Watch Manny Pacquiao vs Joshua Clottey

Manny Pacquiao Beats Joshua Clottey in Dominant Decision

2010-03-14T14:44:00.000-07:00

ementing his status as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world with another one-sided victory, Manny Pacquiao defeated Joshua Clottey Saturday night at Cowboys Stadium.

Pacquiao retained his WBO welterweight championship in a fight that was, at times, rather dull. Clottey focused so much on covering up and defending himself that he never mounted any type of offensive attack. It was yet another decisive win for Pacquiao, who has strung together a series of decisive wins as he's risen up to the top of the boxing world over the last four years.

The judges scored it 120-108, 119-109 and 119-109 for Pacquiao. On my scorecard it was 120-108 for Pacquiao.

"It was not an easy fight," Pacquiao said afterward. "It was hard. He's a very tough fighter. I can't believe it."

Pacquiao might not have felt it was easy, but it sure looked easy. The question now is whether Pacquiao, who improved his record to 51-3-2, will finally get together with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and give boxing fans around the world the fight they want to see. Clottey, who fell to 35-4, simply isn't a good enough opponent to fight the best in the world.

Author: Michael David Smith

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

Relentless From Start, Pacquiao Retains Title

2010-03-14T03:30:00.000-07:00

ARLINGTON, Tex. — As Manny Pacquiao dispatched another welterweight contender in the easy manner of a sparring session, the talk turned immediately and emphatically to Floyd Mayweather Jr.As expected. Once again.

On Saturday night in CowboysStadium, Pacquiao defeated Joshua Clottey by unanimous decision to retain his World Boxing Organization welterweight championship. He pummeled Clottey’s ribs and midsection. He turned Clottey into a punching bag of bruised and battered muscles.

Afterward, the spotlight swung back toward Mayweather. Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, implored Mayweather to drop his demands for blood testing. He said Pacquiao had mimicked Mayweather’s fighting style during sparring, making fun of perhaps his most difficult opponent.

Roach said of that style, “We will crush it.”

The fight that boxing fans demand looms, larger than ever. Because Pacquiao continues to dismiss all challengers, except Mayweather. On Saturday, Pacquiao essentially won his semifinal, leaving Mayweather, who fights Shane Mosley on May 1 in Las Vegas, to win his bout before negotiations between boxing’s two best fighters can resume.

“We’re ready to fight him any time,” Pacquiao said of Mayweather, before landing his hardest punch of the night, adding, “I don’t think he’s ready to fight.”

In this bout, Clottey boxed defensively, conservatively, as if unable to summon an attack. He threw 399 punches to Pacquiao’s 1,231. In the seventh round, Clottey managed to bruise Pacquiao under his right eye, but Pacquiao remained on the offensive, stalking Clottey, landing body shot after body shot.

The question lingered. When would Clottey let his hands go and unleash his superior strength and size? When would he, you know, fight?

Clottey opened up occasionally in the later rounds, but by then it was too late. By then, Pacquiao had dispatched another challenger. By then, cries for Mayweather-Pacquiao had already begun to echo across the stadium.

“He has great speed,” Clottey said of Pacquiao. “It was difficult for me to handle that.”

The fight had a surreal premise: an African and a Filipino fighting in Texas, the birthplace of Top Rank Boxing and, fittingly, the Cowboys’ owner, Jerry Jones.

The fighters entered the ring to deafening noise and an electric atmosphere. Clottey danced. Pacquiao stalked into his corner, bowed, prayed, then climbed the ropes, smiling at the masses. Nervous? No. He had spent the previous two hours watching N.B.A.basketball on television.

This being football country, the crowd swelled with N.F.L. players, ex-players, coaches, ex-coaches, even owners. It included Jimmy Johnson, the retired coach, and Woody Johnson, the Jets’ owner, along with a bevy of former Cowboys: Deion Sanders, Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman, Barry Switzer.

Early on, it was Clottey, the bigger, stronger fighter, who landed the bigger shots. But it was Pacquiao, the skilled technician, who appeared to win most, if not all, of the early rounds, as Clottey treated each punch as precious, thrown only on special occasions.

Clottey managed to slow the pace through the middle rounds, but Pacquiao continued to attack, landing combinations. He controlled the fight early, controlled it late, the outcome all but certain.

Afterward, Pacquiao said: “It was not an easy fight. It was hard. I felt his power.”

Just before noon Saturday, Pacquiao and staff members assembled for Mass at the exhibition center adjacent to their hotel. They sang hymns and said prayers and received communion, while fans snapped pictures with their cell phones. Pacquiao worshipped God, while hundreds worshipped him, a peaceful moment to conclude a kumbaya-style camp.

The last two months, from training through fight week, unfolded in atypical serenity for Team Pacquiao. The fighter flew some 130 members of his entourage here on a private jet, then spent most nights inside his suite, playing poker and belting out his favorite karaoke tunes.

Even Michael Koncz and Alex Ariza, the Pacquiao employees who engaged in a fistfight last training camp, teamed up so Koncz could win a staff weight-loss challenge worth $3,000.

“I’m starting to worry,” Roach said, half joking. “I’m going to start something, because this camp has gone too smoothly.”

Normally, Pacquiao thrives amid dysfunction. This time, the opposite worked, too.

As the circus around him swelled, Pacquiao won 12 straight fights, including this one, won seven titles in a record seven weight divisions and won the award for fighter of the decade. Roach earned his fourth trainer of the year award this year, another mark for the punishing pair.

Pacquiao appeared more entranced by Cowboys Stadium than by his opponent this week. Walking in for his first news conference, wearing a white jersey, Pacquiao said he felt like a football player, like the receiver Michael Irvin.

This gleaming, palatial stadium with a scoreboard the size of a small town helped replace interest lost when Pacquiao’s negotiations with Mayweather fell apart over blood testing.

Boxing wanted to expand its fan base. Jerry Jones wanted to show off his latest toy, its price tag in excess of $1 billion. The fight featured three stars: Pacquiao, Jones and the one at midfield, underneath the ring.

Even with Clottey, a competent if relatively unknown welterweight, opposing Pacquiao, the bout sold more than 50,000 tickets, some standing-room only. When Clottey’s manager called his fighter with Pacquiao’s proposal, Clottey first asked if he was kidding. Like everyone else, Clottey expected Mayweather and Pacquiao to fight.

Maybe they still will, but dozens of factors demand answers, difficult ones at that. Mayweather has not backed off his blood-test demands. He must beat Mosley in early May. Pacquiao will soon run for a congressional seat in the Philippines, and to fight Mayweather, he would presumably need to drop his defamation lawsuit.

