{"id":1493,"date":"2010-03-08T00:03:55","date_gmt":"2010-03-08T05:03:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ringsidereport.com\/?p=1493"},"modified":"2026-03-31T14:18:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T19:18:10","slug":"brian%e2%80%99s-boxing-mailbag-gearing-up-for-manny-pacquiao-vs-joshua-clottey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=1493","title":{"rendered":"Brian\u2019s Boxing Mailbag (Gearing Up For Manny Pacquiao Vs Joshua Clottey)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1545664804358300\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block; text-align: center;\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1545664804358300\" data-ad-slot=\"8616314829\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong><a rel=\"http:\/\/www.ringsidereport.com\/?p=1493\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ringsidereport.com\/?p=1493\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-475\" style=\"margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px;\" title=\"brianbogxingbagheader\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ringsidereport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/brianbogxingbagheader.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"232\" height=\"169\" \/><\/a>By Brian Wilbur<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Hello and welcome faithful RSR readers to my boxing mailbag.\u00a0 Lately the boxing game has been a bit flat, with a long gap in between major fights.\u00a0 The fight game comes back with a mighty roar next weekend with the return of boxing biggest star, Manny Pacquiao.\u00a0 Pacquiao will be defending the WBO Welterweight title that he won from Miguel Cotto against top contender Joshua Clottey.\u00a0 As solid and intriguing as this fight is, it was a consolation fight because the super fight against Floyd Mayweather fell through.\u00a0 Cowboys Stadium in Arlington will be the site of this Championship battle.<\/p>\n<p>I am glad to see that Pacquiao continually seeks out the best opponents who are willing to fight him.\u00a0 Clottey is one of those fighters who is frequently avoided because his skills far exceed his marketability.\u00a0 Arum must have figured that Pacquiao has enough marketability for the both of them.<\/p>\n<p>I am also glad to see a major fight that is going to be held at a football stadium, to be attended by real fans instead of ending up at a Las Vegas casino.\u00a0 Pacquiao vs. Clottey is going to be a rare treat for boxing fans in Arlington and the surrounding areas in Texas.\u00a0 This time, real fans will be able to buy tickets instead of all of the tickets being bought by the casinos and given to high rollers.<\/p>\n<p>As many aspects as this fight that has hardcore fans excited, one still has to admit that Pacquiao vs. Clottey is a letdown for two reasons.\u00a0 First, everyone was expecting the best case scenario of Pacquiao vs. Mayweather.\u00a0 Second, Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto was a bigger event than Pacquiao vs. Clottey because Cotto was a big marketable name.\u00a0 These types of letdown fights are dangerous for the top dog.\u00a0 Pacquiao clearly is the favorite, but he has to be prepared mentally and physically or he could let one slip by.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Pacquiao has effectively dealt with potential let down situations in the past.\u00a0 Word from his training camp is positive and that Manny is in great shape.\u00a0 Freddie Roach is confident as always, predicting a knockout win.\u00a0 Is Pacquiao letdown proof?\u00a0 We\u2019ll find out Saturday.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>We move onto the mailbag this week which includes my take on how the Pacquiao vs. Clottey fight will play out, my take on the quality of the undercard, some mythical matchups, and a few other topics.\u00a0 Enjoy!\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Clottey\/Pacquiao Undercard<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Yo Brian,<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>I respect your opinion when it comes to pay per view undercards.\u00a0 Mainly because you always talk (censored) about them so I know you aren\u2019t in the pocket of the promoters, hyping up crappy undercards like a yes-man, just like almost every other boxing website.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>So be real with me.\u00a0 Is this undercard going to be any good?\u00a0 I ask because I am deciding whether or not I want to buy this fight since I\u2019m not sold on the main event, meaning I\u2019m not all that interested in Clottey.