Unlike Floyd Mayweather Jr., Joshua Clottey doesn’t believe Manny Pacquiao is into performance enhancing drugs.
“I don’t think Manny Pacquaio is doing that thing," said challenger Joshua Clottey during a conference call for his March 13 fight with World Boxing Organization (WBO) 147-pound bout with the `Pacman.’
“If he’s doing that thing, he is killing the sport."
Mayweather’s belief that Pacquiao is using steroids caused the collapse of the negotiations for the fight potentially expected to be the biggest and richest in boxing history.
Mayweather’s camp demanded that he and Pacquiao undergo Olympic style drug testing before and after the bout. Although the 31-year-old Filipino is not against drug testing per se, he is not sold to the idea of doing the procedure random style.
Mayweather again found the perfect opportunity to raise the issue during the initial press conference of his May 1 fight with reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight champion Shane Mosley in New York.
“I can’t say how many fights Shane has won in the past because we know Shane was using enhancement drugs. That’s something we do know," said Mayweather, referring to Mosley’s claim that he unintentionally used steroids prior to his fight with Oscar De La Hoya in 2003."
“It’s no different that Pacquiao," stressed the unbeaten American. “I offered Pacquiao the fight. I said, `We’ll give you $25 million.’ I never met a man who wouldn’t take a $25 million drug test."
But Clottey doesn’t buy such an idea. And not because he’s fighting Pacquiao in a showdown considered the biggest in his boxing career.
The 32-year-old challenger from Ghana has too much respect for the man acknowledged as the world’s top pound-for-pound fighter today.
“I respect him too much. He is a very nice guy, to be honest with you, I feel comfortable around him. He is nice and respects everybody and I know where he is from," Clottey said.
“Between he and God, it is going to someday be a problem. I wouldn’t make him do that steroid thing because I believe in him. I know he throws a lot of punches. I respect him for that, so I couldn’t ask him to do that."
Vinny Scolpino, Clottey’s manager, also believes that drug testing for a fight shouldn’t be part of the negotiation for a contract, not unless it is part of the procedure required by the boxing body where the match will be held.
“If the commission wants to implement other drug-testing rules, let them implement them. We abide by the rules that are set for us, then we move forward. Manny is a super champion and we all hope he is doing the right thing. If the commission finds it in their drug testing, they find it.
“We are going to abide by the rules set by the state. We are professionals in the sport. Joshua is a professional, and if that commission in that state says to do this, we do it," said Scolpino. – GMANews.TV
Source: gmanews.tv
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Clottey wont last 12 rounds against Pacquiao - Ariza
MANILA, Philippines – Even if Ghana’s Joshua Clottey is bigger than 7-division world champion Manny Pacquiao, the Filipino’s conditioning coach thinks the Ghanaian will not have enough strength to go the distance in his March 13 bout.
“I don't think Clottey will last 12 rounds. I think Clottey might just stop because he will get hit too much. I think Clottey will get tired of getting hit,” Alex Ariza told Brad Cooney of 8countnews.com.
“If Manny moves the way he's been moving in sparring, I just don't see Clottey being able to take the beating that he is going to get.”
Ariza, however, mentioned that he is concerned about the beating that Pacquiao will get from Clottey at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
He shared that he and Pacquiao focused “a little more” on strength training.
“Clottey is strong so that's my biggest concern… The physical punishment Manny might take is my biggest concern. Clottey is so much bigger, but we will have Manny ready for whatever comes his way,” stated Ariza.
Pacquiao’s conditioning coach went on to divulge on the status of their training camp in Los Angeles, California.
“I think we are right on schedule, maybe even a little ahead of it. He looks great, the weight is great, the conditioning is great.”
The Filipino boxing superstar trains at the Wild Card Gym which is owned by his coach, Freddie Roach.
Ariza even commented on Pacquiao’s LA training: “I am not a big fan of LA training because of all of the people here. I thought we had a good camp in the Philippines last fight. Manny trained well over there, but he looks good over here too.”
Pacquiao will defend his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title against Clottey, a former International Boxing Federation (IBF) welterweight champion. Their match headlines the pay-per-view event entitled “The Event.”
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
“I don't think Clottey will last 12 rounds. I think Clottey might just stop because he will get hit too much. I think Clottey will get tired of getting hit,” Alex Ariza told Brad Cooney of 8countnews.com.
“If Manny moves the way he's been moving in sparring, I just don't see Clottey being able to take the beating that he is going to get.”
Ariza, however, mentioned that he is concerned about the beating that Pacquiao will get from Clottey at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
He shared that he and Pacquiao focused “a little more” on strength training.