On Saturday, as the Mayweather questions swirled amid the celebration, Pacquiao said he would decide on his next fight after the election. In reality, only one opponent remains — for boxing fans, for Pacquiao, for Mayweather, for the sport itself.

Pacquiao proved that on Saturday, after another convincing win against an overmatched welterweight opponent.

Author: GREG BISHOP

Source: nytimes.com

Pacquiao-Clottey Prediction, Round by Round Coverage Tonight

2010-03-13T11:06:00.000-08:00

Note: This article will be updated tonight with round by round coverage of tonight’s main event.

Tonight, top welterweights Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey do battle in front of an estimated 45,000 fans at Dallas Stadium. The site is billed by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones as the most avant-garde entertainment facility in the world, and will serve as a litmus test on boxing’s current drawing power.

For challenger and perennial contender Joshua Clottey, this fight represents a golden, and possibly final chance to exorcise past performance demons. In his 2 biggest fights against Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto, Clottey appeared to be in the driver’s seat early before suffering collapses. With Margarito, Clottey dominated early before going into a shell following a hand injury and losing a decision. Against Cotto, Clottey seemed close to forcing a stoppage before inexplicably dropping his punch output and losing a controversial split decision.

Pacquiao is taking on his second consecutive top 5 welterweight. Although he is the favorite, there exists the possibility of a letdown since the original opponent today was supposed to be Floyd Mayweather in the most lucrative fight in boxing history (both men could not come to terms on Olympic style drug testing). However, an impressive showing by the Filipino icon can put him in the driver’s seat should talks resume with Mayweather as expected later this year.

Joshua Clottey’s mindset tonight must be constant punching and pressure. He’s facing the most dynamic fighter in the game today, one who never stops throwing punches for 3 minutes of every round. Simply hiding behind his tight guard will just result in him being outworked and posting a lopsided decision loss. Clottey has underrated handspeed, and although it’s not on the level of Pacquiao, he must be willing to take chances and punch with Pacquiao when the Filipino darts in to let loose a combination. Manny has yet to be consistently hit by a bigger man, so Clottey as a big welterweight has a shot to wear down Pacquiao if he can land with authority and regularly for several rounds.

Manny Pacquiao’s key to victory remains doing what he does better than anyone else; punches from every angle, and continuous movement. As a defensive-first fighter, Clottey instinctively looks to block his opponents strikes first before launching his own firepower. This is a huge advantage for Pacquiao, who will have to keep Clottey constantly turning through movement and prevent him from getting set to launch any offense or counterpunch. Clottey later admitted after the Cotto fight he clammed up and became cautious later after the first round flash knockdown. If Pacquiao can land hard early, the Ghanian welterweight may mentally go to the same place.

Clottey looks great as usual, but I don’t believe he’ll have an answer for Pacquiao’s speed and movement. The challenger makes it a competitive fight, but in the end Pacquiao lands more punches, and Clottey more than likely will have stretches of inactivity where he sticks to defense and hurts himself badly on the cards. A Pacquiao knockout would be shocking considering Clottey’s durability, so the prediction is Manny Pacquiao by clear decision over Joshua Clottey, probably by the score of 116-112.

Author: Ismael AbduSalaam

Source: allhiphop.com

Pacquiao’s magic number is 149, says trainer Roach

2010-03-13T11:00:00.000-08:00

GRAPEVINE, Texas—For four-time Trainer of the Year Freddie Roach, 149 is Manny Pacquiao’s magic number, his perfect fighting weight.

No wonder, he and conditioning trainer Alex Ariza want Pacquiao to come in at that exact weight against Ghana’s Joshua Clottey on Saturday (Sunday) in Manila.

Roach must have noted that Pacquiao weighed 149 pounds when he stopped Miguel Cotto in the 12th round of their World Boxing Organization welterweight crown showdown last year.

“I think we will stop him,” said Roach. “I don’t think we’ll knock him out with a one punch, but we’ll overwhelm him and make him quit, yes. Before the 12th.”

Though he’s greatly feared for his voluminous punches, Pacquiao also owns a one punch knockout as displayed in his ninth round knockout of Chicago’s David Diaz and his second round demolition of Briton Ricky Hatton.

With his dervish in and out movements, Pacquiao is expected to break through Clottey’s defenses in the middle rounds with body shots before going for the kill in the 10th to 12th rounds.

Roach thinks Clottey is too defense-oriented and will eventually be caught by Pacquiao’s patented left hook.

Online polls also gave Pacquiao a good chance of finally dealing Clottey his first-ever knockout loss.

Author: Roy Luarca

Source: sports.inquirer.net

WEIGHTS FROM TEXAS

2010-03-12T22:58:00.000-08:00

ARLINGTON, TX -- The fighters for the “Event” scheduled on Saturday night at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington had the official weight in this afternoon.

The following are the weights:

FOR PACQUIAO'S WBO WELTERWEIGHT BELT:
Manny Pacquiao - 145.75 lbs.
Joshua Clottey - 147 lbs.

FOR THE VACANT WBC LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE
David Diaz - 134 lbs.
Humbert Soto - 134 lbs.

FOR THE WBC CONTINENTAL AMERICAS WELTERWEIGHT TITLE
Jose Luis Castillo - 144 lbs.
Alfonso Gomez - 145 lbs.

Top photo: Manny Pacquiao (L) and Joshua Clottey pose during this afternoon's weigh-in at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX.

Author: Ed de la Vega, DDS

Source: Philboxing.com

PACQUIAO MAY GIVE AWAY TEN POUNDS TO CLOTTEY

2010-03-12T22:55:00.000-08:00

Pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao may give away around ten pounds when he enters the ring in “The Event” against Ghana’s tough guy Joshua Clottey at the unbelievable $1.2 billion Dallas Cowboys Stadium on Sunday, Manila Time.

At the official weigh-in which drew a huge crowd of predominantly Pacquiao supporters, the Filipino champion weighed 145 ¾ pounds while Clottey who reportedly had to shed off some excess weight the previous day tipped the scales at the exact welterweight limit of 147.

Clottey said earlier that he was going to have a hearty meal after the weigh in and the consensus is that he will enter the ring at around 160 pounds on fight night although his trainer Lenny De Jesus told us the other day that he wanted to make sure Clottey comes in around 155 so his weight won’t slow him down against the super fast Pacquiao.

Pacquiao’s conditioning expert Alex Ariza said he expects Pacquiao to weight around 150 at fight time which would definitely give Clottey, who can take a big shot, an advantage in weight to go with his slight advantage in height which was evident when the two fighters posted for the media.

