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| PacMan versus Clottey will not last the distance -Roach |
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By Eddie F. Alinea It’s a few days before Filipino World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao puts his 147-pound crown on the line but coach Freddie Roach declared that the game plan to beat Ghanaian challenger Joshua “The Hitter” Clottey has already been in place. “Yes, we’re ready. The way Manny is responding to his training, I can tell this early that he’s going to overwhelm him [Clottey],” Roach boldly predicted during a recent media conference call held at the Wild Card Gym in downtown Los Angeles. “With Manny’s speed and his combinations, I do believe he will be the first person to stop Clottey before the 12th round,” the four-time “Trainer of the Year” awardee of the American Writers Association assured. “I know Clottey is a big strong guy and a great fighter and we respect him as a real tough guy, but we also know his characteristic, we know his mistakes and we know his bad habits, which we can exploit to the hilt,” he said. The Filipino ring icon and the Ghanaian hero face each other off for 12 rounds titled “The Event” March 13 at the newly built Dallas Cowboys stadium in Arlington, Texas. After almost four weeks at the gym since arriving in Los Angeles from Manila, Roach said PacMan has kept on improving day after day and that he wouldn’t stop in trying to get better. Roach told members of the international media, some of whom fielded their questions via phone patch from their respective countries, that Team Pacquiao have been watching a lot of tapes on Clottey fights from where the training staff learned about the challengers’ weaknesses. Pacquiao himself, who was with Roach during the media conference call along with Top Rank Chief Executive Officer Bob Arum, declared himself in tip-top shape. “I am, good. Training camp is good and everything is going great,” he quipped. “I know Clottey is taller and bigger than me. I know I can’t underestimate him because he’s also a former champion.” (manilatimes.net) |