If any of you skinhead lovers of gay foreplay out there actually ponied up the money to watch what boxing enthusiasts would insist was ‘real fighting’ last night, then what you saw was Manny Pacquiao trying like hell to get through Joshua Clottey’s defense and winning a unanimous decision for his efforts. It wasn’t what you’d call an exciting fight. That much is accurately summed up in this excerpt from SI.com’s liveblog: "Pacquiao threw more jabs than he ever has before and Clottey just wanted to survive. Yawn."
According to the CompuBox stats, Pacquiao threw 1,231 punches, which was 832 more than Clottey threw. The downside is, Pacquiao only landed 246 of those punches, such was Clottey’s commitment to not getting hit, even at the expense of winning.
Basically, you didn’t miss much by not paying for the privilege of watching this one. And, at least according to HBO, if you’re an MMA fan then chances are you didn’t watch. They insist there isn’t more than a 5% overlap between boxing and MMA fans when it comes to buying pay-per-views. Guess that means most of us still have some extra coin in our pockets to spend on a fight that’s actually interesting.
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Comments
Sun, 03/14/10 - 10:04
if an mma champ won a decision after only landing 1/5 of his strike attempts or only completing 1/5 of his takedown attempts, i think the arena would probably riot.
Sun, 03/14/10 - 10:21
Plenty of good boxing I thought. Don't think your'll hear many boxing fans complain.
Sun, 03/14/10 - 10:27
I've always found stories ABOUT boxing is a lot more fascinating than actually watching boxing. Its kinda funny that I spent a couple of hours reading about boxers on wikipedia yesterday after being suitably entertained by Mercer and Toney on Inside MMA, yet I was completely oblivious to Pacman fighting last night. I probably did read or hear about it a dozen times but it just didn't register. Congrats to pacman.
Sun, 03/14/10 - 10:28
I'm a boxing/MMA fan. This is one of the worst fight cards i've ever seen. Lampley and Kellermen told us how awful the fights were all night. Even admitting that 2 of the undercard fights were "Jokes", and the main event challenger did not come to win. No one can argue this card was worth the money. As for the Main event. A 1 sided snoozer a la Anderson Silva/Thales Leites. Boxing needs to make Mayweather/Pacquiao happen immediately.
Sun, 03/14/10 - 10:41
"Boxing needs to make Mayweather/Pacquiao happen immediately." ^^ I would watch this. But my impression is that superfights like this only happen in boxing every 5 or 6 years if ever due to politics I guess.
Sun, 03/14/10 - 10:41
pacquiao came to fight, clottey came to hide. pacquiao showed good boxing in there and showed heart. he tried his best to ko clottey but the guy did not want to engage and like mike put it, its like silva vs leites fight.
Sun, 03/14/10 - 10:43
I personally don't care too much about boxing, it's honestly pretty boring to watch... Hopefully CP keeps boxing away from the MMA Fight Picker, or renames it MMA & Stuff Picker. Maybe some tennis next..?
Sun, 03/14/10 - 11:00
This seems like a general dig at boxing, have you even seen another fight? Pretty lame.
Sun, 03/14/10 - 11:16
Yea, can't wait to drop $50 on the next Tito Ortiz or Randy Couture main event.............. I'd consider myself a boxing/MMA fan. There sports are just so different in the way their fans watch them. Boxing fans do not give a shit, for the most part, about the undercards. In fact quality undercard fights have almost no impact on PPV buys in boxing. MMA? People get jacked up to see irrelevant fighters go at each other. I had previously thought it was because MMA fans had lower standards and thought anyone in the UFC was a 'quality fighter' but after reading a CP article earlier this week on title fight PPVs vs. no title fight PPVs I'd say that would probably be an exaggeration. Anyway, though I was disappointed that Clottey didn't go for it in later rounds I found this fight interesting in what it had to say for the overall Pac/May narrative. If Mayweather is going to be defensive and then counter punch when is he going to be able to throw a punch? Pacquiao is so so SO(!) active. It's unreal. Greatest fight of the year? No. But don't forget what it was like watching Pacquiao dismantle Cotto after having to sit through that shitty UFC card that Couture headlined on the same day. (and what counts as a super-fight in the last year or two for MMA? Penn/GSP where a fighter had to come up 15lbs? Sliva/Griffin where it was top fighter vs solid fighter? Honestly asking. The only real quality super-fight the UFC has to offer is GSP/Silva because GSP is slowly and mindfully putting on weight, and even then he'd need to fight an opponent or two at 185. I guess there are a few fights for Silva at light-heavyweight that could be considered super-fights too)
Sun, 03/14/10 - 11:27
For my money, the only boxing match I will watch, or even consider paying to watch, is Paquiao/Mayweather. Even that fight, THE boxing super-fight of our time, there is still only a mere 5% chance (or less) that I will watch it. Boxing is just too fuckin' boring. Period.
