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Is it Pacquiao vs. Mayweather or Bust?

So “The Event” at Cowboy Stadium has concluded and in very non dramatic fashion. In front of a standing room only crowd of nearly 60,000 fans, Manny Pacquiao used his blazing hand speed and uncanny ability to throw extremely well placed combinations on a clearly defensive minded Clottey who simply kept his guard up. It seemed as if Clottey had no answer for the Pacquiao onslaught and simply guarded himself and hoped to go the distance.

Now that this mega fight is over, there are many thoughts in terms of what is next for the fighters and what effect this fight had on the two fighters involved. I feel that even though Clottey lost the fight, this can only help his career by making him more of a household name, but it basically did nothing positive or negative to change the career of Pacman. It served as more of just a small proving ground in the way of further speculation in terms of who Manny will fight next.

What's Next for Manny Pacquiao?

Even though Pacquiao put on yet another amazing performance against the bigger, stronger, yet overmatched Clottey, the boxing world does not seem to be basking in this impressive performance. Instead, I feel as if the general boxing public feels as if “yeah, he beat Clottey but that is expected. But when is he going to fight Mayweather?” Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has even offered to bring the potential Pacquiao vs. Mayweather mega fight to Cowboy stadium, which hosted the Pacquiao Clottey fight, which was the highest attended fight in American history. It is obvious that this is the fight the boxing world wants to see.

Pacquiao knows the potential magnitude of this fight as well and has the attitude that he will fight Mayweather when Mayweather is ready. He has already accomplished so much and proven himself and has no need to call Mayweather out. Mayweather fights Shane Moseley on May 1 which could be an interesting fight given Moseley’s success with trainer Naazim Richardson and his recent spectacular performance against Margarito. Pacquiao feels that if Moseley wins, he’ll fight Moseley, but if Mayweather wins, of course, he’ll take on Mayweather so everyone can see once and for all who is the pound for pound king of the sport.

I feel as if Mayweather vs. Pacquiao would obviously be a huge blockbuster and would make boxing history in terms of Pay per View sales and fight attendance, but there are other potentially solid matchups for Pacquiao that could be very exciting. One fighter comes to mind when I think of a good opponent for Pacquiao: Edwin Valero. Valero is 27-0 with 27 knockouts and his sheer power and aggression has proven to be too much for his opponents so far.

Fighting Pacquiao could be a good opportunity for Valero to come into a fight as the huge underdog and see if his ridiculous knockout power and overwhelming aggression could do any damage against Pacquiao. This would be a fast paced, aggressive fight filled with lightning fast combinations and excitement although Manny would be the heavy favorite. I feel like Mayweather vs. Pacquiao would be a little less exciting and more of a thinking man’s fight due to the great strategic thinking of Mayweather and the fact that Floyd does not have a style as reckless and aggressive as Valero’s.

Clottey – Making Himself a Household Name

As we all know, Joshua Clottey had no answers for Pacquiao in the ring. You’ve got to give him credit for going the distance, but the fact that he constantly had his guard up and was just trying not to get too severely hurt made for a fight that was not as interesting as some would have thought. Clottey’s sheer strength and size advantage was one factor to consider, but Pacquiao fended off any thoughts that Clottey would outmuscle him with one lightning fast flurry to the body after another.

Despite the one sidedness of the fight, I feel as if it was good for Clottey. Clottey is a former IBF champion and a top contender, having defeated quality fighters such as Diego Corrales and Zab Judah and losing to fighters of the caliber of Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto in dramatic fashion. Still, Clottey was far from a household name until this matchup with Pacquiao. Sure, he was known throughout the boxing world, but ask the casual sports fan who Joshua Clottey is, and they’d be left scratching their heads.

After all the hype surrounding Pacquiao vs. Clottey, he became more of a recognizable name and it is now no question that he is a top contender. It’s good for boxing that more quality fighters such as Joshua Clottey are gaining some notoriety among sports fans, even if it is for a loss.

In the end, Pacquiao won an extremely one sided fight, Clottey survived and gained some recognition, and talks of who Manny will fight next are in full force (although Manny currently wants to take some time to focus on his political career in the Philippines).  With all the talent associated with the Welterweight division, it should be a very interesting 2010.

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