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Pacquiao Training Hard Before Facing Clottey
Published on February 21, 2010
MANILA, Philippines – Although boxing coach Freddie Roach is confident that Manny Pacquiao will demolish Joshua Clottey, he sees a very hard fight for both boxers.
The prized trainer said he thinks the March 13 bout between reigning World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champ Pacquiao and challenger Clottey might even turn out just like the Miguel Cotto fight last November.
“Just like the Cotto fight… the first half of the fight will be really, really hard for both guys,” Roach said in an interview with FightFan.com.
Roach, who oversees Pacquiao’s training at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, California, acknowledges Clottey’s durability.
He, however, said the Ghanaian’s defense leaves much to be desired so he expects his Filipino ward to assert himself by the middle rounds.
“We will take over in the middle or late rounds,” said Roach.
Passive defense
Roach said he has patterned some of Pacquiao’s strategies against the Ghanaian’s “amateurish” defense.
“He’s passive, he’s way too passive,” he said while describing Clottey’s defensive stance. “That works in the amateurs. There’s no counter punching in that defense. He waits for you to finish your combinations then he throws.”
