Pacquiao's performance put in perspective

If you're looking for evidence that Manny Pacquiao isn't just the world's hottest fighter, but a legitimate welterweight capable of taking down full-grown 147-pounders, the Pac-Man provided it Saturday night with his 12-round domination of Ghana's Josh Clottey.

 

Pacquiao looked great against Oscar De La Hoya but at 36 Oscar had little left in the tank, especially after drying out to make the welterweight limit.

In pulverizing Miguel Cotto, Pacuiao opened even more eyes to his blinding speed and surprising power, but we can't ignore the lingering effects of Cotto's disheartening loss to Antonio Margarito, nor the 145-pound weight limit imposed by Pacquiao's camp. It was a welterweight fight, but with an asterisk.

So here comes Clottey, the guy who nearly conquered Cotto last June, a legitimate 147-pound welterweight and one of the strongest fighters in the division

And Pacquiao made him look like a sparring partner.

Clottey fought like a poor man's Arthur Abraham, covering up while Pacquiao punched in bunches, responding with single shots when Pacquiao paused to breathe.

Pacquiao, meanwhile, fought like Pacquiao, a buzzsaw boring in from all angles, moving in every direction but backwards and always, always, always punching.

The result? About the most lopsided numbers you'll ever see in a high-level fight.

Two of the three judges had Pacquiao winning 11 of 12 rounds, while the third had Pacquiao in a shutout.

Clottey threw only 399 punches and landed just 108. Pacquiao, meanwhile landed 246 of 1231 punches, a 20-percent connect rate.

Granted, Pacquiao's punches didn't have much effect on Clottey, who was never wobbled and who left the ring looking the same as when he had entered it. But the shots he threw clearly rattled the brain of HBO announcer Jim Lampley, temporarily knocking from his vocabulary every word but "bang."

Still, we can't let the crooked numbers and Lampley's hyperbole obscure a very important point about Saturday's bout.

Pacquiao took a beating.

He may have landed more than twice as many shots, but every time Clottey snapped Pacquiao's head back with a thunderous uppercut or stiff jab it was clear which man was delivering the more damaging blows. About three rounds in Lampley and Max Kellerman tried to shout down fellow HBO analyst and legendary trainer Emanuel Steward when he made the same point, but after the fight the fighters' faces bore Steward out and revealed what the stats overshadowed.

While Clottey finished with his face unmarked, Pacquiao looked a haggard and sported a large welt beneath his right eye.

 Certainly Clottey received the result he deserved. Unless you're fighting a mannequin you'll never win a decision throwing 33 punches a round, no matter how much damage you're doing. Clottey was grateful for the payday (a reported $1.25 million plus a pay-per-view percentage) and he fought like it, easing off whenever he had Pacquiao stunned, and touching gloves after every bell like a $20-a-round sparring partner.

"Thanks for the work, Champ."

 If his string of spectacular stoppages didn't inspire outright fear in Clottey, it at least engendered an unhealthy respect -- the kind that makes challengers back off when they should press forward, and settle for the honour of surviving Pacquiao instead chasing of the glory of beating him.  

That's not Pacquiao's fault. As we've discussed before fear is an effective weapon for big punchers, and it worked against Clottey whether or not Pacquaio even meant to deploy it.

But even an overly cautious Clottey showed Pacquiao lacks some key skills. 

Like a tight defense. 

You have to wonder how much more punishment Pacquiao would have absorbed against a busier, more accurate, less star struck fighter.

And what happens when Pacquiao meets that committed counterpuncher? A guy who won't allow him to get off 105 shots per round? Who will make him pay for missing 80 percent of his shots? And who offers a puzzle he can't solve by simply throwing more punches?

A 20-percent connect rate might propel you past Clottey, but it's just enough to get you beat against Mayweather or Mosley.

And isn't that what all of this is about?

Did any of us every view Pacquiao-Clottey on its own merits, or did we just take it for what it is -- a chance to see how Pacquiao stacks up against a real welterweight before he meets the winner of Mayweather-Mosley?

The truth is he measures up very, very well, and right now deserves the pound-for-pound crown.

But the truth is also that Mayweather and Mosley each offer Pacquiao a skill set he has never seen. 

If Pacquiao struggled to land shots against Clottey how will he reach Mayweather, the best defensive fighter of this generation?

And if Clottey raised welts with his sporadic punching, what damage will a power boxer like Mosley inflict?

This is not to say that a victory against Pacquiao is guaranteed for either of these men. Again, it's no accident that Pacquiao is the world's top fighter, pound for pound.