Sun, 03/14/10 - 11:39
@dlb... good post, especially for a boxing purist on an MMA site. Regarding your post, the thing I want to mention is that MMA fans get excited about undercards for he same reasons that basketball fans like college ball over NBA - the athletes usually try harder to win and make a name for themselves. Some of the best barn-burner MMA fights are among the lesser known fighters - they put it all on the line so their stock will rise with decisive victories. Bottom line IMO, MMA simply provides more excitement for fans as there are more ways to finish your opponent than just stand-up.
Sun, 03/14/10 - 12:34
I watched "it," which was not a fight. It was a workout, Pacquiao threw over 1200 shots in about 35 minutes of action, the other guy curled up like a turtle. Let the sporting purists spew what they want, but this situation exists in mma too. A guy as dominant as the PacMan get challengers who refuse to challenge . . . for fear? This has happened in mma too, and the viewing public has rejected it. A guy's license should be threatened if he steps into a ring, supposedly challenging for a belt, and literally gives the fight away out of shear "refusal to engage," which is what happened on this occasion.
Sun, 03/14/10 - 12:43
I didn't exactly buy it, but I did watch. It wasn't quite as bad as SI makes it out to be. I was waiting for Clottey to turn it on in rounds 10-12 but he just never did. That was the real disappointment.
Sun, 03/14/10 - 12:48
Shogun/Lyoto 1,2 Franklin/Belfort Franklin/Vanderlei Franklin/Hendo Belfort/Silva Verdum/Bigfoot Verdum/Fedor Evans/Machida Evans/Lidell Evans/jackson Couture/Nog Couture/Lesnar Diaz/Shamrock Aoki/Melendez Fedor/Sylvia Fedor/AA I'd say these fights were/will be pretty super either for the level of Hype attached to the participants, the ramifications to rankings or just for the skills involved. I'm sure Pac and Maywether are very popular and talented fellows, but I'd still take Lyoto/Machida first any day.
Sun, 03/14/10 - 12:52
I'm thinking about "watching" it too. :) I'm sure it couldn't have been all that bad. Just watching Pac do his thing must have been kinda cool. But then I also have to play some playstation and watch Saturday night live on DVR, so I might not.
Sun, 03/14/10 - 01:37
I watched it... not a great card at all. It happens in both boxing and mma. I think mma has a bit of an advantage for marketing reasons. I mean... how many boxers are there out there compared to the UFC employee list? It's easier to hype the mma fights because we know all of the top guys... but with boxing... there are so many fighters and divisions that it's hard to keep up. There are some AMAZING matches out there that happen frequently but many of them neither fighter is popular. Even a boxing fan doesn't know some of the fighters in the top 5. At least with mma if the match is boring it is only 17 minutes or 29 for a title fight... a boring boxing match is 47.
Sun, 03/14/10 - 01:49
I watched the whole thing. My thoughts; In MMA it could end any second, this is going 12 rounds. But it was a good fight to watch.
Sun, 03/14/10 - 03:38
relax ben ..... it was a good fight and you need to lay off the boxing/mma fans asshole
Sun, 03/14/10 - 03:57
"Guess that means most of us still have some extra coin in our pockets to spend on a fight that’s actually interesting." ...weak CP, real weak. Grow up, there's no need to take potshots at boxing. Running its mouth is what boxing does, not MMA. Be the mature one.
Sun, 03/14/10 - 04:22
So is Mayweather still ducking this Pacquiao guy by claiming he wants strict drug testing or whatever? Nevermind, I don't care anymore. You lost your chance to hook me boxing! Two fighters bickering over drug tests. Lame.
