DALLAS, (Reuters) – Filipino ring king Manny Pacquiao said his lightning fast speed will be enough to nullify Joshua Clottey’s size advantage when the two meet in Dallas on Saturday.
“My quickness will be the key, my speed,” the seven-time world champion told Reuters as he prepared for a public workout in front of a throng of fans.
However, the WBO welterweight champion is not taking his Ghanaian opponent lightly.
“You cannot underestimate Joshua Clottey,” he said. “He’s a good fighter, and he’s bigger than me, and I have to be very focused in the fight.”
Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach acknowledges that former IBF title holder Clottey, a natural welterweight, has a size advantage over the champion, who began his career forty pounds lighter.