Robbery, Retirement, and the Manny Pacquiao Buzz
By Geno McGahee
Manny Pacquiao – Joshua Clottey Creating Buzz
There are very few fighters that can capture the imagination of the public and create the excitement that Manny Pacquiao does. On March 13th, he will square off against Floyd Mayweather, JR., replacement, former IBF Welterweight Champion, Joshua Clottey in a 12 round WBO Title showdown. The steroid scandal has died down and now it’s back to business.
Joshua Clottey, 35-3, 20 KO’s, has never been stopped in his career, facing power-punchers like Miguel Cotto, Diego Corrales, and “Hands of Plaster” Antonio Margarito. His tight defense and consistency proves problematic for his opponents and if he keeps his head inside the ropes, Manny is going to have some serious problems. That is the intrigue here.
Pacquiao has to be favored and the game plan has to be to use straight punches to infiltrate the defense of Clottey. Clottey does very well fending off hooks, but the straight down the middle punches seem to be the weakness, and Manny is very good up the middle. Considering what Pacquiao did to Cotto, Ricky Hatton, and many other before them, it is likely that he has the power to hurt Clottey if he lands, but make no mistake, he’s in a real fight here on the 13th, and Clottey will be ready for the incoming.
The Pacquiao-Clottey PPV collision may give us some surprises or further cement the Filipino powerhouse as the best fighter in the game. Whatever happens, the world will be watching this fight, with the hopes that Manny pulls through and will eventually meet Floyd Mayweather, JR., inside the ring.
Robbery in Mexico
Former WBA Light Welterweight Champion, Vivian Harris had a battle with the undefeated Lucas Martin Mattheysse this past weekend. The result was a fourth round stoppage defeat for the former champion, and more evidence that his career has reached its end, but there was a protest made. Harris claimed it was a fast stoppage.
After viewing the fight on youtube, it was not just a fast stoppage, but evidence of corruption in boxing. It appears that Mattheysse, was going to win no matter what. I am not saying that the boxer or his corner was in on this, but the referee, Perez Huerta, had an agenda.
After three rounds of boxing with both men trading shots and fighting well, they would enter the fourth round. Mattheysse, the knockout puncher became more aggressive and with 2 and a half minutes gone in the round, landed a good right hand that seemed to slightly buckled Harris. Harris came forward to continue fighting and the referee jumped in the middle and began grabbing for the mouthpiece of Harris. It seemed that both fighters were confused, until Huerta waved his hands and pushed the fighter back to his corner. Mattheysse celebrated and the fight was over at 2:44 of the fourth round.
This fight should be turned into a no contest considering the flagrant misbehavior of the referee. Huerta should be banned from boxing. This is Harris’s livelihood and this fight was a joke.
Not only did the referee wrong Harris, but he also did a disservice to Mattheysse. It is likely that he would have stopped Harris, judging by the way the fight was going. He would have most likely won fair and square, but now there is much doubt and we will never know. All we know is that Huerta should never be allowed to referee another bout again and should be investigated. It is hard to watch the stoppage and find any way to justify it.
Vitali Klitschko Retiring …
The WBC Heavyweight Champion, Vitali Klitschko, has mentioned that he will retire after collecting the WBA title. This means that we should have “Dr. IronFist” for two more fights.
The first on the agenda is former 2-Time Heavyweight Champion, Nikolay Valuev, the “Russian Giant.” Most boxing fans and many that cover the sport quickly dismiss Valuev as a legitimate top heavyweight, but he is. The two defeats on his record were to David Haye and Ruslan Chagaev, both of which knew to use a lot of movement. The slow-footed Valuev does not cope well with movers, but Vitali is no mover, and this will be a competitive fight when and if it comes off.
The winner of David Haye/John Ruiz would be the next up and the final opponent for Vitali, should he get beyond Valuev. Most favor Haye to defeat Ruiz, and he most likely will take the decision. So, Vitali ekes by Valuev with a decision and Haye beats Ruiz by decision in the 116-112 range, leaving Vitali’s last fight, if everything goes according to plan.
Haye might be too small for Vitali, but the Kevin Johnson fight with the WBC Kingpin proved that he can be frustrated and his power can be nullified with the right game plan. Haye has a chance, but the odds on favorite would have to be Vitali.
The big issue with Vitali retiring, even if he were to win both the WBA and hold onto the WBC title is that the division will have yet another heavyweight leaving with titles around their waist. Lennox Lewis did the same thing when there were no more worlds left to conquer. Vitali is a victim of the modern day heavyweight. There is no big showdown that he could have to generate excitement with the American fans. He will retire and be forgotten.