HIGH LIGHT OF THE FIGHT

MANNY PACQUIAO VS JOSHUA CLOTTEY WEIGH IN

Chat Here

Create a Meebo Chat Room

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Roach on Mayweather: "We'll knock him out in the ring"; Arum adds "and in court"


Just moments ago, Manny Pacquiao together with his trainer Freddie Roach and promoter Bob Arum answered questions from the press in their scheduled Media Conference Call for Pacquiao's upcoming clash against Joshua Clottey in Jerry Jones' highly acclaimed Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

As much as the topic was Pacquiao vs. Clottey, the interest simply could not be veered off the failed mega-fight between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. as media members shot questions regarding blood testing and whether a Mayweather fight was crucial to Pacquiao before he ends his boxing career one after the other.

When asked about the impact of Mayweather's PED and HGH comments and allegations on Pacquiao, Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach replied,

"We're not happy with his remarks and Manny really wants to fight him in the future because of the remarks he made. You know Manny sometimes when he's shadow boxing, he shows me how Mayweather fights and how he's going to take care of the problem. I've never seen him do that before and with the allegations he's trying to ruin our reputation and so forth and we do want to fight him and we will knock him out".

After which, promoter Bob Arum interjected and added,

"And we'll knock him out in the court also because that lawsuit continues on and justice will prevail".

As far as Pacquiao is concerned, the number one pound for pound fighter and 7 division world champion simply shrugged it off saying
"that's his style and I can't change him because we are different," referring to Mayweather's trash-talking nature. Pacquiao also pointed out that his accomplishments speak for itself and that a fight against Mayweather is not necessary to satisfy him on the legacy he has already left boxing.

When
highly respected writer and our prolific friend in New York Michael Marley asked Pacquiao to elaborate on what he meant about what makes him different from Mayweather, Pacquiao responded saying,

"Some fighters like me, we can be great fighters without trash talk and his style, he is talking a lot of trash talk and to be know as Mayweather and all that and that he is a champion," and added, "but he is not a good example for everybody."

Whether Pacquiao will face Mayweather in the ring is something fight fans will just have to continue clamoring and hoping for until it actually happens and both fighters sign on the dotted line. But with this much interest, regardless of what Team Pacquiao and Team Mayweather says, this fight not to happening might very well be the death of boxing. Oh, don't get me wrong with my figurative assessment, Boxing will continue on, but if you can't make the biggest money making fight between the two best fighters of this era happen, then man, shame on all of us involved in this sport.

Author: Dennis 'dSource' Guillermo

Manny Says He's Content With Career If Mayweather Fight Doesn't Happen


Say it ain't so, Manny.

Please tell us that you aren't going to get sucked into the politics vortex, and let that uglier-than-boxing arena kidnap you, and keep you. At the top of your game, a seven division champion, you aren't going to win a Filipino congressional seat, and bid boxing adieu, are you? Just when we've come to savor your status as a commendable role model for this sport which is in such need of humble, virtuous ambassadors?

The rumor mill has been grinding out rumors that Pacman will exit the sweet science after he fights Joshua Clottey on March 13 in Dallas, and the boxer addressed the issue on a Friday conference call.

"This is my last fight before the election," he said, and left the door fully ajar for pugilism post election. "I'm not going to say I'm going to retire."

Promoter Bob Arum said he'd be OK with Manny hanging up the gloves after the Clottey scrap and that he'd throw the rapidly climbing all-time Pound for Pounder a big ole bash if he decided to wave bye bye. "He's the best fighter I've ever seen," Arum opined. "I'm an old guy so I never saw Marciano, and Sugar Ray Robinson fight in person. And you can't tell much by watching films. But that includes Sugar Ray Leonard, and Ali, and Hagler. Manny's the best fighter I've ever seen." Arum reiterated Manny's anything-is-possible-but-he's-leaning-towards-keeping-on- fighting declaration. "He's leaving his options open."