Try as they might to provide the customary stare-down, Pacquiao and Clottey couldn’t pull it off and instead smiled at each other further accentuating what Pacquiao has always maintained – there is no need for trash-talk.

Indeed, if there is one added dimension to the Pacquiao legend is that like the late, great Gabriel “Flash” Elorde, he earns the respect of his opponents by being a gentleman in and outside the ring.

The two Filipinos featured in the undercard also made weight without trouble.

Featherweight Michael Farenas, a protégé of former two-division world champion Gerry Penalosa came in at 127 1/5 pounds as against the 126 of veteran Joe Morales while bantamweight Eden Sonsona, a protégé of Pacquiao’s former business manager, the late Rod Nazario weighed 119.7 pounds while his opponent, former world champion, veteran Mauricio Pastrana checked in at 119 ½ pounds.

In the WBC lightweight title fight former champion David Diaz from whom Pacquiao won the title with a crushing 9th round tipped the scales at 134 while champion Humberto Sotto was slightly heavier at 134 1/5 pounds.

Diaz believes that Pacquiao faces "a tough fight against Clottey, but its a winnable fight for Pacquiao." WBA super flyweight interim champion Nonito "The Filipino Flash" Donaire says he expects Pacquiao to win by a twelve round decision and the chances of winning by a knockout are about 30 percent.

Diaz, who came back from the loss to Pacquiao on June 28, 2008 to win a majority decision over former WBC and IBF lightweight champion and WBC super featherweight champion Jesus Chavez last September 26 said he is “feeling good and f eels blessed to get another opportunity to fight for the world title. I am getting ready and hope everything will go right.”

He said the almost six months break since the Chavez fight wont affect him since he has been sparring a lot and while its not the same thing Diaz said “I think I’ll be okay.”

Diaz has been training under Mike Garcia and Jim Strickland in Chicago and said although Sotto “is a tough guy but I’ll work that body and try to get inside of him. He’s a real good technician in the way he uses his reach but if you get inside of that and work him I think we’ll be okay.”

Diaz recalled how well he was treated when he was Pacquiao’s guest along with Edwin Valero at Pacquiao’s lavish 30th birthday celebration in his hometown of General Santos City in December 2008. He said “they were all very nice and give them my best wishes.”

Author: Ronnie Nathanielsz

Source: PhilBoxing.com

Pacquiao’s Challenger Clottey Follows in Footsteps of Warriors

2010-03-12T22:52:00.000-08:00

ARLINGTON, Tex. — Even here, with Saturday’s welterweight title fight in Cowboys Stadium, with nearly 45,000 seats sold, withManny Pacquiao defending his latest world championship, the fight that fell apart looms over the proceedings.

Every day, someone asks Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer, about the other fight, the dream bout between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., boxing’s undisputed kings. Roach gets that question in grocery stores and shopping malls, from Magic Johnsonand the celebrities who train at his Wild Card Boxing Club, even from a waiter at an ice lounge in Los Angeles.

“I was wearing an Eskimo hat,” Roach said. “Same question. Everybody wants to see that fight.”

Instead, Pacquiao will face Joshua Clottey under the most jumbo of all JumboTrons, in the fight few wanted except for the participants, none more so than Clottey. To get here, he survived poverty in Africa, career turmoil and four years spent out of boxing, all to become the latest challenger from the most unlikely of boxing hotbeds.

Pacquiao travels in a luxury bus with his image plastered on the side. On Thursday, Clottey rode to Cowboys Stadium in a hotel shuttle van. Pacquiao houses his sizable entourage in two homes in Los Angeles. Clottey lives in a one-bedroom apartment in the Bronx.

Clottey lives a simple life, born out of necessity, buoyed by boxing, each of his 32 years defined by struggle and by spirit.

“I have the mentality of a warrior,” he said. “I love to be in the ring.”

Clottey grew up in Accra, Ghana, a place he described with two words: small and poor. His father worked in road construction, earning barely enough money to care for six children and Clottey’s mother.

Clottey grew up in a house with one room. As many as 10 people stayed there at a time, sharing a single bed, sleeping in shifts.

Clottey, part of the Ga tribe, grew up in a neighborhood called Bokum. He said the Ga fancied themselves as warriors, and that translated naturally to boxing.

“There is no help from nowhere,” Clottey said. “That makes you a harder boy. You have to be hard. Because if you don’t do that, you’re not going to eat.”

Boxing reigned in Bokum, like football in Texas or basketball in Harlem. Except, instead of pickup basketball, the boys in Bokum had pickup boxing.

Clottey said his neighborhood was split into seven areas, each with its own gym. He used the word “gym” loosely, because fights often took place on concrete, inside a thin rope, without hand wraps and with torn, mangled gloves. “Like there,” Clottey said, pointing to a dilapidated parking lot.

From this warrior mentality sprung dozens of warriors, the modern-day kind who fought their battles inside makeshift boxing rings. All the fighters — from the featherweight champion Azumah Nelson to the bruising welterweight Ike Quartey, among others — came from this small, poor place.

Many boxing champions have risen from similar circumstances, but the concentrated volume made Bokum different. Boxers became the area’s chief export.

“Manny Pacquiao’s poverty makes an American kid’s poverty look like luxury,” said the promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank Boxing. “From what I’ve heard, Clottey’s poverty makes Manny’s poverty look like luxury.”

Throughout his career, Clottey carried with him the spirit from the neighborhood. He endured a disastrous stretch in England, where he said he never faced top competition. He returned to Ghana, where he began plotting his big break — which was available only in the United States.

He arrived in 2003, broke, and landed in the Bronx, minutes from Yankee Stadium. The first time his manager, Vinny Scolpino, watched Clottey spar, Scolpino had never so much as heard of him.

“I didn’t know him from a hole in the wall,” Scolpino said. “Joshua Clottey was nobody, basically, just another 10-round fighter. I always thought he had something, a spark. Maybe because he had so little, he needed something.”

Clottey compiled a 35-3 record, with 21 knockouts, and his losses came against world champions. He beat Zab Judah. He lost by close decision to Antonio Margarito, despite fighting with a pair of broken hands. In his most recent fight, last June, he lost bycontroversial split decision to Miguel Cotto.

None of those fighters knocked Clottey down, or cut him, or left any mark other than three losses on his record. The only mark on Clottey is the tattoo he had inked a few weeks back, his initials interlocked with boxing gloves on his right forearm.