But if he wants to retain that crown when the inevitable showdown takes place he'll need to show more than he did against Clottey.

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Comments

[G Freeman]

Interesting...how Paquiao when confronted with an opponent who would not let him execute his customary game plan just kept at it anyway. He does not have the ability to change his tactics to address an unexpected situation. He had no idea he would not be able to get at Clotteys head. He had no idea he would not be able to hurt his opponent's body. And he won simply doing what he does. He's a buzz-saw; tireless up to 12 rounds (ahem... real championship rounds are 13-15; always have been, always will be) and a relentless punching machine. He has no defense except his relentless offense. And he fought as if he was taking a leap of faith in every round last night. No brains just heart. Which is why if you didn't know the decision and you looked at the fighters faces after the fight you would have thought Clottey had won. I think the swelling around Paquiao's right eye indicates something more than a serious shiner. Don't be surprised if he didn't suffer a hairline fracture of his cheekbone or eye socket. Notwithstanding his win, Pacman took a beating. And his career should be about wrapping up because he is headed for a crushing defeat via knockout. Whatever he's been on to block the passage of neurological messages from the brain to the legs got tested and exhausted last night.
It brings to mind Roy Jones Jr who in his prime appeared to be sailing through bouts while taking a lot of good shots that seemingly had no effect. Jones was another rather unorthodox punching machine who got away with a lot of technical defensive deficiences because of his buzz saw-like stamina. Then after moving up to fight Ruiz, a bigger man, for the heavyweight title he may have won by decision but that fight marked the beginning of the end for Jones because he got hit harder than he ever had been hit before and those punches started to evaporate whatever Jones had that was preventing the hurt message from being transmitted from the brain to the legs. He was never the same after that with respects to taking a punch.
Paquiao got seriously rocked a few times last night. He was feeling those punches. Clottey knew, but Clottey also knew that those shots would have taken out a lesser opponent and he probably came into the fight with too much respect for Paquiao internalized. So he never really let his hands go. Also, there's not much you can do against a perpetual motion buzz-saw except keep your eyes open, keep your head, and try to dictate the way your opponent moves and maneuvers by keeping him in front of you at all times...while hoping that either the fuel tank runs empty or that you can cause a sputter in the fuel line. That called for effective and relentless counter-punching. Clottey didn't.
Clottey is not quick enough (hands and feet) to have generated any kind of hurting interior line offense which is what ultimately will be the undoing of Pacquiao. Paquiao also has never fought, including last night, an opponent that will come at him obliquely. Last night he encountered an opponent who not only threw him off his own search for the angles, but an opponent who didn't possess oblique lines in his offense or defense - yet still made him miss. Pacquiao threw 1231 punches and only connected with 246!
Clottey was supposedly made-to-order for Paquiao to demolish at will and in the process to send a clear and unequivocal message designed to instill fear into Mayweather and his camp. But it didn't happen. I think Paquiao and his camp thought that Paquiao was a much harder puncher than he proved to be last night. And they had not encountered an opponent as well conditioned and as tough as Clottey.
I'm sure Mayweather sat watching as if in a lecture hall partaking of the key lecture he needed so that he can make his own definitive PhD presentation.
Or at least he gleaned what is now obvious. Pacman won but he got his ass kicked doing it.

[Rue]

I do believe that Mayweather and Moseley will NOT be able to accomplish what Pacquiao did to Clottey. I'll put my money on Clottey. Since Mayweather doesn't throw combination after combination, Clottey will be able to hit him. The way Clottey fight, he will wait for Mayweather to hit him first and will counter if he sees an opening. Mayweather will not engage Clottey first so it will be a boring fight. Moseley on the other hands will attacked Clottey but will not be able to hit him. In the end, Moseley will get tired and gets hit by Clottey.

[J R]

I don't think that G watched the same fight that everyone else saw...Pacman pounded a scared Clottey; and who he probably let him hit just to open him up.
Pacman just dominated a lesser opponent, and never was even close to being hurt in the fight. Common G don't be a hater, Pacman is the best pound per pound around today so give the man his props.

[Antonio]

dude I don't know what fight were you watching, the only reason Pacquiao got punched was he was trying to entice Clottey to open up and fight. Manny wasn't afraid of getting hit by Clottey. Stop being a Mayweather nut hugger, Pacman will destroy PBF.