Let me go on record, and please mark this statement: there ain't no way Manny's leaving after knocking out Clottey. (You can mark that prediction, as well..I'm with Arum on Manny-as-the-best-I've-seen stance, think Pacquiao's untouchable right now, and his hand speed and angles will be befuddling to the Ghanian). Nope..I see Manny going another five or more years. I'm guessing he does too. When asked what sort of fighter could take him down at this stage of his career, Pacquiao pondered and answered, "When I get old."

Now, regarding another matter that continues to hang over this promotion...will I be so bold in stating that I believe Pacquiao-Mayweather will DEFINITELY happen? No..As long as the announced lawsuit versus Team Mayweather is in play, I think that's a severe hurdle to making it happen. It will be hard for Team Pacquiao and Team Mayweather to separate the suit, and the purely boxing elements of the negotiations, if and when they try and hash out a deal again.

I do, however, wonder if the suit actually gets beyond the talk stages, though. Why hasn't the lawsuit been officially filed yet? For the record, two calls to the office of attorney Daniel Petrocelli, repping Pacquiao, were not returned, so I can't say for certain where the suit stands, beyond what Arum says.

Pacquiao says he'll be secure in his legacy if he and Floyd never tangle, and Arum says he too will be able to leave this plane settled if Pacquiao doesn't fight Mayweather. "I'm OK, I'm content," the fighter said when asked if he'd be alright never battling Floyd. "I don't really need to fight Mayweather. My achievements in boxing are enough for me." Now, Roach, I'm not so sure about him. He seems to reeeallly want Manny to shut Floyd's mouth. "I'd like to shut Floyd up, of course," he said on the call. "I know Manny will knock him out, and the whole world would be happy."

My take: don't think for a second that because Pacquiao comes off as an almost angelic figure, always benevolent and beaming, that he's not capable of posturing for leverage. If part of him does think that Mayweather in fact wants to take him down, and hasn't deliberately shot down a fight with his ultra-stringent testing demands, then he'd be smart to send signals to Mayweather that he doesn't crave a battle. A l'il reverse psychology, right? I still haven't determined, and I don't know anyone who has outside of Floyd's inner circle, what his deal is, if he is truly confident of his ability to better Manny, or if his unease with Pacquiao's skill set has lead him to sabotage a showdown..Manny wouldn't publicly declare without reservation that he thinks Floyd fears him, or for whatever reason doesn't want the fight. Like a skilled politician, he said for whatever reason, Floyd doesn't seem like he wants to fight Pacquiao right now. Unlike a politician, he turned down a chance to score a point when he took the high road, and said he was not "angry" at Floyd for insinuating PED usage, but rather was "disappointed." Gosh, Manny is a skilled pol..is there any doubt he's ready for Congress??

The issue of testing..surprise, surprise...popped up. Arum continued to hammer home the point, which I fully embrace, that no fighter should be attempting to co-opt the system, and make unilateral demands above and beyond what the state commissions are adhering too. He likened Mayweather's demands to a situation where the New York Yankees Alex Rodriguez strikes out against a certain Red Sox hurler a bunch of times, and then demands the pitcher be tested for PEDs. No, not a perfect analogy, because Floyd hasn't been whupped by Manny. He's making the demand and muddying the waters with insinuations before he's thrown down. But I'm in Arum's camp on this matter... "It causes chaos," Arum said. "No one has anything against random testing (or non-invasive urinalysis)." But, he continued, why hasn't Golden Boy been similarly stringent in regards to Roy Jones, who has tested positive for steroids ten years ago, and why hasn't Mayweather been as vocal against known PED user Shane Mosley? Because, he suspects, Mayweather may well not want the Pacquiao fight, and he used the is-Manny-dirty ploy to try and get into Manny's mind. If we do get the bout, what happens, Bob? "Manny-Mayweather is a no contest," Arum said. "Pacquiao would wipe the ring of him."

