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DALLAS – Joshua Clottey showed signs of trouble making weight.
And Freddie Roach, the trainer of Manny Pacquiao, liked it.
“You see how small he looks right now? He’s frail. Did you see him with Manny together yesterday? He’s not that big,” said Roach on the eve of the official weigh-in at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.
While Pacquiao had a good time at the gym Thursday, the challenger from Ghana worked harder, like he had to lose a couple more pounds just to make sure he gets near the 147 lb welterweight limit.
Clottey, according to witnesses, trained inside the Convention Hall of the Gaylord Texan Hotel wearing a sweat suit, and was seen by Filipino scribes jogging along the carpeted hall just outside the training venue.
Roger Fernandez, one of Pacquiao’s assistants, was able to sneak in and catch Clottey in training. He said the 33-year-old fighter spent a long time skipping ropes, and did look frail as Roach noticed the other day.
A local female photographer said it wasn’t quite a good day for Clottey because she saw the boxer slip on a wet portion outside the ring, and fell hard to the ground but “picked himself up and was able to continue.”
“Did he really need to work out that hard?” Pacquiao asked Fernandez as the Filipino champion was taping his hands and getting ready for his own time at the gym at around four in the afternoon.
Pacquiao must have sensed that Clottey may be having problems with his weight, even if he tips the scales Friday inside the limit.
Roach said fighters who encounter problems making weight would normally swell themselves up in the next 24 hours.
“Obviously if a guy comes in the ring like 160, 165, he has trouble making weight. By fight time he will grow, but definitely I feel it will be in our favor. Gaining too much weight is not good for a fighter,” said Roach.
“It makes him sluggish,” he said, talking from experience when Pacquiao had trouble making 130 lb against Juan Manuel Marquez in 2008. He barely made weight, and climbed the ring at 146 lb, making him sluggish.
Pacquiao is well inside the limit, and enjoyed his favorite “bulalo” and “pinakbet” for lunch. He tipped the scales after his workout at 145 lb, and his conditioning coach, Alex Ariza, said this gives them so much leeway.
“He can still eat tonight. Then he can have light breakfast and light lunch tomorrow and still make 147 during the weigh-in. His metabolism is so high that even if he doesn’t do anything tomorrow he’ll be safe at 147,” said Ariza.
Still, Roach said it’s no reason to take Clottey lightly, because the challenger has nothing to lose and everything to gain in this fight, expected to be fought before a sellout crowd at the $1.2 billion stadium.
“But I don’t see that happening because his focus is so good and his mindset is perfect right now,” said Roach.
And Freddie Roach, the trainer of Manny Pacquiao, liked it.
“You see how small he looks right now? He’s frail. Did you see him with Manny together yesterday? He’s not that big,” said Roach on the eve of the official weigh-in at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.
While Pacquiao had a good time at the gym Thursday, the challenger from Ghana worked harder, like he had to lose a couple more pounds just to make sure he gets near the 147 lb welterweight limit.
Clottey, according to witnesses, trained inside the Convention Hall of the Gaylord Texan Hotel wearing a sweat suit, and was seen by Filipino scribes jogging along the carpeted hall just outside the training venue.
Roger Fernandez, one of Pacquiao’s assistants, was able to sneak in and catch Clottey in training. He said the 33-year-old fighter spent a long time skipping ropes, and did look frail as Roach noticed the other day.
A local female photographer said it wasn’t quite a good day for Clottey because she saw the boxer slip on a wet portion outside the ring, and fell hard to the ground but “picked himself up and was able to continue.”
“Did he really need to work out that hard?” Pacquiao asked Fernandez as the Filipino champion was taping his hands and getting ready for his own time at the gym at around four in the afternoon.
Pacquiao must have sensed that Clottey may be having problems with his weight, even if he tips the scales Friday inside the limit.
Roach said fighters who encounter problems making weight would normally swell themselves up in the next 24 hours.
“Obviously if a guy comes in the ring like 160, 165, he has trouble making weight. By fight time he will grow, but definitely I feel it will be in our favor. Gaining too much weight is not good for a fighter,” said Roach.
“It makes him sluggish,” he said, talking from experience when Pacquiao had trouble making 130 lb against Juan Manuel Marquez in 2008. He barely made weight, and climbed the ring at 146 lb, making him sluggish.
Pacquiao is well inside the limit, and enjoyed his favorite “bulalo” and “pinakbet” for lunch. He tipped the scales after his workout at 145 lb, and his conditioning coach, Alex Ariza, said this gives them so much leeway.
“He can still eat tonight. Then he can have light breakfast and light lunch tomorrow and still make 147 during the weigh-in. His metabolism is so high that even if he doesn’t do anything tomorrow he’ll be safe at 147,” said Ariza.
Still, Roach said it’s no reason to take Clottey lightly, because the challenger has nothing to lose and everything to gain in this fight, expected to be fought before a sellout crowd at the $1.2 billion stadium.
“But I don’t see that happening because his focus is so good and his mindset is perfect right now,” said Roach.
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