[Mark]

I'm glad I did not pay to see this fight. Clottey had no intention of fighting at all. He is either an extremely limited fighter or a total disgrace. And Morgan you are factually incorrect. Pacquiao is not the pound for pound champ. To be the man you have to beat the man...and Mayweather is the man. I just hope that Pacquiao steps up to the plate, takes the "random" blood tests and steps into the ring with Mayweather. Do I expect him to do so? No. That would force him to fight clean, and then he would show up weighing maybe 135 pounds. Bob Arum would never let that happen...he needs his two cheaters (Pacquiao and Margarito) as they are the only marketable fighters he has under contract right now.

[Jason Abelson]

Guys,I was there in Dallas for the fight, and I can tell you that the Philippines press corp was scared during the fight, as one comented during the post-fight presser. They saw the threat that Clottey posed, and the shots, albeit infrequent, that he landed.

However, those punches were the bi-product of Manny merely standing in front of the hesitant Clottey.

Against Mayweather or Mosley, Pacquiao would likely employ the same angles and movement that we saw against Hatton and Cotto.

You can't transpose Manny's performance against Clottey onto a Mayweather fight and assume anything.

Different fighter, different fight.

[Wall $treet]

Morgan... Great work... I really liked G's analysis. People who get on here & allow their emotions to overrrule good common sense will have their pockets lighter come November, when The Puzzle That Has Yet To Be Solved, Floyd Mayweather, offers a surgical execution to Manny Pacquiao.

I love Manny, too, but the whole blood test refusal & subsequent excuses have tarnished how I look at him now, sad to say. That's not to accuse him, but if you have nothing to hide & if you're excuse is that you cannot recover in two weeks from having 2 vials of blood drawn from you, you're not convincing me that something is not kosher.

What Bob Arum's designated PR agent at ESPN.com, Dan Raphael, always fails to mention when he lopsidedly blames Floyd & his insistence on the random drug testing is the ridiculous $10 Million per pound over the limit stipulation Arum, Roach & Pacquiao slung at Floyd. by the way, he immediately accepted, if you didn't know...

Who's scared?

Any man that steps in the ring & gets hit in the head for a living can't be scared... It's a choice they've made...

Stay in step & pay attention...

[LatinoPorVida]

I would have to agree with Antonio saying Pacquiao is not the pound for pound champ. To be the man you have to beat the man...and Mayweather is the man. I just hope that Pacquiao steps up to the plate, takes the "random" blood tests and steps into the ring with Mayweather. Do I expect him to do so? No. That would force him to fight clean, and then he would show up weighing maybe 135 pounds. Bob Arum would never let that happen...he needs his two cheaters (Pacquiao and Margarito) as they are the only marketable fighters he has under contract right now.

I agree with everything said by Morgan expect for saying Pacquiao deserves the pound for pound crown.

Let's not forget Floyd is the pound for pound king not Pacquiao.

Love what you said by saying if Pacquiao struggled against Clottey just imagine what Floyd the best defensive fighter of this generation would do?

I also love you saying if Clottey raised damage just imagine what a power boxer like Mosley would do?

Excellent BLOG expect for again saying that Pacquiao deserves the pound for pound crown.

Both Floyd and Shane ain't no washed up DLH, Hatton and Cotto who was finished in his devasting loss to Margacheato.

Both Floyd and Shane are on another level simply too dam good for Pacquiao that's why I pick them over Pacquiao of course that's if Bob Arum makes these fights happen.

[pogs]

Mr. writer. cmon man, the 20percent connecting rate is to those punches that landed, it isnt like those 80percent pacquiao is punching thru the air if you watch it clearly those 80percent landed, but it landed on clottey's gloves but as you can see it still made some damage thats why he could'nt puch back. and we already saw what happened to those fighters that went up against pacman who let their hands go, man they got knocked out. power puncher like mosley inflict? dude we all know how big of a puncher miguel cotto is. about the clottey fight, you cant knock a guy out whom from the start planned just to survive, pacquiao had damages on his face because he fought clottey's fight, he even said "I LET HIM LAND SOME PUNCHES SO THAT HE WOULD OPEN UP." but he did not.

[oliver]

Hey Morgan hater!!! have you ever thought about these:

why a mexican warrior like barrera did not engage manny on their 2nd bout just to avoid a tko?

why de la hoya quit with his fight with manny?

why a destroyer like cotto ran all night just to survive against manny?

I dont think they are just star strucked by Manny's presence but rather they realized that they're in front of an unbelievable fighter that you feel so helpless and don't know what to do anymore. Just think about it! OK?

[Duke]

If the writer truly watched the fight without bias, then no amount of explanation can change his mind that Pacquiao is "not the real thing" in boxing now and maybe the next 50 years. All I can say is, Pacquiao is now the greatest. He may not be the boxing God without flaws, but right now, he is beating everybody crossing his path and that will include Mosley and Floyd, if dare to do so. I'm just living and enjoying history in the making.