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Let me know,<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>-Grawg69<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Grawg69,<\/p>\n<p>I appreciate you complimenting my journalistic integrity.\u00a0 I make it my duty to be honest to my readers and point out the garbage when I see it.\u00a0 And yes, 95% of the PPV undercards that HBO has been churning out lately are disgustingly bad.\u00a0 Even for marquee events, like Pacquiao fights, instead of taking advantage of the spotlight to showcase the best of boxing, they give us nothing.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Manny Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey undercard is as follows:<\/p>\n<p>Humberto Soto vs. David Diaz<br \/>\nAlfonso Gomez vs. Jose Luis Castillo<br \/>\nJohn Duddy vs. Michael Medina<\/p>\n<p>My verdict: not bad actually.\u00a0 This undercard does not make me want to do back flips in anticipation, but does enhance the card and is one of the better undercards in recent years.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Soto vs. Diaz is between two world rated lightweights who most boxing fans should be familiar with.\u00a0 Soto has been a staple of Top Rank undercards for a while now and at one point was being touted as a potential Pacquiao opponent.\u00a0 Diaz actually was a former Pacquiao opponent and a former World Champion.\u00a0 Diaz is trying to win back the WBC Lightweight title that he lost to Manny, since this match is for the vacant belt.\u00a0 My prediction: I think Humberto Soto\u2019s edge in boxing skills gives him enough to win a close decision after a couple rough rounds against the hard-hitting Diaz.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Gomez vs. Castillo is an interesting crossroads bout.\u00a0 Gomez has had a charmed career thus far despite modest skills because he was a fan favorite on \u201cThe Contender\u201d the TV show.\u00a0 He has been matched favorable, most notably when he was given a shot against the badly faded former champion and super star Arturo Gatti.\u00a0 He is matched up against another badly faded former champion in Castillo.\u00a0 This should be a war while it lasts because of the fighting style of both men.\u00a0 I am curious for this one only because I want to see how much Castillo (a favorite of mine) has left in the tank.\u00a0 My guess is that he doesn\u2019t have much and is stopped by Gomez, further (and artificially) inflating the reputation of Gomez.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Duddy vs. Medina, which will likely open the telecast, features John Duddy, who has a huge fan base in the Irish community despite, well\u2026not being that good of a fighter.\u00a0 To his credit, Duddy is an exciting action brawler who is very fun to watch.\u00a0 I don\u2019t ever see him becoming a world champion but that doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t enjoy one of his fights.\u00a0 He is matched pretty tough here, going against Medina, a 23 year old hard hitting prospect from Mexico.\u00a0 I saw Duddy lose to a lesser opponent in Billy Lyell so I will predict a Medina victory, disappointing the enthusiastic Duddy fans.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, I recommend buying this card because at least Bob Arum is trying this time.\u00a0 You have a world title bout between two recognizable names, a crossroads fight between two recognizable names, and a fan favorite is being matched tough.\u00a0 Again, this is much better than the undercard fodder that fans have been treated to recently so the prelim fights for Pacquiao vs. Clottey have my seal of approval.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><strong>Intriguing Fantasy Bouts: Prime vs. Prime<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dear Brian,<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>I pretty much agree in your views\/answers in my email\/question that was posted in your last mailbag.\u00a0 Your only takes on my proposed mythical match ups that I do not completely agree with is I do not think a prime Roy Jones would be stopped by Evander Holyfield, but he would take a beating there.\u00a0 Also, I felt that Zab Judah just needs his mental mindset in order to frustrate Ricky Hatton and take a comfortable unanimous decision.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>I would like to ask for you views on a new set of match-ups:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Nonito Donaire vs. Hozumi Hasegawa<br \/>\nJuanma Lopez vs. Yuriorkis Gamboa<br \/>\nPaul Williams vs. Mikkel Kessler at 168<br \/>\nDavid Haye vs. Tomasz Adamek at heavyweight<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Thanks and more power!