INQUIRER Sports

WHAT IF JOSHUA CLOTTEY, A MERE consolation challenger, turns out not only tough as nails, but a nail of a warrior himself?

Is Manny Pacquiao sure to win, sigurado ba?

We can?t tell.

Why?

He has a foe, may kalaban.

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This dumb exchange took place at the Mandaluyong City wet market Saturday morning, around the same time Clottey, reported by Filipino media to be struggling with the weighing scales in Texas, checked in at exactly 147 pounds for his blockbuster bout with RP pride Manny Pacquiao.

Reports reaching Manila said trainer Freddie Roach failed to conceal his glee over reliable info on the Clottey poundage problem.

Pinoy reporters at the fight site sounded unanimous that, yes, Clottey had continued to labor hard in order to pass the official weight test.

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Odds in favor of Pacquiao, 15-2 as quoted by the Los Angeles Times, are a strong indication that Clottey had only little or no chance at all.

But that was before Friday?s all-revealing weigh-in.

It?s hard to say now if the gap in betting preferences has somewhat narrowed after Clottey breezed through the scales.

But one thing is sure: There?ll be even greater interest in the fight.

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At least, there?s little chance now of The Event slipping into another mismatch.

It?s not a dried-up Oscar De La Hoya or a fast-fading Miguel Cotto Pacquiao will be punching.

There, indeed, is the promise of a super brawl.

Of course, there?s still the likelihood of a punching picnic for the Pinoy boxing superhero.

Pacquiao predictably remains the outstanding favorite.

However, unlike with both De La Hoya and Cotto, it?s a fully charged, fully loaded target Pacquiao will be trying to bruise and bust.

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You see, initial assessment of respective worth would bare that, if to a road contest, The Event could easily be one between a race car (Pacquiao) and a dump truck (Clottey.)

Pacquiao was predicted to bear down furiously, like a storm, on his bigger but slower foe.

Pacquiao, the supreme boxer, was expected to rely on superior quickness and sharper techniques.

But there?s a distinct likelihood Clottey will hold his ground and opt instead for a grating brawl.

Yes, this could result into Pacquiao, who performed like a master bullfighter against both De La Hoya and Cotto, disposing of his matador cape and opting for a rugged mano-a-mano.

The rule inside the ring will be survivor of the fiercest.

And it should not come as a surprise if The Event, initially trumpeted as a budding mismatch, soars into an unforgettable rumble in the Texas Desert.