Manny Pacquiao may prefer to be fighting Floyd Mayweather Jr. but he will have to make due going against Joshua Clottey on Saturday. Pacquiao defends his welterweight title against Clottey at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Pacquiao is a 6-1 favorite in boxing odds at SBG Global. The rounds option is listed at 9.5 with the over at -185.
Not many people are giving Clottey much of a chance in this fight but Clottey believes he can outmuscle Pacquiao. “Pacquiao throws more than a thousand punches and I’ll block most of them,” Clottey said, “I only throw a few, but those punches will land and those punches will hurt.”
Whether Clottey will be able to land many punches is in question considering Pacquiao’s speed and footwork. The other problem Clottey will have is avoiding Pacquiao’s power. The one thing Clottey does have going for him is the anonymity factor. Not many people know a lot about him and he may use that to his advantage. Clottey is likely to fight a defensive fight and look to land a big shot. The problem with that strategy is that he can’t win that way if the fight goes to a decision. Pacquiao will be seen as the aggressor throughout the fight odds and the aggressor usally wins unless he gets knocked out. Clottey is also known for doing whatever it takes to win so it would not be a shock to see some holding, head butting and hitting below the belt in this fight. Clottey has drawn blood from a lot of his opponents in the past. Usually that is not done with his power though. It usually happens in some other way. Clottey only has one knockout in his last 11 fights.
Boxing odds heavily favor Pacquiao and if you listen to Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach you would think they should be higher. He has said that Clottey has no chance of winning. “I’ve seen tapes of him (Clottey). He’s not good. He’s not good. He’s got no chance,” Roach said. “Manny’s going to knock him out.” Considering those comments perhaps Pacquiao will get some attention in the odds for a knockout. Instead of laying 6-1 to win the fight, the odds on Pacquiao winning by knockout are about 8-5.
