the Olympics would be my plateau. I thought that was all I wanted to do in boxing because I didn’t medal. But I took a chance and turned pro. As a kid I couldn’t go play baseball or soccer. My Dad told me I had to do one thing or nothing.

“My football career ended when I asked him to sign the waiver so I could play in high school. He said, ‘Are you crazy? That sport is for animals!’ I said, ‘Dad, you have me boxing!’ He wouldn’t sign though so here we are.’’

Saturday night he’ll be inside Cowboys Stadium with a crowd of around 45,000 roaring in anticipation of Pacquiao’s main event against Joshua Clottey. But for a time David Diaz will be in that ring with Humberto Soto and the crowd can be sure of one thing. Diaz will give them all he has, which may just be enough for someone to give him another world title.

“I was just starting to work out again in the gym but I wasn’t preparing for a fight when they called,’’ Diaz said. “It was on Feb. 11 that I heard about it so I had about a month to train. You’d like more but when you get the opportunity you have to take it.

“It’s a lot different opportunity this time because it’s for a second world championship. I never thought I’d be a champion. It would be something to be a two-time champion, wouldn’t it?’’

Yes it would but regardless of what happens against Soto, David Diaz already is a champion and has been just about every day he’s woken up. He doesn’t need a plastic belt around his waist to prove it. The life he’s lived already does.

Source: thesweetscience.com

***

Team Pacquiao's legal sagas provide fodder for tabloids -- Los Angeles Times

By Lance Pugmire, Los Angeles Times

Manny Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach was surprised The Times didn't more closely monitor the civil trial he endured this year.

"You didn't see that on TMX?" he asked.

"You mean TMZ, Freddie," an employee at Roach's Wild Card Gym in Hollywood corrected.

Roach was referring to a civil suit that spawned from his Oct. 20, 2008, decision to eject a man, Gregorio Asuncion, from Wild Card. A jury was summoned, Asuncion's wife joined the suit, and Roach was forced to spend the early part of January in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom.

"I put my hands on his shoulders and told him it was time to leave," Roach said, recounting the incident. "There was no contact. I pointed him to the exit."

A Wild Card employee said Asuncion was upset at being ousted, and the employee said he watched the man walk to the corner liquor store inside the same strip mall with Wild Card on Vine Street, call 911 and then lie down on the street when he heard the sirens coming.

"The guy sued me," Roach said. "Then his wife sued me because she said they couldn't have sex anymore. Unbelievable."

I called Roach's agent, Nick Khan, for more details. Khan sat through the trial, hopeful his client wouldn't get dinged for damages that threatened to exceed $1 million.

"Freddie's telling the truth about the sex," Khan explained. "Asuncion's wife [Allyson] sought damages for loss of consortium, which basically means a loss of companionship, affection and sexual gratification one receives from a spouse. At one point, in the defense's closing arguments, the jury was told it was just wrong to consider this loss of consortium calculation at $10 hour an hour for eight hours a day. The attorney said, 'None of us are that crazy. None of us are having sex eight hours a day.' "

Roach said he knew things were going his way when Asuncion cracked one time on the stand and admitted, "Maybe it's my fault," to which Roach said the plaintiff's attorney barked, "He battered you!"

The jury sided with Roach, dismissing every claim by the Asuncions in a Jan. 15 verdict.

"That guy's now banned from the Philippine community," Roach said straight-faced, and if you know how popular Roach is among Filipinos because of his tight connection with Pacquiao (who calls him "Master") you understand this may be a very true statement.

Roach said he chatted with some of the jurors afterward, telling them to "call me if they ever want tickets to a Manny Pacquiao fight."

Meanwhile, in the Philippines, a government official who often accompanies Pacquiao on the dais at news conferences, Chavit Singson, was subjected to criticism in the country for an alleged incident last September in which Singson confronted his live-in partner and her friend.

Roach said Singson used a pipe to assault his partner's friend.

Attempts to reach Singson this week have been unsuccessful. He hasn't been seen around Pacquiao's entourage thus far.

Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum previously got laughs when he stumbled to pronounce Singson's name, and ultimately resigned himself to announce, "Governor what's-his-name ... whatever." Arum apologized later, declaring Singson a national hero who helped expose a major corruption scandal in the country.

"He's been through assassination attempts and keeps tigers in his backyard," Roach said. "He tells the story how he was almost killed when someone rolled two live hand grenades onto a dance floor, how he was dancing with a girl, moved in to hold her tight when the explosion hit and said he was the only one who lived."

Representatives of Pacquiao's American contingent said the boxer is extremely loyal to friends such as Singson, who allows Pacquiao to use his private aircraft and formed a vitamin company with him.