Roach predicted Pacquiao would become the first fighter to “stop” Clottey, to end the fight before the scorecards are tallied. Clottey responded: “Why would Manny Pacquiao knock me out? That surprises me. He can’t knock me out with punches.”

After the Cotto fight, Arum consoled an emotional Clottey in the dressing room by promising bigger future fights. Neither Scolpino nor Clottey envisioned what came next, when the Mayweather negotiations fell apart because of blood testing and Clottey landed the biggest of all bouts.

All week, these fighters tossed compliments at each other. Pacquiao called Clottey a gentleman and a “nice guy.” Clottey, while vowing to attack the smaller, quicker Pacquiao, lauded his place in boxing history.

Scolpino believes his fighter can shock Pacquiao on Saturday. He pronounced Clottey to be in the best shape of his career and said, “If he comes out with a ‘W,’ man, he’s on top of the world.”

If Pacquiao wins, and Mayweather defeats Shane Mosley on May 1, negotiations are expected to resume for the fight that would transcend boxing. But first, Pacquiao must topple Clottey, a fighter familiar with long odds.

“People have lost sight of Clottey because of the Mayweather stuff,” Arum said. “He’s never had the exposure. He’s never been a network favorite. But people who say this is going to be a walk in the park for Pacquiao are crazy.”

Inside Cowboys Stadium on Thursday, Clottey leaned forward in the stands, his eyes fixed on the scoreboard that read “Pacquiao-Clottey, The Event.” Clottey had secured the fight he always wanted. For him, Mayweather-Pacquiao could wait.

Author: GREG BISHOP

Source: nytimes.com

Pac-man primed for Clottey showdown

2010-03-12T22:42:00.000-08:00

ARLINGTON, Texas – Manny Pacquiao has ascended to the level of the boxing legends.

He faces a difficult test on Saturday at Cowboys Stadium when he defends his World Boxing Organization welterweight title in an HBO Pay-Per-View bout against Joshua Clottey.

Promoter Bob Arum was beaming after Friday’s festive weigh-in that attracted around 2,500 enthusiastic fans to the plaza outside the swank stadium.

Only a few hundred of the 45,000 tickets for the card remain, prompting Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on Friday to offer standing-room tickets at $35 apiece.

Jones refers to his standing-room seats as “party passes,” and Arum will be partying for a week if early indications of the fight’s popularity prove true.

The closed-circuit locations and presales in the East are at record levels, surpassing where they were in 2007 for the Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight. Indications are that the pay-per-view is tracking better than expected, and Arum said he won’t be shocked if it touches 900,000 buyers.

That’s an astonishing number for just about any fight but even more so for a bout against a largely unknown opponent like Clottey, who doesn’t bring with him a large fan base.

Had Pacquiao-Clottey fought two years ago, Arum would have been lucky to have sold a quarter of the tickets he has sold for Saturday’s card.

One of the truths in boxing promoting is that you always need a strong ‘B-side’ if you’re going to do real business.

Pacquiao, though, is one of the few exceptions to that maxim. He is one of those, like Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson, who no longer needs a wildly popular B-side to sell. Pacquiao sells tickets and pay-per-views on his name alone.

He erased any doubts about his legitimacy as a welterweight when he decimated Cotto in November.

Pacquiao has set the bar enormously high, and though Clottey never has been knocked out, trainer Freddie Roach is expecting Pacquiao to set another first.

“I really believe Manny will find a way,” Roach said.

Pacquiao was as relaxed as ever on Friday. He was wolfing down food in an attempt to come somewhere near the welterweight limit of 147 pounds.

He was 142 when he awakened on Friday, then ate a large breakfast featuring eggs and had a lunch of grilled pork, grilled beef, white and brown rice and steamed vegetables. He was also gulping large amounts of water.

That’s in stark contrast to the vast majority of fighters, who can’t eat at all on the day of the weigh-in and wind up sucking on ice or, if they’re lucky, slices of fruit.

Despite all he ate – and he was headed for dinner after the weigh-in – he still was only 145 pounds.

Like Ali, he understands his place in the sport, as well. Boxing fans were bitterly disappointed when a bout with Mayweather wasn’t finalized. That would have pitted the two best fighters in the world for overall supremacy in a match that in essence would have been boxing’s Super Bowl.

Facing a difficult, but far less notable opponent, Pacquiao understands the need to perform to give the sport a jolt when it needs one after it lost a mega-fight at the negotiating table.

“I can’t promise a knockout, but I want to put on a good show for the people who support me all the time,” he said.

Clottey is a bigger man naturally and probably will weigh around 160 pounds by the time he walks to the ring on Saturday. Pacquiao may go up to 148 but certainly isn’t expected to hit 150.

He has been smaller than everyone he has fought since his epic 2008 match with Juan Manuel Marquez, but in subsequent knockout victories over then-lightweight champion David Diaz, De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Cotto, Pacquiao has been stalking his larger opponents.

Perhaps the most stunning scene in many a year was Cotto, one of the toughest, most aggressive fighters in recent times, backpedaling to flee the power of the man who just two years earlier was fighting at 128 pounds.

His meteoric rise from super bantamweight in 2001, where he won the International Boxing Federation title while weighing 121 pounds, to his crushing victory over Cotto in November has caused some to suspect he has used performance-enhancing drugs.

The Mayweather fight was unable to be made for that very reason, as Mayweather for the first time in his career demanded that his opponent agree to random blood and urine testing.

Arum, though, insists it’s a misnomer to believe Pacquiao is a big man now.

“He was having trouble making 130 and after the Marquez fight (on March 15, 2008), he wanted to go to lightweight (and its 135-pound limit,” Arum said. “But he’s really a 140-pounder now. He fought Hatton at 138. His most comfortable weight now is 140, but if there were some kind of a huge fight at 135, he could make that if he had to.

“That’s what makes what he’s doing all the more remarkable, because you have this little guy just beating the (expletive) out of guys who are physically a lot bigger than he is.”

Clottey has a tight defense and isn’t a guy who throws a lot of punches, thereby reducing the number of openings to be hit. So Pacquiao may not get the knockout, but there is one thing you can count on when Manny Pacquiao hits the ring – excitement.

Legendary hockey announcer Mike Lange of the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins often would say during a particularly exciting game, “If you’ve missed this one, shame on you for six weeks.”

And if you’re a boxing fan and you miss a chance to see Pacquiao, you’re going to regret it a lot longer than just six weeks.

He’s that good.

Author: Kevin Iole

Source: sports.yahoo.com

Pacquiao painting by fashion artist

2010-03-12T05:00:00.000-08:00

Albie Espinola is a fashion artist from London who also happens to be lifelong boxing fan.

