Trainers ni Clottey 'di binigyan ng US visa

MANILA, Philippines - Kapag nagkataon, hahamunin ni African challen­ger Joshua Clottey si Fili­pino world welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao na wala ang kanyang mga trainers.

Sa ulat ng FightHype.com kahapon, nalaman na hindi binigyan ng visa ng US Embassy sa Acra, Africa sina trainers Godwin Nii Dzanie Kotey at Daniel Clottey para makapasok sa United States at makasama si Clottey.

“An officer looked at the documents that I had with me and he just wrote something that they were going to do their investigations and give me a call,” ani Kotey. “”I don’t know what the investigations they want to carry out.”

Nakatakdang itaya ni Pacquiao ang kanyang ha­wak na World Boxing Organization (WBO) weltertweight belt laban kay Clottey sa Marso 13 sa Cowboys Stadium sa Arlington, Texas.

Ito na ang sinasabi ng 32-anyos na pinakamalaki niyang laban sa kanyang professional boxing career matapos takasan ni da­ting WBO titlist Miguel Angel Cotto via split decision noong Hunyo ng 2009.

Sinabi pa ni Kotey na kailangan na nilang mag­handa para sa laban ni Clott­ey sa 31-anyos na si Pacquiao.

 Dinadala ni Pacquiao ang kanyang 50-3-2 win-loss-draw ring record kasama ang 38 KOs kumpara sa 35-3-0 (20 KOs) ni Clottey.

Ang halos dalawang buwan na pagsasanay ay hindi sapat para sa isang world championship fight, dagdag ni Kotey.

“You need time to prepare in boxing. Even the day Joshua was notified for the fight was already too short for a fight such magnitude,” ani Kotey kay Clottey. “He needs at least four months to prepare for a big fight like this.”

Inaasahang babalik si Clottey sa Ghana upang subukang resolbahan ang problema sa visa ng kanyang mga trainers.

Sina Kotey at Daniel Clottey ay hindi nakasama ni Clottey sa kanilang media conference ni Pacquiao sa Cowboys Stadium at sa Madison Square Garden Theater sa New York City.