Along those same lines, one reporter asked Manny why he wouldn't accept Floyd's testing parameters, so he could clear his name. This reporter, I think, as a veteran, should know better. Unless Manny were tested on a daily basis, for three months before a bout, until right after the bout, then even if he tested clean, there would still be those who wouldn't be convinced that his rise from 106 to 147 pounds wasn't aided by PED use. If Floyd tells Manny to jump through 100 hoops, and he does so, there will be folks who won't be satisfied until he jumps through 101.

Arum brought up a couple megamatches that didn't come off, even though it looked like they were a given, or were delayed: Bowe-Lewis; Tyson-Foreman; and Tyson-Holyfield. The 78-year-old dealmaker has a most healthy take on the matter: "These things happen." Or...they don't...and the world will keep turning regardless. And compelling matches will continue to get made. But Arum sounded beyond stubborn when he said that no fighter of his, under his watch, would get pushed around at the negotiating table around the issue of PED testing. "Mayweather," he said, "was totally out of line in making demands."

Let's bottom line it, Bob: will Pacquiao-Mayweather happen? Only, the promoter said, if Team Mayweather softens their stance, and trusts in the testing protocols of the commissions.

As of today, February 25, I do not see that happening, people. What about you? Weigh in!

Author: By Michael Woods

Friday, February 26, 2010

I cannot underestimate Clottey, says champion Pacquiao


"Joshua Clottey is taller and bigger than me," Pacquiao told reporters in a conference call on Friday. "He is a former (IBF) champion. I cannot underestimate him."

Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr, widely regarded as the two best pound-for-pound boxers in the world, had been scheduled to fight on March 13.

However, negotiations collapsed when the Filipino refused Mayweather's demands for Olympic-style dope testing procedures.

Pacquiao filed a lawsuit against Mayweather, the American's father Floyd Sr, his uncle Roger and Golden Boy Promotions for falsely accusing him of using performance-enhancing drugs.

"I believe Floyd Mayweather was not ready to fight me," said Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs). "That's why he makes some reasons to cancel the fight.

"I feel bad that he is accusing me of doing drugs, that he tries to ruin my name in boxing. I'm disappointed for what he's accusing me of but I'm not angry at him. That's his style."

After the collapse of the Mayweather fight, Pacquiao turned to Clottey (35-3, 20 KOs).

It is a fight Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach is confident his man will win.

"Clottey's a very strong guy, he's a good puncher," Roach said. "I think his best punch is the uppercut.

"But I have a lot of confidence in my fighter. He's sparring with guys who fight quite a bit like Clottey.

"We have big, strong guys and Manny's handling them with ease. I think we will overwhelm him and I think the fight will end before 12 rounds are over," added Roach.

"I think Manny will be the first to knock him out."

(Editing by Tony Jimenez)


Source: reuters.com

Joshua Clottey in 'Best Shape' of His Career For Manny Pacquiao



A native of Ghana who is preparing for a March 13 challenge for the WBO welterweight (147 pounds) crown held by seven-division champion, Manny Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs), of the Philippines, Joshua Clottey (35-3, 20 knockouts), of The Bronx, N.Y., spoke to FanHouse on Friday from his sleeping quarters near his training facility at Fort Lauderdale's Contender Gym in Fla.

This is the second of four diaries translated from Clottey that is appearing regularly on FanHouse as the 32-year-old fighter enters the most lucrative and biggest fight of his career.



Joshua Clottey wept, openly, earlier this month when a work Visa to the U.S. was denied to his preferred chief second, Godwin Nii Dzanie Kotey.

Kotey is perceived by many in their native Ghana as legendary and a father figure, having been the trainer for former welterweight star, Ike Quartey, of Ghana. Kotey was to be in Clottey's corner for the first time against Manny Pacquiao.

Kotey's presence was sought after Clottey had split with Kwame Asante in a reported disagreement over money -- this after Asante had served as Clottey's chief second for June's 12-round split-decision loss to then-WBO king, Miguel Cotto.

But now, with the biggest fight of his life on the horizon, Clottey was trainer-less.