Today, RingTV.com presents Espinola's painting of Manny Pacquiao -- who fights Joshua Clottey on Saturday at Cowboys Stadium -- and a time-lapse video (below) of him painting it.

Espinola was born in London to Filipino parents. His father often spoke of the great Flash Elorde and other top fights from the Phillipines and he became of fan of such British fighters as Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn, whose war in 1990 got him hooked on the sport.

The Londoner boxed briefly as an amateur but decided to focus on his art. He began to paint portraits of top models, becoming a prominent presence on the fashion scenes in Paris, London and New York. USA Today dubbed him the “fashion artist.”

However, he never lost his love of boxing. He taught the sweet science at a London gym while he worked in fashion public relations and produced fashion shows. And he has followed the sport religiously.

His favorite fighters today are Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., both of whom have been subjects of his paintings. The Pacquiao painting is presented here. Mayweather will come later.

Enjoy.

Source: ringtv.com

Manny Pacquiao reminds Bob Arum of Muhammad Ali

2010-03-12T04:49:00.000-08:00

Jerry Jones, the owner and general manager of the newly-built Dallas Cowboys Stadium speaks which stages Saturday's fight between welterweights Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey.

Manny Pacquaio arrived at Cowboys Stadium in a bus covered with his own likeness, the seats filled with members of his entourage. There were 140 of them in all, and his small Jack Russell Terrier ‘Pacman’.

If Pacquiao is not saying ‘I’m the Greatest’ then the signs are there. Pacquiao wore a straw hat and a dark jacket for the final press conference, like a latter day pop star. He then changed into a red Adidas tracksuit, matching his entourage. Pacquiao has a fight on his hands, both in the ring and in his upcoming election for Congress in his homeland, the Philippines.

Pacquiao is facing Ghanaian Joshua Clottey on Saturday night in boxing's debut at the $1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium. A sellout crowd of 45,000 is expected, with the attendance possibly soaring if Cowboys owner Jerry Jones decides to sell standing-room-only tickets. The pay-per-view audience that promoter Bob Arum said is likely to top the hoped-for total of 700,000.

Arum insists that the fervour for Pacquiao reminds him of the days he promoted Muhammad Ali. “It’s the same love that people have for him, as they had for Ali. Except with Manny, that love is from his own nation. It reminds me of what we had when Ali was in his pomp. It’s the same thing. Pacquiao is blessed.”

“He has been so through so much in his life, but the best thing of all is that he has kept his humanity. Manny cares about people, and cares about his people. I look forward to introducing him as ‘Congressman’ in the future.”

"There's no stage big enough for Manny Pacquiao," added Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach said. "He loves it, and I love it. He's going to perform for the crowd. He'll entertain all 45,000. He'll entertain everybody."

Clottey was given this opportunity against Pacquiao when the proposed megafight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. fell through. He's very appreciative for this opportunity and has nothing but nice things to say about Pacquiao. It's Roach who rankles him, from the predicted result to talk of a head butt being one of Clottey's best punches.

Clottey's prediction? "I'm predicting a win," he said, adding that he had not studied Pacquiao. "I know his style, I know the way he moves, the way he throws punches, so it doesn't matter. I study myself," he added. "I watch my own fights. I know what I have to do."

What he must do is overcome a fighter who has won world titles across seven weight divisions, who is fast becoming one of sport's living icons. It will have to be a special performance.

Author: Gareth A Davies

Source: telegraph.co.uk

Pacquiao - Clottey Referree & Judges' Track Records

2010-03-12T04:47:00.000-08:00

Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas is a magnificent facility and the Lone Star State certainly has passionate and enthusiastic fight fans.With that being said, a fear did cross my mind that the weak Texas boxing commission could screw up a fight of this magnitude when it was announced as host of Manny Pacquiao - Joshua Clottey.

Afterall, this is the same state where referee Lawrence Cole, son of state commissioner Dickie Cole, tried to help Juan Manuel Marquez in a fight by telling him he was ahead on the scorecards following an accidental headbutt against Filipino fighter Jimrex Jaca in 2006. Texas is also where Cole stopped a fight between Massachusett's Micky Ward and Texas' Jesse James Leija due to a cut Leija sustained from a Ward punch and ruled it an accidental headbutt, causing Ward to be screwed out of a decision.

Outside of Ward, it's were Gale Van Hoy saw hometown fighter Juan Diaz beating Paulie Malignaggi by a score of 118-110. Many folks thought that Malignaggi won that fight. I had it 114-144 even. Regardless, 118 - 110 was incredibly wide for a competitive fight.

So with these memories, let's take a look at the officials assigned to this weekends megafight.

Referee - Rafael Ramos

Reports from San Antonio say that the WBO wanted Cole to referee this fight. Thankfully, he won't be and Rafael Ramos will.

As a referree, Ramos worked last years stirring Texas slugfest between Juan Manuel Marquez and Juan Diaz. He's devoid of any refereeing scandals and is a 20 year veteran.

Judge - Levi Martinez

Martinez was a judge for the rematch between Beibut Shumenov and Gabriel Campillo. Shumenov won a controversial decision over Campillo in that fight. Many feel it was the worst decision of the year thus far.

The good news is that Martinez got it right. He scored the bout 117-111 for Campillo. A scorecard more in line with what most people were watching.

Judge - Nelson Vasquez

No known bad scorecards. Has Shane Mosley ahead 105-104 when he knocked out Ricardo Mayorga in the 12th round. Reasonable from my point of view.

Judge - Duane Ford

Veteran Nevada judge has worked many major fights over the years. Save for only having Chad Dawson ahead of Glen Johnson 115-113 (I had it a shutout and HBO has it 118-110), Ford is a fine choice.

Author: Peter Czymbor

Source: examiner.com

HBO has big plans for Pacquiao-Clottey fight

2010-03-12T04:42:00.000-08:00

University of Texas alum/HBO Sports director Marc Payton said the overhead video board at Cowboys Stadium will provide unprecedented viewing for in-house fans because of the close-ups -- particularly in the corners between rounds -- of the Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey fight Saturday night.

Payton will be on hand to direct the pay-per-view ($49.99) fight for HBO.

"I grew up a Cowboys fan, so this is nirvana for me to direct the first fight ever held in Cowboys Stadium," said Payton, who was raised in the Texas Panhandle and has lived in The Woodlands, just north of Houston, since 1982.

Put a 20x20 foot ring inside a 3-million square foot venue and what do you get? A chance for creativity, said the veteran HBO Boxing director of 29 years.