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>-Asero<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Asero,<\/p>\n<p>Zab Judah finding a sound mental mindset?\u00a0 That sentence doesn\u2019t look right!\u00a0 He&#8217;s way too inconsistent for me to count on him in a big fight.\u00a0<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nHere are my takes on the next crop of fights:<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nNonito Donaire vs. Hozumi Hasegawa &#8211; I have only seen a few fights from Hasegawa since his fights are only televised in Asia.\u00a0 I&#8217;m not sure that I can make an accurate prediction for this one based on my limited knowledge of him.\u00a0 However he is clearly a world class fighter and one of the best bantamweights in the world.\u00a0 Donaire would have his hands full against a more experienced champion.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>On a side note, I was elated to read that Hozumi Hasegawa signed to take on Fernando Montiel.\u00a0 Usually Asian World Champions are content to defend their belts against mandatory challengers and regional foes.\u00a0 Montiel is also a World Champion and one of the elite in the bantamweight division.\u00a0 I commend both fighters for making a great fight in a weight class where the best almost never fight each other.\u00a0 That bout is set to take place April 30th in Japan.\u00a0<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nJuan Manuel Lopez vs. Yuriorkis Gamboa &#8211; I&#8217;ll take Lopez by KO because of his calmer temperament.\u00a0 Gamboa always tries to swing out of his shoes trying to knock his opponent out quickly.\u00a0 Both are extremely talented and hard hitting with sound fundamentals.\u00a0 Jaunma&#8217;s wins because he takes advantage of Yuriorkis&#8217;s borderline reckless assaults.\u00a0 A quick counter punch does the trick.\u00a0<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nPaul Williams vs. Mikkel Kessler &#8211; I am leaning towards Kessler here because of his size, although Williams has a great style to defeat Mikkel.\u00a0 I could see Paul duplicating what Calzaghe did against Kessler, beating him with a volume of punches and using angles.\u00a0 Kessler, even with his good jab and impressive strength, is rigid and stiff so he can be out-boxed.\u00a0 This is an intriguing matchup but I go with Kessler to win, only because I respect his ability enough to think he could make use of his large size advantage.\u00a0 How Williams would be able to carry the extra weight and how Kessler does against Carl Froch could change my opinion.\u00a0<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nDavid Haye vs. Tomasz Adamek &#8211; This would be a lot closer than most people would think since I am still not 100% convinced\u00a0that David Haye is as good as his English fans think he is.\u00a0 Haye could potentially have some stamina issues and he is not the most fundamentally sound boxer.\u00a0 Adamek is a warrior with good all around skills.\u00a0 I&#8217;ll take Haye to win in a shoot out, although I would not be surprised by a late round collapse by Haye, allowing Adamek to walk away with a hard earned win.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ranking Pacquiao and Predicting Upcoming Bouts (Includes My Pacquiao vs. Clottey Pick)<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nHi Brian,<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>I haven\u2019t been writing in your mailbag lately (though I continue to read weekly) because nothing seems to give me a plot in boxing in the past month aside from mismatches and more mismatches.\u00a0 I read your response about my inquiry as to where would you put Pacman in your greatest of all time list and I applaud you having the guts putting Manny Pacquaio in the top 20 all time range.\u00a0 That is an incredible achievement for a still active boxer.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>However, I am sneaky intrigued about if you placed Pacman ahead or below Julio Cesar Chavez.\u00a0 Who is higher on your list of all time great pound for pound boxers: Pacquiao or Chavez?<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nBy the way what would be your analysis and prediction on the coming Manny Pacquaio vs, Joshua Clottey fight?\u00a0 How about Arthur Abraham vs. Andre Dirrell?\u00a0 Chris Arreola vs. Tomasz Ademek?\u00a0 Carl Froch vs. Mikkel Kessler?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Never mind Floyd \u201cMoney\u201d Mayweather vs. Shane Mosley since I believed, like you, that Mosley is tailored made for Money and has no chance.\u00a0 I am excited somehow that after three months hiatus, boxing will be in full blast in the succeeding month.