If you missed the Manny Pacquiao vs Joshua Clottey WBO welterweight title fight last night you were spared. The 12 round unanimous decision fight won by Pacquiao was a one-sided affair with the challenger Clottey giving an Oscar winning performance as a punching bag with arms raised to protect its Everlast label from getting tagged.
Yes boxing fans, this one was over after the bell rang ending round one. Whether Clottey was intimidated by Pacman's speed, was fearful of being knocked out for the first time in his career or just hoping and waiting to land a lucky punch, the boxing world will never know. What we all did learn about the chiseled boxer from Ghana is that he does not belong in the same ring as a boxer with the skills of a champion like Pacquiao.
While Manny punched away at the defensive citadel with little success, Clottey simply kept his gloves in front of his face with elbows protecting his ribs for the entiirrrred fight. Clottey did come up for air with a few left-right combinations and quick uppercuts that landed, but the champ took the blows gallantly and kept on firing back. Surprisingly Manny had a few facial bruises after the fight, but you got the impression those were more from headbutts and close clutching than from punches landed by the challenger.
When Clottey was asked after the fight why he never went on the attack he mentioned Manny's speed but really seemed unwilling or unable to answer the question truthfully.
So this fight was one to be spit out and forgotten by boxing fans as we look forward to a match that'll setup Pacquiao's much anticipated next opponent; Sugar Shane Moseley vs Floyd Merriweather, Jr..
The other winner last night was Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Texas Stadium. A crowd of 50, 994, third largest indoor crowd to watch a boxing match, showed up to bask in the new state of the art stadium. Every time I see those colossal flat screens hanging 50ft above that stadium floor I dream of a new Raiders facility. I can only imagine how the frustrated spectators last night felt, having 12 rounds to sit and take in all the extremities of Texas Stadium with few distractions from Catatonic Clottey; "at least were not watching it at candlestick!"
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