[anton]

QUOTE: "But even an overly cautious Clottey showed Pacquiao lacks some key skills. Like a tight defense." Why in the world would you mount a TIGHT DEFENCE against an enemy that doesn't shoot????? That's a waste of opportunity to defend against nothing? OK, Clottey was able to sneak in a few punches and left a welt under Pacquiao's eye, but isn't that supposed to happen against a tougher and bigger and rated fighter in Clottey? It's as if everybody wants Pacquiao to be perfect and, if not, he didn't perform as expected. I think the writer is more convinced of Mayweather having won a one-sided fight against a smaller, weaker, unrated and bloated Marquez who was even bribed with $600K just to act as a loser than Paccquiao's one-sided win against a much bigger, much tougher legitr welterweight in Clottey. Wake Up!!!

[Runner]

Pacquiao allowed Clottey to punch him to bait him to open up which never happened. Roach was also saying that Pacquiao's defence was very poor but that was because Clottey maintained his defensive stance all through out the fight. It would have been different if Clottey attacked and we would have seen Pacquiao's defence in action, but going toe to toe against Pacquiao will be suicidal and Clottey knew it, he was in the receiving end of those punches. You can't compare Pacquiao's style in fighting Clottey to Mosley Or Mayweather. But one thing is for sure, Pacquiao can take a punch from a true ig welterweight.

[Roland]

The writer got it all wrong about Pacquiao's lack of defense. With Clottey covering up and not willing to take the needed chances to score more and hopefully win, and with Manny's willingness to be open and get hit (trust me on this, as he trained to withstand punishments as well), Pacquiao, with the supreme confidence that he could duke it out with anybody, will win against anybody out there. He has gotten to a new level that only those who sacrifice so much to be successful can understand. He might have let his guard down, knowingly or not, but couldn't you tell that he had the skills and brains to adjust and at the same time give a great show? I don't like to put him on a pedestal but the guy obviously didn't mind getting hit, knowing he would best Clottey after the first two or three rounds. I saw him as a soldier well-prepared to battle and be victorious. If Clottey had been more agressive, he would have been knocked down and most likely out as multiple blows to the head, which boxers mostly aim for, would have been too much for him to withstand. As strong as he was and as much as he said he didn't get hurt by Manny, I wasn't fooled at all. He did get hurt, if not he would have won more rounds and possibly even the fight. His brain was jarred so many times, he probably was dazed most of the times and so he didn't have any choice but to play it safe (so as not to fall) and just keep his shell stance while recovering from those blows as he snuck in a jab or two when his head would be clear up enough.

It's not rocket science to analyze people when one is careful in weighing things. Yet it's always a breath of fresh air when anyone gets it right. So, Mr. Writer, gain more wisdom so you'll gain more fans as well.

[jamesyboy]

Mr. Campbell, you obviously do not understand boxing. The only times that Clottey hit Pacman is when "Pacman offered to stand straight up and baited Clottey to exchange". In other words, PACMAN wanted to get hit to give Clottey the confidence to fight. The only way to knock Clottey out is when he is fighting instead of just covering. As far as damage, yes, you wouldn't see the effect of those kidney punches until you watch Clottey piss blood for the next three days. If Pacquiao fights Mayweather, it will be the same boring result. Mayweather covering with his gloves and shoulders while PACMAN hammers him for twelve rounds.

[Mark]

Floyd would duck and weave to avoid getting hit, whereas Clottey was stationary and all covered up.

Poor comparison you used in your article, Morgan. I pity you.

[Dennis Reyes]

Thank you for your observation of the fight between Clottey-Pacquiao. But your latter part on how will Pacquiao matched up against Mosley and Mayweather does not hold up. Pacquiao is not a legitimate welterweight, this is only his 3rd fight in this division. Clottey, Mosley and Mayweather have been fighting for years as WW. What Pacquiao has shown is that he can absorb the power of this legitimate WW. He may be bruised and battered but this is because he fought as a warrior and did not hide like a turtle inside his shell as what Clottey did. Mayweather or Mosley are all skillful but have not faced any boxer who throws bunches and bunches of punches from all angles. Pacquiao work rate is incomparable. In boxing, defense not win fight. You can run but you cant hide specially from Hurricane Pacquiao.

You given Manny the credit for winning the fight against Clottey but at the end ,you critized him for his achievement.