Enter Lenny DeJesus (pictured above, left, with Clottey), a man Clottey had known of prior to employing DeJeus as the cutman for the Cotto fight.

A resident of the Bronx, the 32-year-old Clottey had seen DeJesus working with other fighters at the John's Gym, a venue he, himself, frequents that is located not too far from Yankees Stadium.

"I knew of DeJeus, but I didn't talk to him. Vinnie introduced me to him," said Clottey, referring to his manager, Vinnie Scolpino. "So he was used as a cut man in my fight with Miguel Cotto because he's been around for a long time. He seemed like a good choice."

Clottey said that DeJesus turned out to be even more of an asset during the fight with Cotto,

"When he was my cut man against Miguel Cotto, he pushed me. He sort of wakes you up, tells me some good things. We established a good relationship during the Cotto fight, so I chose him" to be primary trainer for the Pacquiao fight, said Clottey. "It was an easy transition. He motivates you."

Another advantage, said Clottey, is the fact that DeJesus knows a little bit about Pacquiao, having worked as the Filipino superstar's cut man throughout much the early part of his career.

DeJesus was last in Pacquiao's corner for the latter's March, 2005 loss to Erik Morales at super featherweight (130 pounds), after which Pacquiao won his next 11 bouts, eight of them by knockout.

A southpaw, Pacquiao has gotten more-and-more powerful as his weight has risen, having stopped his past four opponents, David Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, and, Miguel Cotto, respectively, while weighing 134, 142, 138, and, 144 pounds.

"Does DeJesus know a little bit about Manny Pacquiao? Yes," said Scolpino. "But we also know that Manny Pacquiao is a different fighter now than he once was. We're prepared, but we're preparing for the Manny Pacquiao of today."

Clottey said that his respect for Pacquiao's power is among the reasons he will dethrone him.

"I have more confidence this time around because I'm taking this fight like if I win, I have bigger things ahead. I have so much respect for Manny, so that gives me more confidence because I respect the guy," said Clottey. "I respect the guy because, if he has the chance, he can stop me. So I respect him because of that, and because of that, I'm more confident."

Conversely, said Clottey, it was his lack of respect for Cotto that led to his demise.

"When I went to fight Cotto, I knew, within me, or at least my thinking was, 'I could beat Cotto because I knew Cotto had not faced a guy like me before.' That was my thinking," said Clottey.

"I didn't respect him like he was going to cause any damage," said Clottey. "So, compared to that, I respect this guy, Manny Pacquiao, because he's stopped a lot of good guys. So, I'm giving him respect, and the respect will carry me through the fight."

Clottey, who weighed out at 154 pounds on Thursday, claims to be in the best shape of his life, and punching with more power than ever.

"We're two weeks from the fight, and that's where I want to be right now. I don't want to come down too much or too fast from sparring because that might hurt you," said Clottey.

"I eat a lot of chicken and a lot of fish. It's African food. I don't eat any other meat," said Clottey. "Sometimes, I have salads -- things that make me strong and to wake up in the morning and go jogging, or which can make me go to the gym and work out. I drink a lot of water and I'm very strong in the gym at work."

In photos, the challenger (pictured above) appears to have a more muscular upper body than ever.

"This is the best shape that I've ever been in. Because, I know that I've got a really tough fight with Manny, Pacquiao. All that you've seen from my photos is from the hard work of training," said Clottey, who a week ago, already was sparring 10, four-minute rounds with a 30 second rest in between and little if any fatigue.

"You know, I'm always in shape. I train even when I'm not fighting," said Clottey. "I play soccer. So when I start training, it doesn't take long. After a three weeks or a month, I'm strong."

And that, for Clottey, has meant more energy during sparring sessions, and, throughout his training overall.

"I've been trainig to do what I have to do. When the opening's there, I'm going to find them. When he's running, and he's moving around, I'll be able to cut off the ring," said Clottey. "When he stops running, I'll throw punches. And when I throw a punch, and he's there, I will be able to land it."