"In terms of how we actually cover the fight itself, not a lot changes from bell to bell," Payton said. "But the stuff between rounds, between fights prior to the main event, now that's where we can really use the stadium to magnify the coverage."

Extra cameras have been added. HBO's Max Kellerman will work with a hand-held cameraman and report from around the stadium.

"For me, it'll be the corner action between rounds, close-ups of the fighters' faces, cuts being treated ... these [are] shots of a fight that you often don't get even seated close to ringside."

Because of the 60x170-foot video board, fans in attendance will get state-of-the-art close-ups from the PPV feed, no matter if they bought a $33 ticket or a $2,730 center ringside seat.

Payton, 62, has directed some of HBO's biggest fights, including all the Thomas Hearns-Marvin Hagler-Sugar Ray Leonard classics as well as Buster Douglas-Mike Tyson from Tokyo in 1990.

He directed Sunday Night Football on ESPN through the 2000 season and Sunday Night Baseballthrough 2001. For 22 years, he worked at HBO and ESPN until, as Payton put it, the travel became too much.

Now he has a fight practically in his own back yard. It's only a 230-mile drive from The Woodlands to Arlington.

Author: Ray Buck

Source: star-telegram.com

Pacquiao has perfect game plan for Clottey

2010-03-12T04:40:00.000-08:00

DALLAS, Texas (AFP) – Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao puts hisWorld Boxing Organization title on the line Saturday against Ghana's Joshua Clottey as they headline the first fight card at Cowboys Stadium.

The 31-year-old Pacquiao will be making the first defence of his WBO welterweight belt but it could also be his last fight as he prepares to embark on a political career in his native Philippines.

Pacquiao, who will run for a congressional seat in May after failing to get elected three years ago, said Filipinos are now more accepting of his political goals.

"Before they don't want me to enter politics because I am still fighting," Pacquiao said. "They didn't want to lose Manny Pacquiao in boxing. But now my time in boxing is really short. I have to think about the future and helping my people."

But first the three-time fighter of the year Pacquiao has to get past the much bigger Clottey who is fighting at his natural weight (147 pounds) unlike Pacquiao who is moving up in weight class.

Pacquiao (50-3-2, 28 KOs) has looked unstoppable in his last three fights and he isn't showing any signs of losing power as he fights bigger and stronger opponents.

Pacquiao has won 11 consecutive fights, eight by knockout, since losing to Erik Morales in March 2005.

His plan is to wear the 32-year-old Clottey down on Saturday so he can finish him off in the later rounds.

"Joshua will bring out the best in Manny," said Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach, who wants to see his champion fight one more time - against Floyd Mayweather - then retire. "Manny will go out there and fight another perfect fight."

Promoters are expecting a sellout of 45,000 for the first fight card at the 1.2 billion dollar Cowboys Stadium which was opened last year.

The home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys is an unusual venue for a world championship fight because of its location and size. The majority of world title fights these days are held in much smaller venues in Las Vegas.

This will be the largest crowd Pacquiao has fought in front of and he is looking forward to showing what he can do.

"This is very important fight for me," Pacquiao said. "This is my first time here in Dallas.

"It is going to be worldwide and it is a good example to other places that also want to promote boxing."

Pacquiao had been expected to fight Mayweather on the same date in a pound-for-pound mega-fight.

But when that bout fell through over a drug-testing dispute, former IBF champion Clottey (35-3, 21 KOs) came into the picture.

Both fighters fought former champion Miguel Cotto in their most recent fights - southpaw Pacquiao winning by a 12th round TKO four months ago and Clottey losing a close decision to Cotto nine months ago.

Clottey, who has never been knocked down, comes into the fight without his long-time trainer Godwin Kotey, who is back in Ghana because he couldn't get a visa to come to the US.

Kotey's replacement is former cutman Lenny DeJesus, 64, who was promoted to head trainer just seven weeks ago.

DeJesus says his boxer is more than just a fill-in fighter for Mayweather.

"It is a hurting game," said DeJesus, who worked a half dozen fights in Pacquiao's corner as a cut man. "If my guy can put a hurt on Pacquiao that will change the fight.

"I got a stronger and bigger guy. I have created some different movements so he won't be a target."

This is Pacquiao's second fight as a true welterweight. He weighed just 106 pounds for his first professional fight in 1995 and won his first title in the 112 pound flyweight division

His major titles have come in weight classes ranging from 112 pounds to 147 pounds and he is the first Asian to win four or more major belts.

Before systematically dismantling Cotto in 12 rounds, he sent Oscar De La Hoya into retirement in December 2008 and demolished Briton Ricky Hatton in just two rounds in May 2009.

"I want to give a good fight and make people happy," Pacquiao said. "We have a plan. We have some strategy and whatever happens in the ring we will adjust to.

"We based our training on our opponent's style. We trained perfectly to the style of the opponent so I think our team work for this fight is very good."

Author: Greg Heakes

Source: news.yahoo.com

The Boxing Weekend: Manny Pacquiao Vs Joshua Clottey PPV

2010-03-12T04:37:00.001-08:00

Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao, 50-3-2, 38 KO’s, headlines this weekend’s boxing as he defends his WBO Welterweight title against the very capable and dangerous Joshua Clottey, 35-3, 20 KO’s.

Pacquiao is at an all time high in his career and has quite the following. He is a national hero in the Philippines and has a large fan base just about everywhere else. His continued improvement and likable nature have made him a pay per view smash. He is willing to take on just about anyone and has destroyed most of his opposition, including Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto, and David Diaz. He has struggled with Juan Manuel Marquez in recent years, a fighter with good defense and the ability to control the ring, which is something that Clottey is able to do. The difference is: Clottey is a natural welterweight.

Pacquiao has to use his speed and movement in order to beat Clottey. Clottey has a history of beating up smaller guys. He battered and destroyed Diego Corrales, pounded Zab Judah into submission, and chased Miguel Cotto around the ring, before losing a controversial decision. He has a great chin, packs a decent punch, and keeps a tight defense. Clottey is a very dangerous opponent for Pacquiao and one that he may not be able to get beyond.

A win is a win and you can’t take anything away from the recent victories of Pacquiao, but when you look at the big names that were destroyed, you have to analyze it realistically. Oscar De La Hoya was spent, Ricky Hatton wasn’t an elite fighter, and Miguel Cotto’s psyche was broken. Clottey is a much bigger test for Pacquiao the welterweight, despite the fact that he isn’t as well known as the fighters mentioned above. He will try to walk down and pound Pacquiao to the floor in the later rounds. It should be a fun show.