[Nicoloas Borja II]

What everybody failed to realize is that Pacquiao threw 1236 punches and landed 246, "He did not miss 800+ punches, Clottey just blocked a lot of em". Clottey had 2 hands in front of his face and body, Mayweather will employ the shoulder roll, Pacquiao won't miss his head, Mayweather can't block and dodge a 100+ punches per round. If Clottey let his hands go, he would have been pummeled by those punches, many of those bombs would hit him. It's different in training when you got headgear to cushion the blows and different when you feel the punches coming without em, Clottey was just overwhelmed by the sheer volume and hardness of Pacquiao's punches so he decided to just survive, what else can he do? He can't dodge the punches coz it's to damn fast, how can you counter if you're blocking to protect your self?

[hawkeye]

this writer is clearly blinded by his hate of the great pacquiao who would give gayweather his worst beating. this is the most moronic article i've read about the pac-clottey fight. not only the writer showed his bias and lie. it also showed his inability to analyse and asses a great boxing match.

[run run]

mr. writer, with all due respect, this article is neither here nor there. and your analysis are mostly wrong. if it was Floyd standing there, he would have not lasted 6 rounds and no way Floyd's gonna stand in front of Pacman. he would run around like a scared kid and that's worse coz he wouldnt mark Pac's face like Josh did. And Shane doesnt cover up so before he even lands his punches, Pac's punches will get there. You couldnt ask for anymore improvement from Pac Mr writer, coz no one's better than him right now, overall! understand?

[reggie]

are you kidding me? castillo almost beat floyd with a fraction of the pressure pacman would give him! Floyd doesn't punch enough, and he lacks the power and is way to conservative to beat manny. Brains and no heart? that statement shows you have no knowledge of the sport. I've read your articles and its clear that you think mayweather should be having more spotlight then pacquiao. you don't really hide it well. come'on man join the rest of the world, pacman is the best right now!

[musicalgenius]

Here we go again with this drug testing. Why it's so hard for you people out there to accept that Manny will take the drug test but not to the Commission of Mayweather? Why can't we stick and follow the rules? It's not Floyd who is the governing body of drug testing neither has the authority to subject anybody according to his demands. Let's put it this way, if Floyd is a writer like you and both of you are the only remaining contestants left entering the Championship rounds of a Writing Contest and then Floyd demands that before you take that contest, you have to prove to him that you are an eligible writer and you have to provide to him your credentials by taking first a writing test before you can face him, wouldn't that be an insult to your part at the same time insulting the proper authority of administering the said test?

Come on guys, you try to put your self on Manny's shoes. Don't be naived.

[boyarate]

a win is a win. Pacquiao didnt get his ass kicked by having just a welt. rocking the opponent with hooks to the side of the head wouldnt really have visible results. its just because all clottey threw were straigths to that eye. pacquiao on the other hand, threw hooks to the side of the face. which in fact, tells a lot on how he adjusted to clottey's tight defense in the middle. how in the world would you make a mark on the face of clottey then? if clottey had engaged him more, im sure that face would have looked worse, but hooks are the only way to go with his defense.

let me ask this, if clottey's defense allows him to block most shots to the middle of the head and body, and partially block most hooks to the head and body, and add to that his non-engagement through out the fight (or maybe pacquiao really just didnt give him much chance to engage, which is a good strategy, if you asked me, best defense is offense), how would you ask a fighter to fight him or 'adjust' to that? eh? i say, pacquiao, got that 'adjustment' down. nobody he fought, got him to throw so little.

[aymokay]

I'm Filipino and I agree with the author's observations. Manny had some lapses in his defense against Clottey. Although Manny has an iron chin as now proven, he should not rely that he can withstand the punches he will receive from his opponents. But knowing Roach, I am sure he already noted this observation, and we can expect a better Manny in terms of defense the next time he fights.

[boyarate]

@Jason Abelson - thats because you were brainwashed by mayweather to think that. but his refusal to that particular test, (ignoring all other pathetic excuses by team pacquiao like that scared of needles thing) is perfectly justified, especially with the fights magnitude. mayweather would want to win it by having all the advantages, pacquiao will try that too. one of pacquiao's advantage is his power, and if theres even a chance of that dimishing at fight night because of the test even if pshycological only, then its not wise to do. besides, just because mayweather admits that he himself cannot do what pacquiao has done without resorting to drugs, doesnt mean noone can do it. or do you really agree with mayweather?

oh, and i suggest reading this, http://www.boxingnews24.com/2010/02/blood-vs-urine-the-truth-about-peds/#more-23429 to shed light on the better testing method.