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Thanks,<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\n-Sam<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sam,<\/p>\n<p>Thanks for writing in again Sam.\u00a0 Wow, Pacquiao or JCC; that is a tough one.\u00a0 I had to think about this long and hard before responding.\u00a0 These two greats are neck and neck.\u00a0 I give the edge to Manny Pacquiao, meaning that I have him higher on an all time great list.\u00a0 The main reason for that ranking is that I believe that Pacquiao&#8217;s quality of opposition is slightly higher, meaning that he has the scalps of more A-listers than Chavez.\u00a0 I am a firm believer in clear wins over top notch opposition as being the main factor in determining all time great status.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Here are my quick picks for the upcoming fights that you mention:<\/p>\n<p>Manny Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey &#8211; You have to go with Pacquiao here.\u00a0 He is the hot commodity right now and Clottey tends to let close fights slip out of his hands due to lack of aggression.\u00a0 However I would not be surprised at an upset because Clottey is in terrific shape and has all the talent in the world.\u00a0 I will be watching intently and expecting anything.\u00a0 Clottey is a very good, world class opponent and as much as I like to say that this will be a competitive fight, I can\u2019t bring myself to put money on Clottey, even at +475 odds.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Arthur Abraham vs. Andre Dirrell &#8211; Perhaps the experience Dirrell gained fighting Carl Froch will help him but I don&#8217;t think that it will be enough.\u00a0 Dirrell lost to Froch and Abraham is a large step above Froch.\u00a0 I see Abraham dominating Dirrell and winning by KO because Dirrell is too green to fight his fight.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Chris Arreola vs. Tomasz Adamek &#8211; The big question here is whether or not former light heavyweight Adamek can take Arreola&#8217;s heavyweight punches.\u00a0 My guess is that he can.\u00a0 Adamek is a tough cat, and he finished on his feet against Chad Dawson despite getting pummeled.\u00a0 I take a risk and say that Tomasz is able to out box fat, sloppy Chris &#8220;I can&#8217;t believe this is the best that America has to offer&#8221; Arreola.<\/p>\n<p>Carl Froch vs. Mikkel Kessler &#8211; I was surprised how easily that Andre Ward dispatched of Kessler considering that I have always been an admirer of his.\u00a0 Only two explanations can make sense of that fight.\u00a0 Either Kessler is past his prime and will be defeated in similar fashion against Froch, or Ward is really that good and Kessler did not expect that.\u00a0 I am going to say that 30 year old Kessler still has something left in the tank and gives Froch a very tough fight, winning a close decision only because he has hometown advantage.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Pacquiao\u2019s Future at Welterweight<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>When I see Paul Williams\u00a0in the ring honing his skills, I\u00a0just can&#8217;t imagine a fighter like Manny Pacquiao coming close to beating him.\u00a0 Paul is a master boxer in his own right and he knows how to use his height and reach\u00a0very well.\u00a0 Let&#8217;s not forget this is a tall southpaw who can fight inside very well for a tall guy and from a distance.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>As for Mayweather, the guy is just great!\u00a0 We both know that styles make fights Brian, and the way Floyd fights may not be a knock down, drag out style, but he has proven that it works.\u00a0 So if you&#8217;re a trainer you would have to ask and answer the question &#8220;What would or what could work to get this guy out of his natural rhythm?&#8221;\u00a0 That&#8217;s not an easy question to answer when it comes to Mayweather because everything everyone has tried to do has not worked.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>What would Roach have Pacquiao do that would be different to disrupt Mayweather&#8217;s rhythm?\u00a0 Nothing has worked for anybody so far and I&#8217;ve seen everything from dirty fighting\u00a0to being a real crybaby thrown at this man!\u00a0 It has not worked!!! \u00a0I know the many Pacquiao fans are saying that Pacquiao would win, but I believe that&#8217;s just wishful thinking.\u00a0 The real question is what would he do different than the other guys that have faced Mayweather?\u00a0 No one has answered that question successfully so far.