"They wanted to keep Pacquiao busy and get some rounds in and who better to get rounds in with than Josh Clottey? That's his style, to cover up where he can't get hit a whole lot and fire off an occasional jab or uppercut. Clottey was good, Pacquiao is special," stated world-class trainer Naazim Richardson as he shared his thoughts on Manny Pacquiao's recent title defense against Joshua Clottey. Richardson, who's currently working with Bernard Hopkins for his April 3rd rematch with Roy Jones Jr. and Shane Mosley for his upcoming May 1st showdown with Floyd Mayweather, strongly believes that Pacquiao's dominant performance can be attributed to the fact that there's a big difference between a good fighter and those that are special.
"That's what people have to understand. There are good fighters, great fighters, champions and special fighters and special fighters don't come around that often," he explained. "You could see the difference during the fight. When Pacquiao elevated his level, he went to a level that Clottey couldn't get to and that's what separates special fighters from good fighters." It is for that reason that Richardson also believes that the clash between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Shane Mosley is a rare fight, as it's not often when two special fighters get an opportunity to face each other inside the ring.
"These kids are special. When you have two special athletes sharing the same forum, all logic goes out of the window. That shit of who throws the better hook or has the better defense doesn't matter because these two athletes are special," Richardson added. "Roger asked the other day, 'Where was Shane Mosley born?' What does that have to do with throwing a hook or the fact that this man brings it every time he steps in that ring? Usually you will get a good fighter fighting a champion. In this case, you have two special fighters and that's rare."
With less than six weeks to go until May 1st, Richardson has the difficult task of coming up with a gameplan that 40 other opponents could not implement in their attempt to hand Floyd Mayweather Jr. his first loss. That being said, none of those 40 opponents were future Hall of Famer "Sugar" Shane Mosley. Whether you love or hate either man, Mayweather vs. Mosley is definitely one fight between two special fighters that you don't want to miss! I, for one, can not wait! Is May 1st here yet?
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]