Sun, 03/14/10 - 04:52
Nope. Didn't watch it. Never heard of this clottey fellow, and there's no photo on his wikipedia page. Also found it quite funny that his nickname is "the hitter". Now if that's not a contender for worst nickname, I don't know what is. Aside from the fact that it's quite contradictory to his last fight, even if it is an accurate name from all his previous figths, how does it differentiate him from other boxers? He may as well have gone for "the boxer" or "Punchy McPunches". Not the sport for me thanks. I'll watch if it's on, but I don't really follow.
Sun, 03/14/10 - 05:36
I like boxing in general and have been watching for years. I think the payscale is completely out of control, but that in itself is no different than any other sport. And at least Pacq stayed busy on an opponent who wouldn't engage. He coulda just stood there with his hands on his hips like Anderson Silva.
Sun, 03/14/10 - 05:45
I was very excited for these fights but wow that was a horrible card and the main event was a snooze fest. Clottey came to the fight with a horrible gameplan.
Sun, 03/14/10 - 07:31
People talk about how they will only watch Mayweather/Pacquiao. That fight wont be much more interesting. Mayweather uses his defense to win fights. Pacman wont stop swinging. 12 round snoozer again. Mayweather bitching about when PAc has to give blood and Pacman more worried about his "political career" will probably put the nail in the coffin of this barely breathing sport. Also, it didnt help that Lampley and Kellerman let everyone know over and over again how big of a joke the whole card was. I found it amazing that they kept on talking about how underqualified and undeserving Clottey was and how most of the undercard fights were squash matches that guys were taking just for paydays to show up. Not to mention the fact that some of these guys were fighting for "belts" that Kellerman and Lampley werent sure existed. Anytime you have to let your audience know that the fight they are watching is a title fight by saying " This fight is for a belt called the, uh, (insert title here)(insert weight class) championship", you know that there is something way wrong. Fact of the matter is this: Boxing dug their own grave, if anything that deserve the digs that come their way.
Sun, 03/14/10 - 07:32
i also, watched it but didnt buy it.
Sun, 03/14/10 - 08:04
I watched the fights, but only because one of my best friends is Phillipino and he was getting the card. The first three were awful, and the announcers made sure everyone knew it. I actually enjoyed the Pacquiao fight though, and while I wouldn't pay for it I would watch another one.
Sun, 03/14/10 - 09:11
boxing is dead. who cares, wouldn't have cared or even known about this fight if you hadn't told us ben.
Sun, 03/14/10 - 09:55
I still have a hard time understanding all the hate that people have for boxing. Pac is amazing to watch, and while it sucks to have to see him fight some guy who lost to Cotto; who he just beat, it's still a treat to see him throw punches. Boxing only seems dead if you're a white male who's never travelled out of the midwest, because go tell filipinos that boxing is dead or talk to some latinos about it. The fact is that boxing still is the leader in terms of combat sports, both in paydays and audiences. MMA still has a while to go before it can go toe to toe with boxing. Sure, you won't know any boxers if you don't follow it, but ask some older guy on the street to name someone from the UFC/ strikeforce/dream/ sengoku and see how many they can name. Im not hating on MMA at all, it's just that it's in its infancy and boxing has been around for decades. @robthom Some of your superfights were definitely NOT super. Anything with Tim Sylvia is not super, regardless of whether it was when he was the champ or not. Werdum/ Silva a superfight?! GTFO.
Sun, 03/14/10 - 11:54
When you find yourself making a title along the lines of "Odds Are, None of This Post Is Relevant to You," you may wish to reconsider posting it at all.
Mon, 03/15/10 - 04:57
"The fact is that boxing still is the leader in terms of combat sports, both in paydays and audiences. " American Idol is the biggest show on TV, that doesn't make it a good show. The "biggest paydays and audiences" always seems to be so much more important to FOB's desperately trying to look murican by slathering themselves in pop tripe. Just thankful as can be to escape that swamp I guess. BTW, I'd be perfectly open to you regailing me with a list of boxing superfights from the last 2 years. Besides Pac/Cloddy of course.
Mon, 03/15/10 - 06:45
@gunstar_hero Oh snap son! You got owned. Boxing sucks. I would never pay to watch one of those douche bags fight. Unless it was to watch them get their head kicked or arm broke in mma.
