Could
be just wishful thinking to believe that Joshua Clottey will give “Canelo”
Alvarez a good fight? Most experts and fans believe it’ a mismatch and they
know it’s a tune-up fight for a big fight in 2015 vs. Miguel Cotto, who many of
the Canelo fans and the boxing media believe will defeat Cotto, or there’s also
a possibly Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. fight. “Canelo” Alvarez is 5’9” with a 70.5
reach and Clottey is 5’8” with a 70” reach both physically on paper are even but “Canelo” is a younger boxer, the
money interest is behind him, he’s will be fighting with overwhelming favorable
crowd, and very likely will have a huge weight advantage during the day of the
fight. The odds are against Clottey like many other of the “Canelo” Alvarez opponents
that have been either out of their weight class, old, and outmatched.
It’s
obvious that “Canelo” Alvarez learned nothing from the Mayweather Jr. Fight. In
his next fight vs. Erislandy Lara fight, he only landed a total of 9 jabs in a
12 round bout! It’s disgraceful to land 9 out of 183 jabs thrown, and claim to
be a boxer-puncher. That’s a sign of a slugger that can’t close the distance.
Be that as it may, that seems not be part of the famous “Reynoso’s Mexican School
of Boxing” curriculum. “Canelo” Alvarez landed
0 jabs in rounds 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, & 12 and only landed 1 jab in rounds 1, 3,
& 11. In the 2nd Round “Canelo” Alvarez landed 3 jabs & 2 jabs in the
7th round and only connected a total of 88 power punches out of 232 thrown, yet
if you examine the numbers they were 73 to the body, many which were blocked by
Lara. Canelo still does not know how to
close the distance, and repeats the same combinations, and his power is way
overrated at 154 lbs. or 160lbs. The consensus is that Clottey was picked to
make “Canelo” look like an elite boxer-puncher vs. a stationary boxer. This
will appease that “Canelo” fans after his performance vs. Lara.
Clottey is remembered by the fans for his
fights in the welterweight division, but his dismal performance vs. Manny
Pacquiao in 2010 tainted his reputation with all sorts of allegations on social
media sites. This is one of the major reasons why nobody gives him an
opportunity among many others. Joshua
Clottey holds a pro record of 38-4 (22KO) has never been KO’d, however, he will
be 37 years old at the time he faces “Canelo” Alvarez 44-1-1 (31KO) in
December. Let’s not be mistaken Clottey has faced top opposition in their prime
boxers like Antonio Margarito (2006), Diego Corrales (2007), Zab Judah (2008),
Miguel Cotto (2009), and Manny Pacquiao in 2010 before he moved up to 154 lbs. but
with only 3 fights in 4 years and a recent victory over a 39 year old Anthony
Mundine in a fight where Mundine was dropped 5 times. Not much is expected from
Clottey but for him to play the role and accept defeat.
Clottey
will not see any new skills from “Canelo” Alvarez that he hasn’t through his
career. He possesses great experience, good defense, and good power. The
problem many fans ask is will Clottey make it a fight and pull the trigger and
land on “Canelo” Alvarez? Or will he just show up hide behind his defense and
play the human piñata for 12 rounds? Team Canelo and the match makers that
picked Clottey are expecting that outcome of a passive Clottey similar to the
boxer that fought Pacquiao.
Mayweather
jr. and Erislandy Lara have made “Canelo” Alvarez look like a one dimensional
boxer with repetitive combinations, a history of bad stamina, and limited power
in his division. The biggest things are what many have failed to see is that
the blue print has been perfectly laid out to defeat “Canelo” Alvarez. What will it take for Clottey to defeat
Canelo? First of all, Clottey must show that he’s hungry to fight and redeem
himself. If Clottey can establish a strong jab behind his defense, and work
Canelo’s body early for the first 5 rounds. While “Canelo” Alvarez throws his
repetitive combinations of power punches his stamina will begin to fade around
the 5th to 6th round. This will be the key moment in
which Clottey must build the pressure when “Canelo” Alvarez begins to back
pedal against the ropes with his hands down. Basically, Clottey must bust up
and hurt Alvarez multiple times then obtain a KO or TKO. There’s no way he will
win a decision vs. Alvarez in a close fight.
If!
And only if! Clottey shows up to fight expect a controversial decision victory
for “Canelo” Alvarez that would be battered throughout the rounds and possibly
would have been dropped during the course of the fight.