The vacant WBC Lightweight title will be decided as Humberto Soto, 50-7-2, 32 KO’s, takes on David Diaz, 35-2-1, 17 KO’s. Soto recently dominated Jesus Chavez and has been on a winning streak. Diaz struggled with the same Chavez to take a majority decision in his last fight. Prior to that, he was dominated and planted on the canvas by Manny Pacquiao in nine rounds. He does hold a win over ancient Erik Morales, and at 33 years of age, still has some time left in the game. This should be a competitive and busy fight.

Contender favorite, Alfonso Gomez, 21-4-2, 10 KO’s, tries to send former WBC Lightweight Champion, Jose Luis Castillo, 60-9-1, 50 KO’s, into retirement in a ten round bout. Gomez has rebounded from his TKO loss to Miguel Cotto and put together a couple of wins as he goes into his biggest challenge. Castillo has been very active lately, fighting four times in 2009, winning all four by stoppage, although the opposition is highly questionable. Can Gomez avoid the slow powerhouse? We’ll find out Saturday night.

Irish Middleweight John Duddy, 28-1, 18 KO’s, is still a hot property in boxing and hopes to defeat the untested Michael Medina, 23-1-2, 18 KO’s, in a ten round bout. Duddy has beaten some decent competition like Matt Vanda, Howard Eastman, and Yory Boy Campas, while Medina has been feasting on guys like Roberto Valenzuela, who brought in an impressive record of 51-49-2. This is a huge step up for Medina.

Author: Geno McGahee

Source: ringsidereport.com

Pacquiao Makes Great Fighters Look Bad

2010-03-12T04:32:00.000-08:00

It's amazing how it has become common play for certain boxing analysts, reporters, and writers to criticize Manny Pacquiao for fighting unworthy opponents. Due to this, the Pacquiao-Clottey fight hasn't been taken as seriously as Pacquiao's last several bouts.

Before Pacquiao faced Oscar De La Hoya, some went so far as to say it was a “ridiculous” and “pointless” match. Some experts held to the belief Pacquiao would suffer a humiliating defeat at the hands of his bigger opponent. When Pacquiao signed the deal to fight Cotto, many claimed that Pacquiao couldn't stand up against a legitimate, top-notch welterweight. After Pacquiao destroyed both men, De La Hoya was “old and weight-drained” and Cotto was “damaged goods”. It might be wise of the aforementioned boxing experts to entertain the notion that Manny Pacquiao possesses the skills to make great fighters look bad.

Pacquiao's skills have been finely honed over time by his hard work, and determination. Freddie Roach has also been instrumental in helping Pacquiao develop into the elite pugilist that he has become. The completely offensive, left-handed brawler that was the young Manny Pacquiao been transformed into the ultimate boxing machine.

Manny Pacquiao has an unusual style and an uncanny ability to confuse and frustrate the best fighters in his weight class. He's keeps on his toes and forces his opponents to turn. He doesn't give them time to T-off on him. He throws such volumes of punches from such strange angles that his foes are simply unable to defend against his attacks. Eventually he breaks them down, and overwhelms them.

Pacquiao's dominating performance over Miguel Cotto has been both a blessing and a curse for him. Before that fight occurred, Joshua Clottey would have undoubtedly been considered a legitimate threat. Now many just consider him to be Pacquiao's next victim. As 8CN's Kenneth Ragpala pointed out in his article entitled “Making a Case for Joshua Clottey”, anybody who thinks Clottey is easy pickings for Pacquiao needs to reconsider the facts.

Clottey is the biggest man that Pacquiao will have ever faced and has a defense that is all but impenetrable. Joshua Clottey was considered a very good welterweight until he signed a contract to fight Manny Pacquiao.

Here's the real scoop:

1.The negotiations with Mayweather fell through. That's been well covered so we won't dredge that up again.

2. The No. 2 ranked welterweight, Shane Mosley and No. 3, Floyd Mayweather Jr. are fighting each other on May 1st. At the time the fight with Clottey was made, Mosley was expected to face Andre Berto.

3. Miguel Cotto is No. 4 in the welterweight rankings. Pacquiao has been there and done that.

4. That leaves the next best option, Joshua Clottey. What is it that is difficult to understand about this whole scenario?

Throughout Pacquiao's career, he has fought the best opposition available. Once again, he's doing just that. Clottey is legit. He's no pushover and he has a chance to upset Manny Pacquiao. However, if Pacquiao does what is expected and beats Clottey, he will undoubtedly be criticized once again for facing a lesser fighter.

Perhaps Pacquiao’s critics would like to see him face Klitschko?

Author: Lorne Scoggins

Source: 8countnews.com

And The Winner is...Joshua Clottey

2010-03-12T04:26:00.000-08:00

ARLINGTON, TEX. -- Challenger Joshua Clottey was nearing the end of Wednesday's press conference for Saturday night's clash with WBO welterweight (147 pounds) champion, Manny Pacquiao, at The Dallas Cowboys' Stadium.

And after an hour or so of compliments thrown back and forth between the future combatants, it was about time for the kids gloves to come off -- at least, that's how the 32-year-old Clottey seemed to be feeling.

"He's [Pacquiao] fighting with a real welterweight -- no catch weight, no nothing. I've always felt like I've never, ever lost a fight, that's what I always say. And I have never gotten beat up," said Clottey, when pressed about how he would handle the often, overwhelming, windmill-like pressure of Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 knockouts).

"I've never felt none of my opponents punches before. I want to see if I'm gonna feel Manny Pacquiao's punches. Call me crazy, but I just want to see that," said Clottey (35-3, 20 KOs). "I'm a really true welterweight. Big for that matter. He's a smaller guy and can throw a lot of punches. But I connect punches. I'll make sure that if I throw a few, it's going to connect, and I'm going cause damage."

And when he's not firing at Pacquiao, Clottey said that he'll be blocking his rival's offensive efforts -- so much so that Pacquiao's ineffectiveness will cause the champion to question himself as doubt begins to creep in.

"If he's going to throw a thousand punches, then I'll block a thousand punches. And that will get him thinking. I'm not going to back up," said Pacquiao. "And the fear and the pressure will make him think more. I'm not going to go backward. I'm going to stay in there. Wherever he goes, I'll cut off the ring. I'll make him fight. I want him to fight for the first time."

Despite being together for only the first time as fighter and head trainer, Clottey and Lenny DeJesus believe they have the recipe to unseat the man who is considered boxing's best performer, pound-for-pound.