Mon, 03/15/10 - 07:16
I read one boxing site going into the Pacquiao v. Clottey match, and the only line I remembered from the article was "Clottey tends to want to hang out behind his defense, if he does that, Manny will outwork him for 12 rounds to a decision." The outcome of this match was known before these two stepped in the ring. As far as a "Floyd/Pacquiao Narrative"? Give me a break, if you enjoy greed and fear ruining your only chance to have the two p4p best boxers fight until one of them (Mayweather) receives something as equally historic as his 0 (The term "biggest payday ever" comes to mind). In MMA and more specifically the UFC, champions fight the best challenger at their weight, and if they're scared of that person? They have their manager complain about them (Ed Soares) and take the fight anyway, or they go sign with Strikeforce. But most of the fighters try to give the fans what they want. Why is GSP trying to move up in weight? Because currently there aren't many compelling fights for him at WW and HE WANTS TO GIVE THE FANS COMPELLING FIGHTS. Anderson Silva legitimately wants to move up to heavyweight, will he? Maybe, probably not, but he's thought about it because he's also interested in giving the fans compelling fights. Ever hear Mayweather talking about moving up to fight a Klitschko? No, James Toney wanted to do it and was mocked. Mayweather won't even fight the best guy in his weight class. Why do MMA fans care about the undercard? Because MMA as a whole is interesting! Are all the fights? Hell no. But any undercard match can end with a beautiful rolling kneebar, or a massive cut leading to a beautiful guillotine choke (Benavidez/Torres), or an amazing headkick knockout (Anthony Pettis), and that is just at one FREE WEC show! In boxing, what can an undercard fight contain? At best? A knockout? A slugfest? How many slugfests don't end in knockouts? What you'll probably see is two guys trying like hell not to lose, because a loss in boxing not in a PPV main event might as well be a career death sentence. So based on all this rambling here is my sweeping generalization: MMA is a sport trying to garner new fans, interest, and acceptance. Boxing is a shade of its former self, trying to make a few last grasps for your money. Boxing dug its grave, its now lying in it, and its biggest beneficiaries are filling in the hole.
Mon, 03/15/10 - 11:58
I'm a HUGE fan of both but I've said this before and I'll say it again....Boxing and MMA are two totally different beasts. Why CP would post something like this then bash it...?? That's why we have all these boxing vs mma talk, and because "lights out" wants in. But since they did post it I'm gonna let my boxing side talk... If you have ever watched clottey fight before, that is how he fights (but with a lil more punching). He is a defensive fighter and has always been, with Zab, Margarito, Cotto.... Yes, the undercards sucked...JLC not the same when he fought Diego...(Crazy Fight!!)...Duddy fight was a dud...and Soto-Diaz fight was so so. As for the Main Card, kinda expected something like this but not as passive as Clottey was. Clottey is a great fighter...don't get me wrong...but i think he was just overwhelmed with everything (Manny's speed, 1.25 Million dollars, 50,000+ fans, Cowboy stadium...etc.) Can't wait for the pretty boy/sugar fight, GSP/Hardy, Vera/Jones, BJ/Edgar, Rua/Machida....
Mon, 03/15/10 - 02:31
JamesToneyContract.... you use Silva and GSP considering changing weight to make a point... but Manny has done so, RJJ did it, DeLaHoya did it.... and as a matter of fact James Toney did it. (he started at 160 and has fought as heavy as 240 I think) I think it's great that you enjoy matches that end with different subs etc. It shows you are a true MMA fan... many "fans" don't enjoy those matches. A true boxing fan will enjoy a fighter slipping punches and setting up counters, maybe watching the lead leg on a southpaw fighter before they engage etc. to the average fan they don't see it or recognize it but those techniques are there. I'm a huge fan of both boxing and MMA but the people saying boxing is dead are clueless. In other countries it is still MUCH bigger than MMA and just because MMA is growing doesn't mean boxing is dying. When a wrestler joins MMA nobody makes a big deal "oh he can't strike" blah blah blah, but when a boxer joins he gets attacked immediately with "he has no ground game"... a boxer will do as well as any other single disciplined fighter who takes MMA seriously and crosstrains.
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