"Manny's not going to deny a friendship because of one of the governor's actions," Pacquiao's U.S. business advisor Michael Koncz said. "If you're a friend of Manny, you're his friend. Manny won't disown you because of one slip. We don't advocate that, though."

Roach said cultural differences are at play.

"If Michael Jordan was hanging around a guy like this, I'm sure it wouldn't be accepted," Roach said.

Source: latimesblogs.latimes.com

***

Pacquiao no longer flies under the radar -- ESPN

By Calvin Watkins, ESPNDallas.com



ARLINGTON, Texas -- Manny Pacquiao is an international star, but there was a time when boxing's current pound-for-pound champion toiled in anonymity.

When Pacquiao left his native Philippines for his first bout in the United States, he was an unknown fighter searching for an American trainer to help him for his 2001 bout against Lehlohonolo Ledwaba in Las Vegas.

He no longer deals with being unknown. Everybody knows his name. Traveling under the radar is a thing of the past. His party of 130 uses a private jet. Trainer Freddie Roach is always at his side.

On Saturday night, in the biggest and most expensive stadium in sports, Pacquiao gets to show why he's the best fighter in the world when he faces Joshua Clottey in front of a sellout crowd of 45,000 at Cowboys Stadium.

"He's been here since 2001, and he's been fighting nothing but the best," said trainer Emanuel Steward, who is a fight analyst for HBO. "I don't recall a fighter -- maybe Sonny Liston -- who comes into a fight with so much attention. He fights everybody. He fights hall of fame fighters. You don't see that too often."

He has fought the best and beaten the best. Bouts with Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton are part of his impressive résumé. In his last fight, he stopped Miguel Cotto in the 12th round to win his seventh title in seven weight classes.

Fight fans have noticed.

A June 2008 fight in which Pacquiao knocked out David Diaz grossed $12.5 million and sold 250,000 pay-per-view telecasts.

His fight against Hatton in 2009 generated a live gate of $8.83 million and produced $50 million in pay-per-view buys.

In his last fight -- versus Cotto on Nov. 14, 2009 -- 1.25 million pay-per-view purchases helped generate $470 million in sales.

"He's an unbelievable star," said Mark Taffet, a senior vice president with HBO Sports, which broadcasts all of Pacquiao's fights in the United States. "You look at the numbers, and they're unheard of for a person of his weight class."

Pacquiao's seven titles have come in classes ranging from flyweight to welterweight. His style resembles that of classic Mexican fighters, who displayed punishing power, head movement and quick hands.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, when visiting Mexico with promoter Bob Arum, said he was stunned at how many fans knew Pacquiao.

"Our goal when we started with Manny was to break him out from the Filipino base that he had," Arum said. "We were able to pick up millions of Hispanic fans, and we have broken him into the general conscience of the people around the world. He is truly a crossover star. How many fighters of our time go on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' and go on 'Good Morning America' and have a big article coming out in Time magazine? I think that is saying something."

And Pacquiao's fans aren't just Hispanic. Filipino fans have traveled far to see their hero. Even Cowboys wide receiver Roy Williams, a causal boxing fan, said he would follow Pacquiao to any fight during the offseason.

When this fight is over, Pacquiao has said that he'll run for Congress in the Philippines because he's tired of the social ills of his country. That has raised concerns about whether Pacquiao is truly focused on Saturday's fight.

"I'm not there yet," Pacquiao told ESPN Dallas when asked whether he might retire. "That's down the line. For now, I'm ready for this fight."

Pacquiao officially starts his campaign March 26.

"It is going to be busy," he said. "I want to pass some bills that will be good for the livelihood of the people there and education for the children."

But first he has to fight Clottey, who is no stranger to the big stage. He lost a split decision to Cotto last June and isn't an easy opponent.

"This is a very close fight," Steward said. "I like Manny in this fight, but not by much. He should win because that's what stars do."

Calvin Watkins covers boxing for ESPN Dallas. You can follow him on Twitter or leave a question for his weekly mailbag.

Source: sports.espn.go.com

***

Clottey isn't afraid of Pacquiao's power -- Fox News

FoxSports

Joshua Clottey was standing beneath the world's largest television monitors when a disconcertingly buxom reporter asked sweetly: "May I try to punch you?"

I'm not sure Clottey quite understood, but she hit him anyway. It was a good, hard shot to the stomach. And again, for a second take. In those heels, the journalist from Azteca TV was almost half a foot taller, and looked to have the accommodating challenger substantially outweighed. Still, he took her best shots with great aplomb. Finally, the voluptuous correspondent declared that her hand was hurting.