There are some who have questioned Pacquiao's ability to rise from one weight class to another with power, believing that he is on steroids or some other performance-enhancing drug.

Clottey, however, said that he is not among those who believes Pacquiao is dirty.

"Manny is a good man. He prays a lot. God gave him his power. He is a great champion, and this is going to be a difficult fight," said Clottey. "However, I have a plan: Hard punching, back him up, don't let him take charge. I will pressure him."


Clottey's $1.2 million question: Is he mentally prepared for Pacquiao?

There is concern within the Joshua Clottey fight camp as to the mental outlook of the March 13 Manny Pacquiao WBO welterweight title challenger.

You might call it the $1.2 million question as I've learned that the African boxer will earn $900,000 while his manager, Vinny Scolpino, gets the remainder.

But don't hit the panic button. It's par for the course, this wonderment about the Ghanaian's brain waves.

Gjin Gjini owns and operates Clottey's home training base in the South Bronx, John's Gym.

Clottey and his team were planning to return there this weekend but snowy weather around New York may delay those plans.

Clottey has been training in Fort Lauderdale.

Gjini, a former fighter orginally from Albania, said you never know what Clottey's mental state will be on fight night. It's not just that he's fighting the widely acclaimed pound for pound king of all boxing.

Clottey could have outpointed Miguel Cotto last June at Madison Square Garden but he went into a mental fog and stopped being aggressive in the final rounds. Clottey lost a split decision to the rugged Puerto Rican.

Gjin Gijini, owner of John's Gym in South Bronx where Joshua Clottey trains (Bronx Times, Your Nabe.com, Daniel Weissman Photo)

"You can't really know what's in Joshua's mind," Gjini told me on Thursday. "He's different in that way than guys like Pacquiao, like Cotto and Mosley. Joshua always come to fight and he will do so against Manny. He's not like Mayweather who just comes to run and do his moneymaking business.

"Physically, Joshua is always good. But you don't know what he will be like mentally. I don't know, either, and I will be with him and the team in Dallas."

Beyond the psychic wild card, Gijini envisions an enthralling scrap in Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

"The fans will get their money's worth from this one. These two will give the fans what they're paying for, I think, as they should for a purse. People pay to see real fights, not to see one guy running around like a track meet."

Author: Michael Marley

Source: examiner.com

A Look At Pacquiao's Partners

Good sparring partners are a crucial element for fight preparation, and all reports coming out of the Wild Card Gym indicate that Manny Pacquiao is getting in some excellent work. I always find it interesting to look at the sparring partners elite fighters choose because it can sometimes give clues into things they are working on for their next fight, and provide a heads up on prospects the top trainers think are worth watching. In his preparation for Miguel Cotto, Manny Pacquiao sparred with Shawn Porter, who has lately been drawing attention with appearances on Showtime and ESPN's Friday Night Fights.

So let's take a look at Manny Pacquiao's sparring partners as he prepares for Joshua Clottey:


Raymundo Beltran:
Age: 28
Record 23-4 (15 KOs)
Weight: Fights between 130-135 lbs


Ray Beltran has been sparring with Manny for years and they are clearly quite comfortable with one another. While Beltran is much smaller than Clottey he has quick hands and provides Manny with good work. In his last fight, on January 9, which you can watch above, he shows that he has quite a bit of power. The KO is frightening and the ref should never be allowed in the ring again, but you can see that Beltran is good at putting his punches together.

In an interview with The Ring, Beltran talks about how he has seen Manny progress through the years, saying, "I remember when he fought Barrera the first time. He was more aggressive, aggressive, aggressive... Now, he's become a better boxer. He has better technique. He uses his brain more. He's much smarter now. You can see it in the way he fights. He and Freddie see weaknesses in opponents and they work on it."

Beltran is still only 28, so he may be able to make a move and challenge for a title in the future. It might be a long road back, however. Though he won in style last month, it was his first fight in nearly two years after suffering a shocking one-punch KO loss to Ameth Diaz in his previous fight.

