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 Robbery,
Retirement, and the Manny Pacquiao Buzz
By Geno
McGahee
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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.
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