“Clottey is strong so that's my biggest concern… The physical punishment Manny might take is my biggest concern. Clottey is so much bigger, but we will have Manny ready for whatever comes his way,” stated Ariza.
Pacquiao’s conditioning coach went on to divulge on the status of their training camp in Los Angeles, California.
“I think we are right on schedule, maybe even a little ahead of it. He looks great, the weight is great, the conditioning is great.”
The Filipino boxing superstar trains at the Wild Card Gym which is owned by his coach, Freddie Roach.
Ariza even commented on Pacquiao’s LA training: “I am not a big fan of LA training because of all of the people here. I thought we had a good camp in the Philippines last fight. Manny trained well over there, but he looks good over here too.”
Pacquiao will defend his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title against Clottey, a former International Boxing Federation (IBF) welterweight champion. Their match headlines the pay-per-view event entitled “The Event.”
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
My punches cause big damage - Joshua Clottey
MANILA, Philippines - Joshua Clottey doesn’t enjoy watching tapes of his opponents on the ring. Not even Manny Pacquiao.
However, that doesn’t mean that the 33-year-old fighter from Ghana is climbing the ring on March 13 not knowing what he’s up against.
“I have never watched his tapes. I never sit down and watch him and I never sit down and talk about him,” said Clottey during a media teleconference the other day to drum up his coming showdown with Pacquiao in Arlington, Texas.
The fight is set at the $1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium, and no less than 40,000 fans are expected to brave the cold weather and see the fight. Promoter Bob Arum said there’s only around 8,000 tickets left and by fight time should be sold out.
“The only thing I think about is me and what I have to do when I come into the ring. I have been training very hard for myself to get to the ring and do my best. When I get to the ring, the fight will start and that’s what I’ll do,” he said.
Clottey is facing the biggest fight of his life and he considers this one as a rare opportunity to be with the greatest fighter in the planet. He is getting paid $1.2 million for this fight, and it’s more than what he’s earned over the last couple of years.
He said it doesn’t matter if he hadn’t seen any of Pacquiao’s fights.
“That is right. I never watch tapes of people. I don’t like watching tapes but I know how he fights. When I get to the ring I know how he is going to be,” he said of the gun-slinging fighter from the Philippines.
Pacquiao is staking his WBO welterweight crown against Clottey, and doesn’t see any reason why he’s going home empty-handed, just two months before he runs for a congressional seat in his hometown in Sarangani.
Clottey, however, said Pacquiao could be terribly wrong because he just knows what to do.
“I think you are right,” he told the media conference.
“You know, I’m not a flyweight. I am not a bantamweight. I am a welterweight and welterweights only throw punches that connect. I can throw shots which connect and land and cause damage,” he said.
“Not throw a lot of punches that he is deflecting and blocking. If you look at the last fight, I won the last round. He threw punches and I blocked them and I threw punches and they connected. I will throw punches that cause damage.”
Source: philstar.com
However, that doesn’t mean that the 33-year-old fighter from Ghana is climbing the ring on March 13 not knowing what he’s up against.
“I have never watched his tapes. I never sit down and watch him and I never sit down and talk about him,” said Clottey during a media teleconference the other day to drum up his coming showdown with Pacquiao in Arlington, Texas.
The fight is set at the $1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium, and no less than 40,000 fans are expected to brave the cold weather and see the fight. Promoter Bob Arum said there’s only around 8,000 tickets left and by fight time should be sold out.
“The only thing I think about is me and what I have to do when I come into the ring. I have been training very hard for myself to get to the ring and do my best. When I get to the ring, the fight will start and that’s what I’ll do,” he said.
Clottey is facing the biggest fight of his life and he considers this one as a rare opportunity to be with the greatest fighter in the planet. He is getting paid $1.2 million for this fight, and it’s more than what he’s earned over the last couple of years.
He said it doesn’t matter if he hadn’t seen any of Pacquiao’s fights.
“That is right. I never watch tapes of people. I don’t like watching tapes but I know how he fights. When I get to the ring I know how he is going to be,” he said of the gun-slinging fighter from the Philippines.
Pacquiao is staking his WBO welterweight crown against Clottey, and doesn’t see any reason why he’s going home empty-handed, just two months before he runs for a congressional seat in his hometown in Sarangani.
Clottey, however, said Pacquiao could be terribly wrong because he just knows what to do.
“I think you are right,” he told the media conference.
“You know, I’m not a flyweight. I am not a bantamweight. I am a welterweight and welterweights only throw punches that connect. I can throw shots which connect and land and cause damage,” he said.