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>-Mark Buchanan<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Mark,<\/p>\n<p>Paul Williams is an extremely large frame and would give anyone a headache simply because he is one of a kind and you can\u2019t do much to prepare for him.\u00a0 His tough outings against Carlos Quintana and Sergio Martinez highlight his weaknesses though.\u00a0 His defense is terrible, meaning he is there to be hit.\u00a0 That does not bode well against a powerful, fast, sharp shooter like Pacquiao.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure how the fight plays out, but unlike you, I could definitely imagine a scenario where Manny wins.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As for the Mayweather fight, I don\u2019t like your argument.\u00a0 What would Pacquiao do differently than other Mayweather opponents?\u00a0 Manny brings a completely different set of skills to the table.\u00a0 He has the speed and power of Zab Judah, only he is infinitely more mentally stable than Judah, has better endurance, is a better boxer, and uses more angles.\u00a0 Mayweather would be in against an entirely different beast compared to his previous opponents if he fights Pacquiao.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Now don\u2019t misinterpret me now.\u00a0 My prediction for Mayweather vs. Pacquiao if it ever happens is a Mayweather decision and that is what it has always been.\u00a0 My objection with your logic is that you paint Mayweather out to be this unsolvable riddle and that Pacquiao couldn\u2019t possibly do anything to beat Mayweather that Floyd\u2019s previous opponents haven\u2019t already tried.\u00a0 I don\u2019t buy that for a minute.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>We are getting ahead ourselves though.\u00a0 Pacquiao and Mayweather both have scheduled fights that they have to win before Mayweather vs. Pacquiao can even be a possibility.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Wilbur Affecting the Odds<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Brian,<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>In a couple of your recent mailbags and emails you stated that you thought Floyd Mayweather was going to beat Shane Mosley, that Mosley would be lucky to land even a meaningful punch let alone a round, that Mayweather beats this version of Mosley 100 times if they fight 100 times.\u00a0 Those are bold words considering Shane Mosley\u2019s status as the #3 ranked welterweight in the world.\u00a0 At the time you said that the betting odds were about 3 to 1 or 2.5 to 1 with Mayweather as the favorite.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Since then the odds have shifted even more skewed with Mayweather being almost a 4 to 1 favorite.\u00a0 Wow!\u00a0 That is a big shift I would say.\u00a0 Did you have anything to do with those odds being shifted you think?\u00a0 I mean, did people read your column, take your advice, and bet the mortgage on Mayweather?\u00a0 If so, your column has an even bigger impact than I could have imagined!\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>-Richard<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Richard,<\/p>\n<p>I also noticed the movement of the betting lines making it harder to make money on a Mayweather win.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think my column had much to do with it though!\u00a0 I am humbled if it did.\u00a0 The real reason, I think, that the line moved so much is that the \u201csmart\u201d money, or professional gamblers who know the game inside and out, agree with my take on Mayweather vs. Mosley.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I mean, I don\u2019t see how anyone could pick Mosley here looking at all of the factors.\u00a0 Clearly Mosley is a quality opponent and belongs in the ring with any welterweight in the world so this is no knock on Floyd\u2019s opponent choice.\u00a0 Merit does not win a fight though.\u00a0 Styles make fights and Mayweather has the perfect style.\u00a0 Look at Mosley\u2019s losses and struggles and always it was against a stick and move type opponent.\u00a0 Mayweather can box, stick and move, and fight a defensive fight even better than the guys who schooled Mosley.\u00a0 This is going to be a no contest.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I will end it here folks.\u00a0 I look forward to reading your emails.\u00a0 Enjoy the fights!<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Shirley Jones  (The Jones Girls &amp; Solo)  360 Conversation: Music, Hits, Trump, Humanity, &amp; More...\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" 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