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By Lee Groves - As boxing fans, we admire the array of physical skills the very best fighters show. Some of those will be on display when pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao fights Joshua Clottey Saturday at Cowboys Stadium.
The match pits Pacquiao’s lightning hand and foot speed against Clottey’s strength and defensive prowess and the resulting mix should be a pleasing one.
When two decorated fighters come together, however, the result is often determined not by the physical but by the intangible. This fight is no exception, for each man may well be forced to go beyond himself to find the vital ingredient that will separate victor from vanquished.
Sugar Ray Leonard labeled this phenomenon “bringing it up from the gut” following his landmark victory over Thomas Hearns in September 1981, but to me this trait can be encapsulated by a simple two-letter word – “It.”
Others have discussed what It is outside the ring and to me, It is the ability of a fighter to establish a personal connection so strong that his fans feel more alive with every victory and die a little bit inside whenever he falls short. [Click Here To Read More]
The match pits Pacquiao’s lightning hand and foot speed against Clottey’s strength and defensive prowess and the resulting mix should be a pleasing one.
When two decorated fighters come together, however, the result is often determined not by the physical but by the intangible. This fight is no exception, for each man may well be forced to go beyond himself to find the vital ingredient that will separate victor from vanquished.
Sugar Ray Leonard labeled this phenomenon “bringing it up from the gut” following his landmark victory over Thomas Hearns in September 1981, but to me this trait can be encapsulated by a simple two-letter word – “It.”
Others have discussed what It is outside the ring and to me, It is the ability of a fighter to establish a personal connection so strong that his fans feel more alive with every victory and die a little bit inside whenever he falls short. [Click Here To Read More]
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