“Not throw a lot of punches that he is deflecting and blocking. If you look at the last fight, I won the last round. He threw punches and I blocked them and I threw punches and they connected. I will throw punches that cause damage.”
Source: philstar.com
No prefight drug testing in Texas for Pacquiao vs Clottey
The well-chronicled argument between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. over drug testing was so heated and divisive it caused the two boxers to walk away from a guarantee of $25 million each.
Mayweather's camp implied there was something unnatural about Pacquiao's steady move up in weight in recent years, with an increased dominance in the ring. Pacquiao grew so defensive about the comments that he sued members of the Mayweather camp for defamation.
Now, less than two weeks before Pacquiao fights Joshua Clottey in a welterweight title bout March 13 at Dallas Cowboys Stadium, the executive director of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation has ruled there is no "good cause" to institute any prefight drug screening for either boxer before their bout.
The Texas executive director, William Kuntz, can still change his mind "at any time," and order drug screening procedures for Pacquiao and Clottey that the fighters would pay for, according to department spokeswoman Susan Stanford. Pacquiao is guaranteed at least $12 million for the bout, his promoter has said.
Nevertheless, the absence of drug testing in Texas is in sharp contrast to the tests required for Mayweather's May 1 fight against Shane Mosley in Las Vegas. That bout will be subject to Olympic-style drug testing procedures to be supervised by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
That stringent protocol will be done beyond the typical urine screening for performance-enhancing and street drugs required by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Not only is USADA set to preside over random testing, including the newer blood screening for human growth hormone, Mayweather will have the option to request additional tests of Mosley as long as he gives a sample of his own at or near the same time, Mayweather's advisor, Leonard Ellerbe, and fight promoter, Richard Schaefer, said.
Mosley has admitted that in the days before his 2003 victory against Oscar De La Hoya, he used performance-enhancing drugs. They were sent to him by BALCO founder Victor Conte, who also supplied steroids to Olympic sprinter Marion Jones, baseball slugger Jason Giambi and the personal trainer of all-time home run leader Barry Bonds. Mosley has insisted he thought the substances he took from Conte were legal vitamins.
"We're leading the way on this" in the drug testing for the Mayweather-Mosley fight, Schaefer told The Times.
The disparity in how the Pacquiao and Mayweather fights are being scrutinized is an unfortunate fact of life in boxing, says Timothy Lueckenhoff, president of the Assn. of Boxing Commissions, the national body that advises state commissions.
"Testing [is] an excellent idea, but the cost of [it is] somewhat cost-prohibitive," Lueckenhoff said. "If steroid testing is to be done as well as testing for illegal [street] drugs, it must be done across the board. When we talk about requiring all fights to be subject to this, we are just adding more cost to a struggling profession, especially regarding club show events.
"All drug testing is good and needed, but the cost is a huge factor right now."
Is Pacquiao’s final fight approaching?
Manny Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, delivered a knee-buckling assessment for boxing fans already distraught by the failed Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. negotiations.
“This could be our last fight,” Roach told the Los Angeles Times last week, as Pacquiao heads into the final days of training for his March 13 welterweight world title bout against Joshua Clottey at Dallas’ Cowboys Stadium.
Roach’s sobering speculation about boxing’s biggest star is based on a chain of events that could occur. Pacquiao, 31, is running for a congressional seat in his native Philippines. If elected in May, he’ll represent a community of about 400,000 people in need of improved healthcare, education and employment that the boxer himself was deprived of while growing up in poverty.
Pacquiao (left) doesn’t appear to be afraid of the end.
“Is this my last fight? We’ll see,” he said after a recent workout. “One never knows. It’s still so early to be talking about this, but I do like the thought of going out on top. We did a lot in boxing, achieved a lot — more than what we set out to do.”
Source: kansascity.com
“This could be our last fight,” Roach told the Los Angeles Times last week, as Pacquiao heads into the final days of training for his March 13 welterweight world title bout against Joshua Clottey at Dallas’ Cowboys Stadium.
Roach’s sobering speculation about boxing’s biggest star is based on a chain of events that could occur. Pacquiao, 31, is running for a congressional seat in his native Philippines. If elected in May, he’ll represent a community of about 400,000 people in need of improved healthcare, education and employment that the boxer himself was deprived of while growing up in poverty.
Pacquiao (left) doesn’t appear to be afraid of the end.
“Is this my last fight? We’ll see,” he said after a recent workout. “One never knows. It’s still so early to be talking about this, but I do like the thought of going out on top. We did a lot in boxing, achieved a lot — more than what we set out to do.”