If that seems an improbable exchange, consider what's forecast for Saturday night: a Filipino and an African will fight for one of the welterweight belts at Cowboys Stadium, with forty-five thousand expected to attend. So much for the long-held, widely alleged, and completely fictitious notion that boxing is dead.

Of course, by now most people -- including those who don't consider themselves fight fans -- are acquainted with Manny Pacquiao. He's won seven belts in seven weight classes, the last of which belonged to Miguel Cotto, whom he technically knocked out last November. Pacquiao is the consensus choice as the world's best fighter. He sings ballads on Jimmy Kimmel's show. A rock-star tour bus -- Pacquiao's image emblazed across the windows and side panels -- waits to take him and his considerable entourage from the Gaylord Texan resort to the stadium.

Less is known about his opponent, who made the same trek in a courtesy van. For the record, Clottey, 33, hails from Ghana and grew up in a one-room house. There were 10 people and one bed.

"We slept in shifts," says Clottey, who now lives with his girlfriend in a one-bedroom apartment just blocks from Yankee Stadium.

From his description, the Bronx is a promised land compared to his home town, the tough slum of Bokum. "The fighters always come from Bokum," says Clottey, who recalls learning to box with torn gloves and no handwraps in a concrete ring.

Then again, there's nothing unusual in that. Good fighters are forged from bad circumstances. Rather, Clottey's greatest pugilistic virtue was identified correctly by Miss Azteca. He takes a great punch.

He doesn't cut. He doesn't swell. He doesn't go down. In 15 years as a professional fighter, Clottey remains unmarked, but for a tattoo he got 13 days ago in Florida. The ornate crest -- his initials in an elaborate font with a pair of boxing gloves -- was needled into his right forearm for $300.

"I needed a logo," he explains, obviously planning for big things to come of Saturday night.

I remind him that Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, has predicted his fighter will be the first to earn a stoppage against Clottey.

"Why would Pacquiao knock me out?" he asks. "How can he do that? I don't feel my opponents' punches. I fought (Miguel) Cotto; I don't feel his punches. I fought Antonio Margarito, a big welterweight. I don't feel his punches."

It's worth noting that Clottey lost to both Cotto and Margarito, though you wouldn't have known it from the post-fight condition of their faces. Cotto, who won a split decision, was beat up and bleeding profusely, having suffered a horrible gash in the third round. Margarito, who owes his decision to Clottey's trying to fight with two fractured hands, was swollen and bruised.

"We saw (Margarito) in the hospital after the fight," recalls Clottey's manager, Vinny Scolpino. "His head was like twice the size of his normal head."

"Everybody I fight always looks worse," says Clottey, who considers himself blessed with "the mentality of the warrior."

It's a trait he believes indigenous to his fellow Ga tribesmen -- an example being the great featherweight champion Azumah Nelson. But it's especially apparent, he says, in those from Bokum, which has bred fighters like Ike Quartey, the fearsome welterweight who did his best work more than a decade ago. On his way up, Clottey did a good bit of sparring with Quartey. "That's where I learned how to defend," he says.

Clottey has a gift for blocking punches, for using raised forearms like a suit of armor, protecting his face and torso. I don't think that will work against Pacquiao, though. Pacquiao is fast afoot, able to move in and out of a bigger man's range. He's a southpaw who attacks on angles.

"He's just got to let his hands go," Scolpino says of his fighter. "He's too big and strong. If he lets his hands go, he'll hurt Pacquiao."

And if not, he'll be knocked out for sure.

With his longtime trainer still in Ghana, unable to obtain a visa, Clottey says he has a plan for Pacquiao. "He moves in and out, so I have to take my time," he says. "I have to be calm and cut off the ring."

I ask him how, and basically, he says he has to keep his left foot outside Pacquiao's right foot. That's how you fight a southpaw, but with Pacquiao's record in evidence, the feat is much easier planned than executed.

The second strategic component involves blocking Pacquiao's jab. The parry itself is not enough; he must step forward immediately after. He must keep pushing the naturally smaller man backward.

"I know who I am," he says. "I have trained the best for this fight. Maybe I will knock him out."

Again, I remind him of the trainer's prediction.

"I'm surprised Freddie Roach would say that."

In Clottey's thinking, the only explanation for a loss by knockout would be supernatural. "Some people have spirits that they worship, something that gives them power," he says. "We have that in Africa, but I don't do it."

Like what, I ask?

"Magic. Something I don't see."

"Magic?"

"It's not like he's going to knock me out with punches," says Joshua Clottey, dismissing Pacquiao's power as if it were full-figured and high-heeled.

Source: foxnews.com

***

Trainer says Pacquiao, with little left to prove, should retire soon -- Sports Illustrated

By Chris Mannix, SI.com

GRAPEVINE, Texas -- From the day he collected his first boxing paycheck, Manny Pacquiao has been surrounded by yes men. Dozens of would-be handlers, many with nebulous jobs and no real responsibilities to speak of, have surrounded Pacquiao. And for the last five years, as Pacquiao has risen to the top of the sport, they have been well-paid to live a life of leisure.

Freddie Roach is not one of them. It's true, Pacquiao's astute trainer has had to be accommodating toward his No. 1 fighter. He's had to rush to the Philippines just to track down his star pupil and has had to be tolerant of the human barnacles that attach themselves to Pacquiao and sponge his time, energy and, of course, money.

But Roach is keenly aware that one of his responsibilities as Pacquiao's boxing guide is to say no. No to the late-night karaoke sessions that sap Pacquiao's energy during training camp. No to the idea that the bulk of camp should be held in the Philippines, where Pacquiao is part Springsteen, part Obama and more popular than both. No to a fight with junior middleweight champion Yuri Foreman, because a 5-foot-11, 154-pound opponent is just a little too large for comfort.

But Roach's most important rejection is the one he has yet to give. No, Roach will soon say to Pacquiao. No, you should fight no more.

It seems ludicrous to even suggest that the clock on Pacquiao's career might be ticking toward termination. It was just four months ago that Pacquiao, 31, was in the ring brutalizing an overwhelmed Miguel Cotto. Before that it was a second-round knockout of Ricky Hatton, a fight that ended after Pacquiao scrambled Hatton's brains with a concussive left hand. For the past two years the Boxing Writers Association of America has named Pacquiao its Fighter of the Year, and other prestigious publications have followed suit. Why shouldn't Pacquiao continue for a long time?

Roach knows why. He only has to look in the mirror. The Parkinson's disease that eats away at his body is a direct result of Roach's decision to stay too long at the fair. Nearly a quarter century earlier his own trainer, Eddie Futch, pulled a 26-year-old Roach into his office and told him that it was time to quit. Too many punches, Futch said. Too many clean shots.

Roach's response: You retire, Eddie.

It's a challenge persuading a fighter to retire. When Roach told Bernard Hopkins to walk away, Hopkins sniffed that Roach had just lost his paycheck. A similar conversation with James Toney ended with a snarling Toney telling Roach to "go f--- himself." Last month Roach had the conversation with Gerry Penalosa, a lightning bug former champion who lost his second consecutive fight. For the moment Penalosa, 37, is heeding Roach's advice, but it would surprise no one -- Roach included -- if Penalosa makes a comeback sometime in the future.

"It's a hard thing when a coach tells you to quit," Roach said.

His talk with Pacquiao won't happen after Saturday night, when the Filipino defends his WBO welterweight title against Joshua Clottey at Cowboys Stadium (9 p.m. ET, HBO PPV). Now is not the time. Clottey is not the fight with which you end your career. Both Roach and Pacquiao profess the utmost respect for Clottey, but neither wears any semblance of concern on his face.

"It's a tough fight, but I don't think it's a tougher fight than Cotto," Roach said. "I think Cotto is a more versatile fighter and has more tools. This guy does the same thing over and over again. He's not too versatile.

"I don't think this fight will take [Pacquiao] to a higher level because we all know [Clottey] is a good fighter but the general public doesn't know Clottey," Roach continued. "They know he lost to Cotto so they view him in a different light. People will say Manny is supposed to beat him. That's always going to happen in sports."

Roach knows there is only one fight out there that will elevate Pacquiao to a new level: Floyd Mayweather. Despite all the jawing, and even with both promoters exchanging heated words, Roach keeps Mayweather on the brain. He talks about how Pacquiao goes into "Mayweather mode" during training camp, where he breaks off his preparation for Clottey and shows Roach just how he would muscle through Mayweather's impregnable defense. He claims Mayweather is the one person in the world Manny Pacquiao just doesn't like. He pokes and prods at Mayweather's planet-sized ego, crediting Mayweather for achieving greatness at 130 and 135 pounds but calling him average at 147.

"I won't say it's an easy fight for Manny," Roach said. "But I think we can make it look easy."

He wants that fight for Pacquiao. For the challenge. For the prestige.

And then he wants him to retire.

"This fight and Mayweather and be done with it," Roach said. "There are no more challenges out there. I know there are some fights, but will the general public really want to buy that? I'd like to see him go out on top and not be one of those cases that stayed too long. Manny has things to fall back on that others don't. He's an actor, a singer, he's running for Congress. Why is Roy Jones still fighting? Because he doesn't know nothing else but boxing. Manny does."

