Why Joshua Clottey Has No Chance Against Manny Pacquiao

I like Joshua Clottey (in fact, he's one of my 'friends' on Facebook). He's a hard working, tough, athletic fighter out of Ghana. If you've been watching the HBO series, you probably know that Ghana is known for turning out boxers—a tradition derived from fisherman duking it up on the beach for extra coins.

Clottey should have been given the decision against Miguel Cotto in his last fight. He had Cotto beat by the ninth round and let Cotto stay in the fight just enough to warrant a decision.

On paper, there's absolutely no reason to take Clottey lightly.

He's experienced, he's fought world-class opponents, he's a tremendous athlete.

Most would give him atleast a puncher's chance against Manny Pacquiao.

I don't.

I keep looking at ways for Clottey to beat Pacquiao, and I just can't come up with one other than Manny slipping on a wet floor and knocking himself unconscious. 

The first problem is Pacquiao.

The man just doesn't have a lot of weaknesses:

Athletic: Check

Phenomenal Footwork: Check

Tremendous Hand Quickness: Check

Knockout Punching Power: Check

Good Chin: Check

Exceptional Head Movement: Check

Multiple Offensive Weapons: Double Check

What do you do with a guy like that?

I would say that Clottey is going to go in as the bigger man, and he will, and that's usually a very good thing.

A very good thing.

Bigger fighters have a way of winning fights.

The problem is that Pacquiao is so darn quick, and has such excellent ring generalship, he won't let Clottey pressure him.

But the real issue I see with this fight is a simple one.

Clottey's training situation an absolute mess.

His trainer, Godwin Kotey, was not able to obtain a visa to the US.

Clottey didn't want to train with someone who couldn't be in his corner—enter Lenny De Jesus.

De Jesus, a 64 year old trainer who was Clottey's cut man.

Five years ago he was Pacquiao's cut man.

Apparently this makes him an expert.

Watching video of De Jesus, he looks like a man completely out of his element.

For instance, when asked if he watched tape of Pacquiao, he replied, "I don't need to watch tape of Pacquiao, I know everything about him."

What?

Pacquiao is a completely different fighter than he was five years ago.

Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's trainer, and Four Time Trainer of the Year (including 2009), watches video religiously of Pacquiao's opponents.

It was De Jesus's entire attitude that has me worried. I've been around guys like him at the gym. They've been around forever, but they don't know how to train a fighter or win a fight. They don't know how to study an opponent.

They give out very vague advise such as, "Keep your left up, you've got him, keep working hard."

Gosh, thanks, I never thought to keep working hard.

I don't care what anyone says, a trainer is a huge part of any boxer's success.

He helps prepare the fighter, gives him a game-plan for winning, and gets the fighter at an absolute peak on the day of the fight—not one day before or after.

I don't see any of that in De Jesus.

Moreover, a good trainer can provide confidence to his fighter in the corner during the fight, he can act as a calming presence.

De Jesus looks anything but calm.

Add to the fact that I think Pacquiao is pissed off, really pissed off, over the whole Mayweather fiasco.

He's hungry, he has something to prove.

My prediction is a Pacquiao knockout in the ninth or tenth round. Clottey is a game fighter, and it won't be an easy fight for Pacquiao, but I just don't see how Clottey can win this one.