Abdullai Amidu:
Age: 27
Record: 18-0 (17KOs)
Weight: 147 lbs


Amidu's record is obviously impressive, but a look at his boxrec page is cause for a little caution. Out of Amidu's 18 opponents we see a group of fighters with a combined total of 15 wins! An incredible nine of them were making their professional debut. This isn't to say that Amidu isn't a worthy sparring partner. It simply means we don't really know much about him. He has only fought in Ghana thus far, his native land. I'm certain Freddie Roach picked him partly for that very reason, as Ghanaian fighters tend to have similar styles. From Azumah Nelson to Ike Quartey and Joshua Clottey, they often fight with high guards and aggressive, powerful jabs.


Mike Dallas:
Age: 23
Record: 11-0-1 (2 KOs)
Weight: 140 lbs

Dallas is just starting his career and its obvious that Freddie Roach sees some potential in the young fighter if he has chosen to make him a key part of Manny's preparation. Dallas is the same height as Clottey and sports a similarly imposing physique. Speaking to
The Ring, Dallas says of Pacquiao, "he's strong, even stronger than he was before the De La Hoya fight. He's a good counterpuncher. He's strong, he's fast and his legs are really something. His footwork is incredible He moves like a cat. He's real fast."

Dallas could be a prospect worth watching.

* * *

These, are Pacquiao's main sparring partners, but the Wild Card Gym has become a destination for many of the sport's top fighters and Pacquiao works with them all. Recent reports had him working with Steve Forbes, for example.

Joshua Clottey, meanwhile, appears to be
sparring mainly with Damian Frias. All indications are that Clottey will be in terrific shape, but it's hard not to think Pacquiao's varied and accomplished sparring partners will be a big advantage on March 13.


Floyd Mayweather can feel his abilities slipping


Floyd Mayweather is feeling his age catch up with him slowly but surely. At some point every fighter realizes that they are slowing down, and that they can't do some of the same things they used to be able to.

Fortunately for Mayweather even at less than his best he's still a lot better than most, and will look to prove that once again when he takes on the comparatively ancient Shane Mosley on May 1st.

Speaking to his friend and longtime go to man in the media, Floyd sat down with David Mayo of the Grand Rapids Press today, and touched on all the usual subjects. How he doesn't get the recognition he deserves, how he is more intelligent than all of his opponents and so on ad nauseam.

(Incidentally, if the only way to stand a chance against Floyd is to be more intelligent than him, then perhaps he should take on one of the Klitschko brothers, who each hold a Ph.D. and can speak four languages)


More interestingly than the usual spiel though, Mayweather and his team acknowledge seeing signs that he is slowing down as he gets older. Could this have been why he took on Marquez in his first fight back, measuring just what he had left for another run?

Ron Burgess, Pittsburgh PA: "Do you think Floyd knowing he's slowing down is why he didn't want to fight Pacquiao?"

It could well have been one of the reasons, as well as wanting to be more in control of the terms of the fight. It could still happen after his fight with Mosley though, and Floyd will only be older and slower then, so we'll have to wait and see. If the fight does happen then obviously he isn't slowing quickly enough to affect his performance. If the fight doesn't go ahead for a fresh set of problems, then this seems a lot more likely.

Jesse Elliot, Pittsburgh PA: "Do you think Mayweather has declined and if so why is he still winning?"

Well if Floyd himself is admitting it, then it's probably true. He isn't a lot noticeably slower than he ever was, but once the decline starts it keeps going. Mayweather's style of moving and pot-shotting needs him to be fast, and his speed will be the first thing to go. That being said he has never taken a lot of punishment in his career, so as long as he increases his work rate, he might still be able to win at a high level even if he gets hit more often.

