Maybe size does matter; pacquiao's lawyer requests 145 catchweight?

hello guys, I found this article on fight hype and I think we should discuss it... MAYBE SIZE DOES MATTER; PACQUIAO'S LAWYER REQUESTS 145 CATCHWEIGHT? By Ben Thompson | January 12, 2010 Despite trainer Freddie Roach and promoter Bob Arum declaring no need for a catchweight in Manny Pacquiao's upcoming March 13th welterweight title defense against Joshua Clottey, apparently there's been a change of plans. According to Pacquiao's lawyer, Jeng Gacal, the WBO champion will indeed request his challenger to meet him at a weight south of the 147-pound limit. "We will push for the 145 catchweight," he would tell ABS-CBN as he revealed the deal is virtually done except for the matter of the weight. This latest news is in direct contradiction to what nearly everyone else in Team Pacquiao has been stating. Speaking to FightHype's own OnTheGrind Boxing Team, trainer Freddie Roach originally revealed that the fight would "be at 147" and "there's no catchweight." Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum confirmed the news, stating "there's going to be no catchweight on this one." Even Pacquiao's advisor, Michael Koncz, would change his story, first saying that there was a catchweight of 144 pounds only to correct himself later stating there was no catchweight after all. Either Pacquiao's lawyer didn't get the memo or he is indeed asking for Clottey to suck down in weight as Gacal made a point to remind everyone that Clottey, like Cotto, is naturally bigger. In all fairness to Pacquiao, Clottey is the naturally bigger man. Of course, in all fairness to Clottey, the man already has a hard time making weight and hasn't seen 145 in nearly 4 years. That being said, Clottey would likely oblige the pound-for-pound champion if he does indeed want the fight to take place at 145 pounds. After all, this will be Clottey's biggest payday ever, so rest assured, he'd cut off whatever limb is necessary in order to make the weight. Hopefully, this is just a case of bad communication and Gacal is the only one who's not on the right page. What are you guys thoughts about this? I know that Roach and Arum and Clottey's people said it would be at 147, and that was mentioned in the article, but why would his lawyer come out and echoed what his advisor did a few days ago? Hopefully, this makes for good discussion.

Comments (20)

Clottey and his team aren't playing their cards right ....... Pac needs this fight to deflect the Mayweather debacle. So, Clottey should play a little hardball to either get a much higher percentage or a 147lb fight. At this stage .... someone has to tell Team Pacman to stop all the prima donna Bullsh*t and not only make the negotiations a little more balanced but also share the wealth. Arum f*cked over Cotto and now he's going to f*ck over Clottey .... since Pacman is the only cash-cow in his stable.

16y ago

p4pchamp8077

Yeah they're super shady by beating the **** out of everyone. Good thing we have your analysis to keep us smart. :peeright: Lots of quoted lairs in that camp; shady indeed.

16y ago

Carpe_Diem

16y ago

Boxing_Scene

Pacman is a fraud if this happens. Funny how there is always conflicting reports out of Team Pacman. They run a quite the shady team over there. Yeah they're super shady by beating the **** out of everyone. Good thing we have your analysis to keep us smart. :peeright:

16y ago

Boxing_Scene

If this fight is anything less then 147..then its just as bad as Nate Campbell. Nate Campbell is a ****ing lightweight. BAD BAD ANALOGY.

16y ago

BennyST

I know this has been discussed before, but, the simple fact is that Clottey actually won't be able to make 145. He simply can't make it anymore. He was able to a long time ago but not anymore. It would be no different than asking Pac to go back down to 126/130 and fight one of the top guys there. He just couldn't do it. Now, you might think "But Clottey has to only go two pounds down. 130 is going twelve pounds for Pacman!", which is right and yet he made 130 only a year and a half ago. Clottey hasn't been able to make 145 for literally four years and, get this, before that hadn't made less than 147 in seven years. He struggled to make 147 in his last fight against Cotto. His biggest fight ever. In his previous biggest fights he had easily been able to make weight but he is not 25 anymore. Seriously, if they make him go for 145, not only is Pac on Roids, but he and his team are a bunch of slime sucking, piece of shit mutha****as. How is Clottey too big, when Pac just beat Cotto (while Clottey lost to him) and Cotto is basically the same size as Clottey. Cotto is one inch shorter Clottey and weighs in just as much and Pac didn't look anything like a midget compared to Cotto. In fact, he looked the same size.....Because he basically is! He's only half an inch shorter than Cotto, one and a half inches shorter than Clottey, and despite what everyone says Clottey has never weighed in near 170 as a WW. Pac will come in at one and a half inches shorter and about six pounds lighter going from records. In all reality, people are horribly fooled into thinking Pac is some kind of small guy going up against huge monsters! Look at the Pac/Cotto fight. They were as big as each other! If Cotto beat Clottey and Pac knocked out Cotto, what's the problem? If they make it a catchweight, which I don't think they'll do, it will be as big a disgrace as Money Mai trying to fight Mathew Hatton or 40 year old Campbell.

16y ago

2501

If this fight is anything less then 147..then its just as bad as Nate Campbell. haha not really.

16y ago

S_H_A_R_K_B_O_Y

I believe that the general consensus is that Manny has settled into the division well.

16y ago

p4pchamp8077

Pacman is a fraud if this happens. Funny how there is always conflicting reports out of Team Pacman. They run a quite the shady team over there.

16y ago

Michael_Hall

why don't pacquiao just move down to 140 and make a fight with tim bradley? it's obvious he doesn't want to fight true welterweights.

16y ago

IMDAZED

Im dazed can I use this post to start a thread I dont have an issue with it.

16y ago

Michael_Hall

It's for the world mannyweight championship, of course it's at 145. LMAOOO @ mannyweight championship. Very clever. Pac and Mayweather are both starting to annoy me.

16y ago

VWEBB

that lawyer is a d!ckhead. He has been in the past, and he is showing the same again now. He should be asswh@pped for even using the catchweight strategy. What's his excuse for a catchweight? Pacquiao has settled well in the division. I think all boxing heads know the bolded part of your statement.

16y ago

al22tec

16y ago

S_H_A_R_K_B_O_Y

I don't see how Josh will be able to make it down to 145. Dude is a big guy. IMDAZED, I noticed what you said about the weigh-in, that is crazy. Maybe 154 will be better for him and healthier for him too.

16y ago

Telepath

Aren't people going to start saying the same thing as with Cotto... "It's only 2 pounds"? Bloody punks.

16y ago

k1t3

It's for the world mannyweight championship, of course it's at 145.

16y ago

IMDAZED

This will be Clotteys first mega pay day, im sure he will try and risk it. He would kill himself to do that. Really, really bad. i stood right next to the fighters at the Cotto-Clottey weigh-in. Cotto made 146 no sweat - was standing, chatting, clearly in great shape. Clottey immediately plopped his a** down and swallowed bottle after bottle of pedialyte. For at least 15-20 minutes. It was scary. The guy belongs at 154 (he's fought there several times before) and can barely make welter. 145? Not a chance.

16y ago

Telepath

What a bunch of goddamn cowards...

16y ago

ThunderWolf

I think it is too late to cancel this fight, the best the team can offer for Clottey to accept catchweight is to increase his percentage.

16y ago