Pacman gears up for tough fight vs Clottey

Top Rank chairman Bob Arum thinks Joshua Clottey will be a more difficult opponent for Manny Pacquiao than Miguel Cotto did four months. "This fight’s gonna be harder than the Cotto fight," said the veteran boxing promoter, who came all the way from his cozy Top Rank office in Las Vegas to attend Pacquiao’s media day workout at the Wildcard gym in Hollywood on Wednesday. "Why? Because Clottey is more durable than Cotto," explaining that the Puerto Rican’s durability has been questionable since losing to Antonio Margarito two years ago for the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight crown and then later, struggling off with a win over Clottey. "Had Cotto put pressure on him (Margarito), he could have won that fight," Arum recalled. The 31-year old Pacquiao hacked out a 12-round stoppage over the Puerto Rican to wrest the WBO 147-pound title belt in a match where the Filipino suffered a swollen right hand, a deep gash under his left eye and a broken right eardrum. Prior to that November meeting with the Pacman, Cotto retained his WBO crown at the expense of Clottey by way of a controversial split decision which many believed the fighter from Ghana won.

For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV And so Arum believes this one’s not going to be a picnic for Pacquiao as what many people believe it would be. The 77-year old Harvard educated boxing official admitted Clottey being the "bigger and stronger fighter, although Pacquiao is the much better and smarter athlete." Still, it would take a lot for the current pound-for-pound fighter in the world to get past his 32-year old challenger. The truth is, Arum is not even convinced Pacquiao would be able to knock Clottey out. "It’s gonna take all that. Manny has to beat Clottey, no less knock him out," said the Top Rank chairman. "I would be much more surprised if Manny knocks him out. I look for this to be a distance fight. I don’t know how you knock Clottey out." – GMANews.TV