Pol Canonce Barugo, Leyte Philippines: "Mayweather was placed in a very compromising situation where he was really dent on this random blood tests by going to the commission level prodding the boxing community that he really want to clean the sport but his prime motive was really on going for the edge with Manny coz he knows that the guy could stained his zero loss record. He was put in the most difficult position when the Haiti Earthquake caused the Mosley-Berto fight cancelled. He was very hesitant in the post fight interview about fighting Mosley but was forced nevertheless to fight Mosley coz he will be really 100% exposed as cherrypicking opponents.Now you can run all you want inside the ring once you face Mosley come May 1 hehehe. You will be shaken by Mosley's strong and power punch combos!"

There is a good chance this will happen so long as Mosley has the right game plan and doesn't think he can just turn up and win without careful planning. I've been reading interviews where Mosley says he intends to out-box Floyd which he frankly isn't capable of. He needs to cut down the ring and use all the same tricks Oscar De La Hoya used in his close fight with Floyd. If he can do that, then Shane's power and strength will come into play and Mayweather will find himself outgunned against someone he can't shake off.

Author: Scott Heritage

Source: examiner.com

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Pacquiao's Official After-Fight Party


Boxing's pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao will hold his Official After-Fight Party at the Memorial Center Auditorium - also referred to as the Dallas Convention Center - in Fort Worth, Texas which is near Dallas.

The Convention Center is located on One Amon Square, Fort Worth, Texas 76107.

The event will be held after the WBO welterweight title bout between the Filipino champion and Ghanaian title contender Joshua Clottey on March 13th.

The fight will be held at the new $1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Most of the media and those associated with the bout will be staying at the historic and posh Gaylord Texan hotel in Dallas, the official hotel of the National Football League's (NFL) Dallas Cowboys team.

Pacquiao's Official After-Fight Party is expected to start at 8:30pm. Among others, the Kalsada Band and Will Rogers are expected to perform.

Lito Camo and Ashley Cortes are also expected to perform.

Fans looking to attend the event can reach organizers at (817) 871 - 8150.

Ticket prices are $30, 45, 60, 75, 100 and limited VIP seats.

Pacquiao sang several songs in an after-fight party on November 14th, after defeating Puerto Rico's

Miguel Cotto. Joshua Clottey is likely to be the largest opponent the Filipino will have ever faced in the ring. The Ghana native may possibly weight over 160 pounds on fight night.

HBO will conduct a special documentary on the fight on March 6th.

Cerveza Tecate is conducting a promotional campaign as the fight’s primary sponsor.

Author: Marv Dumon

Source: examiner.com

Exclusive photo gallery: Chris Farina covers Clottey’s Florida camp, says Joshua looks ‘ready’


Working for the biggest boxing promotional entity in the sport, traveling is a huge part of Top Rank photographer Chris Farina’s job and late last night the Las Vegas resident touched down in Fort Lauderdale, Florida to handle more business. The objective of this trip? To cover Accra, Ghana Welterweight Joshua Clottey in training as he gears up for a huge March 13th showdown with pound for pound phenom Manny Pacquiao.

Farina woke up Wednesday morning and made his way to Contender’s Gym off of Sunrise and I-95. Despite the rain coming down Farina easily found Michael Irving Park and soon set his sights on getting inside of the gym, which was located in the back of the structure. Upon entering the facility and seeing Clottey train first hand, Farina was impressed.

“Clottey looked awesome,” Farina said. “He’s completely ripped and toned. He was punching his sparring partners around the ring. He was going to knock out one of the guys with thunderous punches. It seems to me that they are almost slowing him down and backing him off because they don’t want him to peak too early. That was just my impression. He looks like he’s ready to jump through the building.”

Despite initial reports that his training camp wasn’t running smoothly due to confusion in his corner, Clottey appears to be completely primed for the contest. With less than three weeks to go towards the biggest fight of his life Farina notes that the former IBF Welterweight champion seems completely at peace with the world.

“[He’s] totally at ease. He was relaxed and calm. I was at his house that he is staying at he is just laid back guy. He’s a super guy. He’s like Pacquiao. He does basically anything you want him to do and they are very accommodating type of fighters. They are hardly any egos involved here.”