Source: kansascity.com
Defence the key for Joshua Clottey against Pacquiao
Joshua Clottey believes he has the tools to end the winning streak of Manny Pacquiao in Dallas on March 13.
The tough Ghanaian lost a controversial decision to Miguel Angel Cotto in his last fight in June, with Pacquiao handing out a 12-round beating to the same opponent later in the year.
Clottey is something of an afterthought for Pacquiao after the much-hyped match with Floyd Mayweather fell through, but the 32-year-old says he is ready to cause a shock.
"I wasn't really thinking about this fight at all," he told boxingtalk.com. "But I know I can fight anybody and I know I can beat any boxer.
"It looked like somebody didn't want to fight. All the guys were talking about Pacquiao v Mayweather and it looks like he didn't want to do it, and it's good for me.
"I feel like it was a blessing from God."
Defence
While Clottey, whose record stands at 35-3 with 20 kos, will have a natural size advantage over Pacquiao, he insists it is not his superior strength that will be the key, but his defence.
"When he beats guys, like in the Cotto fight, he beats guys that don't have a good defence. I have a defence," he said. "I will never say anything bad about the guy because he is the best now.
"When I walk in the ring with Manny Pacquiao and I lost, I will tell everybody I lost the fight. But I keep telling people I didn't lose the Cotto fight because I don't feel that I did. When I walk into the ring, I do what I want to do to win the fight, to do my best."
He also said that while naturally lighter boxers like Pacquiao can throw a higher volume of punches, his more accurate blows will eventually tell.
"You know, I'm not a flyweight. I am not a bantamweight. I am a welterweight and welterweights only throw punches that connect.
"I can throw shots which connect and land and cause damage. Not throw a lot of punches that he is deflecting and blocking. If you look at the last fight, I won the last round.
Damage
"He threw punches and I blocked them and I threw punches and they connected. I will throw punches that cause damage."
While Clottey respects Pacquiao's star quality he knows that beating him would be a life-changing experience.
"He is the man now and he's giving me a chance to fight him and if I beat him, I'm going to be on top of the world," he added. "It will be very important to the people in my country and that is very important in life.
"When I walk into the ring I will know what I need to do to win the fight."
Source: skysports.com
The tough Ghanaian lost a controversial decision to Miguel Angel Cotto in his last fight in June, with Pacquiao handing out a 12-round beating to the same opponent later in the year.
Clottey is something of an afterthought for Pacquiao after the much-hyped match with Floyd Mayweather fell through, but the 32-year-old says he is ready to cause a shock.
"I wasn't really thinking about this fight at all," he told boxingtalk.com. "But I know I can fight anybody and I know I can beat any boxer.
"It looked like somebody didn't want to fight. All the guys were talking about Pacquiao v Mayweather and it looks like he didn't want to do it, and it's good for me.
"I feel like it was a blessing from God."
Defence
While Clottey, whose record stands at 35-3 with 20 kos, will have a natural size advantage over Pacquiao, he insists it is not his superior strength that will be the key, but his defence.
"When he beats guys, like in the Cotto fight, he beats guys that don't have a good defence. I have a defence," he said. "I will never say anything bad about the guy because he is the best now.
"When I walk in the ring with Manny Pacquiao and I lost, I will tell everybody I lost the fight. But I keep telling people I didn't lose the Cotto fight because I don't feel that I did. When I walk into the ring, I do what I want to do to win the fight, to do my best."
He also said that while naturally lighter boxers like Pacquiao can throw a higher volume of punches, his more accurate blows will eventually tell.
"You know, I'm not a flyweight. I am not a bantamweight. I am a welterweight and welterweights only throw punches that connect.
"I can throw shots which connect and land and cause damage. Not throw a lot of punches that he is deflecting and blocking. If you look at the last fight, I won the last round.
Damage
"He threw punches and I blocked them and I threw punches and they connected. I will throw punches that cause damage."
While Clottey respects Pacquiao's star quality he knows that beating him would be a life-changing experience.
"He is the man now and he's giving me a chance to fight him and if I beat him, I'm going to be on top of the world," he added. "It will be very important to the people in my country and that is very important in life.
"When I walk into the ring I will know what I need to do to win the fight."
Source: skysports.com
Pacquiao-Clottey: How can 45,000 be a sellout when the stadium holds 80,000?
