he's extremely talented... if he was latino he would be at the bottom of the top 10 p4p and probably would have got the nod against cotto but in the words of max kellerman ... actually i forget... but i know its something about the marketplace
I believe if he was more of a aggressive fighter he can beat any of the top dogs at welterweights. Good defensive fighter, strong chin, decent power and good size a very strong welterweight.
I think Grandmaster Clottey is one of those guys who will prolly lose all of his big fights but can defeat any1, and I mean any1, on a night when the stars and planets align perfectly in his favor. He's the kind of guy that might just pull out that one HUGE upset one of these days, even if he manages to sabotage himself in all of his other big fights.
I always thought Clottey was a solid overall fighter that is a good test for most fighters. He'll never be elite, but he can compete against guys who are trying to make it to that elite level.
Clottey clearly outlanded Cotto. It was close but he deserves that fight. They say the challenger has to take the belt from the champ but that wasnt the case in that fight. The more marketable guy got the win. I will tell you this, I think Clottey would be a near impossible fight for Pac to win, a much harder fight than Cotto is (who still is underrated in the Pac match up) Clottey is pretty good he just isnt the HBO favorite. A lot like Winky before his Mosley wins when he finally got his due.
I think he's one of the better Welterweights around. Maybe not on an elite level, but he could get there if he changes some of his tactics. He's a superb defensive fighter, tight guard that's hard to penetrate. But that also becomes his weakness... the main reason why he lost to Cotto. He spent more time defending than attacking. He knew of Cotto's power and wasn't willing to take the risk in order to inflict more damage in the late rounds. When asked about why he wasn't offensive in the later rounds he said: "Cotto is a good strong fighter, you know? I have to take my time." =P
Clottey is a talent, but he doesn't have killer instinct. His losses are the pure product of holding back too much and needlessly faking injuries.
Very good, slick and intelligent boxer. He is high risk low reward fighter so don't expect him fighting top guys after what he showed against Cotto.
No controversy in the Cotto fight. Clottey had a weakened Cotto in front of him and let him off the hook time and time again. Staying on the ropes and getting battered doesn't win rounds. Clottey had nobody to blame but himself for that loss. That's just the long and short of it. He fought like a guy with no urgency and he got the result that comes with it. By the way, it seemed as though he had to be talked into continuing by Mercante Jr.
I also saw Cotto as a winner of that fight, but Clottey performance was great and he deserves to be mentioned as one of the gamest fighters today. The whole fight was great with all that drama. Cotto needed that fight and such tough challenge after Margarito