With his work in Florida complete Farina will now head back to his bases in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Next on tap for the always busy photographer will be a trip to New York in early March for more coverage in relation to the March 13th event. Stay tuned for more…

Author: Chris Robinson

Source: examiner.com

If I were Manny Pacquiao. . .

If I were Manny Pacquiao, as the recognized pound for pound king today and as one of the world champions in the welterweight division, I will make a serious effort to help the former and now number two pound for pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. in his attempt to clean up boxing of steroids and other performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) .

manny pacquiao

The first thing I will do is take a day off my training for the March 13 fight with Joshua Clottey and call a press conference to announce my support for Floyd’s new found advocacy and seeming noble crusade.

In that media forum, I will bare my plan to show the boxing world that I totally agree on a need for equality in boxing and that changes are necessary for the betterment of the sport.

I am sure Floyd will be very happy to hear me announce I will now agree to an Olympic-style drug testing up to the day of the fight to be conducted by a neutral agency like the United Kingdom Anti Doping (UKAD) which according to a February 24, 2010 report fighthype.com’s Ben Thompson, just recently tested positive for HGH a professional rugby player.

This decision is most difficult and will certainly take a heavy toll on me like what happened in my first bout with Erik Morales but what the heck, I want the fans and the whole world to know I really want to fight Floyd and I’m now ready to bend backwards for this to happen.

Besides, this is what the sport needs and as Floyd said it will cost me only a few drops of blood so I’ll definitely go for it for the sake of the boxing fans yearning for a fight between us.

At the same time, however, I will make sure my opponent will come to the fight as clean and as natural as I am and I will insist that no PEDs or any substance, banned or not, legal or illegal, should be allowed before we climb the ring for the sake of fair play. As for Xylocaine, he can use as much of it as he wants after the bout.

And as Floyd has been preaching lately and obviously wants most nowadays, there should be no undue advantage over an opponent and it should be a level playing field so even the weigh in should be done a few hours before the fight.

Floyd has also been saying it is time for change in boxing and I have come up with an idea of that kind of change which Floyd and I can start when we finally (hopefully) get to fight.

I’m talking about introducing a new kind of scoring in a boxing match where the fighters cannot win a round unless a knockdown or knockdowns are made. I believe fighting to score points is just for amateurs and professional fighters should show we are a notch higher by always striving for a decisive win (knockout). If both fighters cannot knock down or knock out each other then the bout should end in a draw.

I also think this is good for the sport as boring fights are eliminated and biased scoring by some judges done away with.

Floyd’s desire and vision to see the dawning of a new era in professional boxing is admirable and as such, in order to make the fight between us easy to negotiate by our respective promoters, I will never use as leverage my being the recognized number one pound for pound boxer and holder of world championship titles in seven divisions aside from being the current welterweight titlist to ask for more than fifty percent share of the fight purse.

And while I recall that I made more PPVs than him when we had our separate bouts last year, I hope he makes more PPVs in our respective fights scheduled this year so that he can put himself on equal footing with me.

If I were Manny Pacquiao, these are the things I am willing to do to make sure the dream of Floyd becomes a reality, including a mega payday fight with me he’s so obsessed of but appears too scared to take.

Unfortunately, I am not Manny Pacquiao and I can understand the guy if he will not and never give in to Floyd’s demand that appears more intended to put Manny in a weak and vulnerable position come fight night. It is a sad thing but I guess Manny may just opt to retire without giving us the fans perhaps the most exciting fight this decade.

And so for this journalist, those things I said may remain just wishful thinking and a Pacquiao vs. Mayweather fight that most people want to see may never happen at all because even as Manny seems to want the fight badly so he can let his fists do the talking, Floyd appears bent on finding ways to prevent it and only wants his mouth to do the fighting.

Author: PATRICK ROXAS

Source: theboxinghistorian.com

Related Posts with Thumbnails

AddThis

Bookmark and Share