By Dave Lahr: What I don’t understand is how the Manny Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey fight be called almost a sellout at 45,000 when the Dallas Cowboy stadium holds 80,000? What is it that? I know the stadium was retrofitted to fit 45,000 fans, but they keep saying that they can easily adjust it to fit even more fans at a moment’s notice, so how does that make it a sell out if it reaches 45,000? Is it me or does that just seem like some gimmick that they’re using to brag about and make it seem like the stadium is sold out when in fact it’s not.
If the stadium is sold out, then it means that 80,000 fans purchased tickets for the fight, not 45,000. I’m not even all that impressed with the 45,000 figure. I keep hearing that it’s near that total, but they don’t give the exact totals for the tickets that are currently sold. Why not?
That just makes me not trust any of the numbers. Whatever the amount of tickets that do eventually get sold for the Pacquiao vs. Clottey fight, I don’t expect it to be anywhere close to 80,000 fans, and I’m now thinking that it won’t even get to 45,000 either. My guess is that it will be lucky to bring in 30,000 fans, which will seem kind of ridiculous in a huge stadium like the Dallas Cowboy Stadium.
This is just hype for a fight that doesn’t have two stars. I think they wasted the stadium on this fight. They could have easily fit the same amount of people that will be attending the fight in the MGM Grand by putting in outside seats. This is like way overboard for a fight that isn’t that big of a deal.
You got to have to an opposing big star if you want to fight in a huge stadium like that. In this case, it’s just Pacquiao versus some guy that nobody has heard of except for hardcore boxing fans. And what makes this even worse is that Clottey lost his last fight. How does that look? Pacquiao just finished fighting Miguel Cotto, who was had recently been torn apart by Antonio Margarito.
Pacquiao also fought Ricky Hatton, who also was beaten up and taken out not long before he faced Pacquiao. Oscar De La Hoya, another Pacquiao victim, had lost three out of his last six fights going into his bout with Pacquiao. What is up with that? Is boxing so bad off that those guys have to be selected as Pacquiao’s opponents? Why not Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Shane Mosley? Don’t tell me. I already know.
But as far the Pacquiao-Clottey fight being called a sell out if 45,000 tickets being sold, I think that’s the silliest thing I’ve heard before, because the stadium holds twice that total. If you have a stadium that you can retrofit at a moment’s notice to fit any number up to 80,000, it’s ludicrous to call it a sell out when they’ll keep selling tickets up until 80,000 tickets are sold. I mean they’re not going stop selling tickets when 45,000 tickets have been sold, are they? Of course not, which is why it’s crazy to say the fight is nearly a sellout.
Source: boxingnews24.com
If the stadium is sold out, then it means that 80,000 fans purchased tickets for the fight, not 45,000. I’m not even all that impressed with the 45,000 figure. I keep hearing that it’s near that total, but they don’t give the exact totals for the tickets that are currently sold. Why not?
That just makes me not trust any of the numbers. Whatever the amount of tickets that do eventually get sold for the Pacquiao vs. Clottey fight, I don’t expect it to be anywhere close to 80,000 fans, and I’m now thinking that it won’t even get to 45,000 either. My guess is that it will be lucky to bring in 30,000 fans, which will seem kind of ridiculous in a huge stadium like the Dallas Cowboy Stadium.
This is just hype for a fight that doesn’t have two stars. I think they wasted the stadium on this fight. They could have easily fit the same amount of people that will be attending the fight in the MGM Grand by putting in outside seats. This is like way overboard for a fight that isn’t that big of a deal.
You got to have to an opposing big star if you want to fight in a huge stadium like that. In this case, it’s just Pacquiao versus some guy that nobody has heard of except for hardcore boxing fans. And what makes this even worse is that Clottey lost his last fight. How does that look? Pacquiao just finished fighting Miguel Cotto, who was had recently been torn apart by Antonio Margarito.
Pacquiao also fought Ricky Hatton, who also was beaten up and taken out not long before he faced Pacquiao. Oscar De La Hoya, another Pacquiao victim, had lost three out of his last six fights going into his bout with Pacquiao. What is up with that? Is boxing so bad off that those guys have to be selected as Pacquiao’s opponents? Why not Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Shane Mosley? Don’t tell me. I already know.
But as far the Pacquiao-Clottey fight being called a sell out if 45,000 tickets being sold, I think that’s the silliest thing I’ve heard before, because the stadium holds twice that total. If you have a stadium that you can retrofit at a moment’s notice to fit any number up to 80,000, it’s ludicrous to call it a sell out when they’ll keep selling tickets up until 80,000 tickets are sold. I mean they’re not going stop selling tickets when 45,000 tickets have been sold, are they? Of course not, which is why it’s crazy to say the fight is nearly a sellout.
Source: boxingnews24.com
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Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao