Texas, USA, March 13, 2010– The Ghanaian challenger was no match for the pound for pound king on Saturday, with the much-anticipated face-off between the two boxers ending with a unanimous decision for Manny Pacquiao after 12 rounds. Dubbed as ‘The Event,” the anticipated fight was held at the Cowboy’s Stadium in Arlington, Texas, filled to the rafters with 51,000 ringside spectators and seen by millions around the world.
Joshua Clottey was adopting defensive stances early in the match to fend off even the first of the Pacman’s powerful jabs. The Filipino champ started the first round with three jabs which left Clottey adopting the turtle defense. Clotty tried to adopt an aggressive stance in the second round and tried to trap Pacquiao in the ropes but the opponent deftly moved away. Clottey kept his turtle stance for most of the rounds that followed, and for a moment Pacquiao, frustrated that Clottey was rarely throwing out punches, walked away in the fourth round, returning only with the prodding of referee Rafael Ramos.
Clottey tried to be aggressive again in round five, throwing a 1-2 before launching a jab. However, a missed right hook gave Pacquiao the chance to let out a stinging right hook of his own that sent the Ghanaian challenger retreating back to the turtle stance. In round seven, Pacquiao was seen offering his opponent opportunities to hit but Clottey was frugal with his jabs. Clottey was still on the defensive in round eight, but he did manage to throw a double right to the head before Pacquiao showered him with several punches on the body and the head. Clottey also earned a warning after hitting Pacquiao below the belt.
The boxers exchanged combination body punches in round nine, with Pacquiao delivering the bigger body punches, the last of which appeared to have jarred Clottey for a second or two. By round ten Pacqiao was sporting a welt over his right eye while Clottey had a bloodied nose. Pacquiao suddenly let fly a swift left hook that connected with Clottey’s jaw. Surprisingly, Clottey was unfazed and managed to retaliate with a big right. In the moments that followed it seemed like Clottey was inviting Pacquiao to start throwing more punches so that he can counter with hits to the head. However, Pacquiao maintained with the body punches and never allowed an opportunity for Clottey to come out with a head punch.
Clottey got his chance for head punches in the eleventh round, when the two fighters exchanged head punches. He was also able to sneak in two uppercuts, which stunned the Filipino boxer for a split second before he recovered to resume attack, chasing Clottey to the ropes.
In the final round Clottey attempted to throw some redeeming punches, chasing Pacquiao and landing a left hook before the two clashed heads for the second time. Body punches started flying again, this time fired by Clottey before Pacquiao managed to throw three body punches before circling away.
In the end the judges awarded every round to Pacquiao, although commentators say the match could have easily have had a different outcome if Clottey dropped the turtle stance and threw more punches. This was Pacquiao’ longest match yet, which is some consolation to Clottey for having lasted longer than the Pacman’s previous opponents.