These are the points Roach will lay out when the time comes. He knows it won't be an easy conversation, not with Pacquiao's leeches hardly eager for the gravy train to stop running. But he hopes Pacquiao will listen because he, like always, only has his best interests at heart.

"People ask me, 'Why would you want the guy you make the most money off to quit?' " Roach said. "We've done well with each other. I'd rather see him quit than go on after Mayweather. It's more important to me that he has a long and healthy life when this thing is over."

Source: sportsillustrated.cnn.com

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The blood testing thing -- ESPN

By Kieran Mulvaney, ESPN.com

Even though Floyd Mayweather is fighting Shane Mosley on May 1, and Manny Pacquiao is fighting Joshua Clottey on Saturday, the story that never goes away is the collapse of the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight over accusations of performance-enhancing drugs and demands for blood tests.

"People say, 'Why not take the blood test and be over with it?'" Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's trainer, told reporters yesterday. "Just because it doesn't bother you to give blood, it doesn't mean it doesn't bother me. Some people pass out when they give blood. I lose him for three days when he gives blood because he feels weak. I don't care if it's mental or physical, it's there. It's all mental, and it's a mental sport."

Despite the increasingly bizarre accusations floated by Floyd Mayweather Sr. and Roger Mayweather, Roach thinks the blood-testing ploy was an effort to gain a psychological upper hand.

"I think he found out that Manny doesn't like to give blood, and he thought it was the perfect way to get Manny to give blood, is to have mandatory blood testing," Roach said. "If I found out that Floyd has a weakness somewhere, I would try and exploit that if I could. Now he's saying he's going to clean boxing up, but he's doing that to cover his tracks, of course. I don't think Floyd's big enough to make the rules. Any new commission rule or sanctioning body, I'm all for that. Whatever it takes."

The trainer still thinks the fight will happen.

"If Mayweather doesn't come to the table, then who else is there out there?"

Source: espn.go.com

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Rising British welterweight Kell Brook gunning for Manny Pacquiao -- Telegraph

By Gareth A Davies, Telegraph.co.uk

Pacquiao is likely to be aware of, yet if British promoter Frank Warren’s judgement proves correct, boxing aficionados will get a look at a young fighter who could be gunning for a shot at the Filipino phenomenon.

Moreover, a win puts Brook technically in line to face Pacquiao for the WBO welterweight gong.

Brook, a powerfully built 147-lb box-fighter from Sheffield, who is still developing, faces off against Poland’s World Boxing Organisation Intercontinental champion Krzysztof Bienias – in what will prove to be a world title eliminator at the ECHO Arena, Liverpool.

Brook has already captured one gong – when he was voted the 2009 Young Boxer of the Year – following in the footsteps of Amir Khan, Kevin Mitchell and others, and as the current British champion, has his eyes set across the water on Filipino fighter Pacquiao.

Warren has high hopes for him. “Kell is one of the best youngsters out there. This is a great opportunity for him. The winner of this fight gets into the number one spot to be the mandatory challenger for Manny Pacquiao’s title. I’m not suggesting Kell will be ready to fight Pacquiao if he gets through this but this time next year, with a bit more experience, he’ll be there or thereabouts.”

Brook’s opponent Bienias, is ranked number five by the WBO and has a more than respectable 39-3-0 record. Brook, though, has already set his sights further, to tomorrow night in fact, when he intends to sit down and watch Pacquiao’s first defence against Joshua Clottey with visions of dethroning the Filipino welter king.

“After I’ve knocked out Bienias I’ll sit down in front of the television and watch the Pacquiao fight,” said Brook, who went 23-0 when he won the Lonsdale belt outright last summer – boxers get to keep the belt after three defences – with a third round stoppage of Prizefighter champion Michael Lomax.

“If I hadn’t been fighting on Friday I might have gone to the States because I would have liked to have been ringside. Manny is the man to beat at the moment, and it’s either him or Floyd Mayweather who is the pound-for-pound number one. Pacquiao’s not unbeatable. He’s been beaten before, but it will take a special fighter to beat him right now. Obviously I need more fights before I face him, but if the fight did happen, I’d be excited at the opportunity rather than worried about the result.”

“I can see a scenario where Pacquiao gives up the title, and maybe me and Cotto get it on for the vacant belt. If that’s the case then bring it on. I grew up in an era where Ricky Hatton was constantly chasing a big fight against Kosyta Tszyu. It made me realise that you have got to be patient and make sure you pick your moment, but I’m growing in confidence with every fight.”

Source: blogs.telegraph.co.uk

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