"Styles make fights. Manny Pacquiao has fought many a guy, but not a guy the caliber of Joshua Clottey. He's fought guys that have been in wars and made him look good. Not taking nothing fromOscar De La Hoya, because De La Hoya was not the De La Hoya that we're used to or accustomed to," said DeJesus.

"The only guy that made him big was Ricky Hatton, and he stopped Hatton in two rounds. But Hatton has nothing great. He was just a brawler," DeJesus continued.

"The only fight that I think that brought the best out of Pacquiao was the two fights that he foughtJuan Manuel Marquez, and that was a little guy," said DeJesus. "So now, he's facing a real challenge, to be honest with you. This is a real challenge, and you're going to see who Pacquaiua is, and who Joshua is."

And unlike his June loss to Miguel Cotto, whom he bloodied and had nearly out on his feet at times before losing a disputed split-decision, DeJesus said that Clottey won't let Pacquiao off the hook if he has him hurt.

"Everybody is going to see a different Clottey. A motivated type of individual. More focused. He's going to be different in a sense where he's going to throw more punches. We're going to try to corner him. We're going to cut the ring off on him. That's one of my strategies to try to calm down Pacquiao, because is a little energizer battery and he jumps from here to there," said DeJesus.

"We're going to try to cut off the ring. And if Pacquiao is going to run, then he's going to get booed by the public. You know, he's going to have to step and fight," said DeJesus. "That's his game thing from many years back, and if he runs or hide or tries to block punches, people will boo that fight. So I think that this fight is perfect for both of them, because both of them are going to come to fight."

A seven-division titlist and a three-time Fighter Of The Year, Pacquiao is 18-1-2, with 15 knockouts under Four-Time Trainer Of The Year, Freddie Roach, including 11-0, with eight knockouts since March of 2005.

"Manny Pacquiao is a full package. By that I mean he's a guy that comes to fight. He fights every fight as if his life depended on it. But I'm bringing a solid 147-pounder, and a good 147-pounder," said DeJesus of Pacquiao, who has been named Fighter Of The Decade.

"The only thing I'm worried about with my guy is if he doesn't listen. Then we got a problem," said DeJesus. "But if he listens, I think I can pull this fight through and they can crown me the Upset Trainer Of The Year. Freddie Roach has four, I'll probably get one, at least."

Some of DeJesus' confidence comes from a past relationship with Pacquiao and Roach, as does what appears to be a bit of underlying bitterness toward the latter.

For a period of a little more than two years, DeJesus worked as a cut man assisting Roach in Pacquiao's corner.

Among the six fights DeJesus worked were a November, 2003, 11th-round knockout of Marco Antonio Barrera, a May, 2004 draw with Juan Manuel Marquez, an April of 2004 fourth-round knockout of Fahsan 3K Battery, and Pacquiao's March, 2005 loss to Erik Morales.

"Morales was the fifth or sixth one. And that was the last one. He got cut bad, it was a very bad gash. What happened happened, it was a head butt. Not intentional," said DeJesus, who feels that he was unfairly blamed for the loss to Morales.

"I did my best to keep him in the fight, which I did. So instead of getting credit, I got grief from Freddie Roach. He said that I was not a good cut man," said DeJesus. "Things happen for a reason. Here I am again. Against Freddie Roach.
Freddie Roach is a little nervous or leery on that. But I'm going to bring somebody strong, and a solid 147-pounder that's going to try to uncrown the king."

Roach seems equally confident of victory over Clottey, whom he believes does not have enough offense to defeat Pacquiao.

But DeJesus said that not only will Clottey be "Very, very accurate," with his blows, but "Very quick," and, "Very fast," and, "we're going to throw punches with bad intentions."

"That's the only way I'm going to prove our point is to try to stop him by either a good cut or a good knockout. Because the kid has been dropped a couple of times, and, now, he's going to fight a real welterweight," said DeJesus.

"Joshua's a guy who can whack. We're going to be on top of Manny. That's one of the things in my gameplan also. That's what's going to make the fight an interesting fight," said DeJesus. "If they go 12 good rounds, maybe my stock will go up, and my fighter's stock will go up. I think it's going to be a great fight, because a lot of people got me 4-to-1. But that's a good bet, because they've got to be worried, not me."

Author: Lem Satterfield

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

Manny Pacquiao's recent run is impressive

2010-03-12T04:14:00.000-08:00

By now, you’ve heard all the reasons why Manny Pacquiao’s remarkable run since December 2008 isn’t quite as impressive as it appears.

Oscar De La Hoya was so spent from making the welterweight limit for the first time in 7 1/2 years that Pacquiao pummeling him into submission was inevitable. Ricky Hatton was shot before they even got in the ring, so Pacquiao’s spectacular one-punch, second-round knockout was an aberration.

And Miguel Cotto, much like Hatton after Floyd Mayweather Jr. knocked him out, hasn’t been the same since Antonio Margarito brutalized him.

There might be marginal validity to each excuse, but discrediting Pacquiao’s accomplishments is about as unfair to the Filipino superstar as assuming he is on steroids just because he has become one of two top pound-for-pound boxers in the world, despite getting older and moving up in weight. If Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) defeats Ghana’s Joshua Clottey on Saturday night at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas (HBO Pay-Per-View; $49.95; 9 p.m.), Pacquiao’s detractors will say the fast, powerful southpaw merely defeated someone who had already been beaten by a guy Pacquiao dominated (Cotto).

But Clottey (35-3, 20 KOs, 1 NC) is a big, strong welterweight whose lone losses, all to former welterweight champs, come with asterisks.

Clottey could’ve just as easily been declared the winner against Puerto Rico’s Cotto, who beat him by split decision June 13 at Madison Square Garden. Clottey also was dominating Mexico’s Margarito for four rounds three years ago in Atlantic City, before injuries to both hands prohibited him from throwing enough punches during the second half of that fight to win on points.

His first loss was a debatable disqualification defeat to Argentina’s Carlos Baldomir more than a decade ago.

Moreover, he has shown a granite chin in 39 professional fights. And Clottey, who’ll turn 33 on Tuesday, is just 15 months older than Pacquiao, so age isn’t a factor, either.

Thus if Pacquiao produces a fourth straight tremendous performance in beating Clottey on Saturday night, let’s not try to find some reason why it isn’t as impressive as it seems. Maybe Manny Pacquiao is just as great as everything he has accomplished over the past 15 months indicates.

JOSHUA’S JUDGMENT: Mayweather’s supporters probably consider Clottey naïve, but Clottey doesn’t suspect Pacquiao of steroid use and isn’t concerned about Pacquiao possessing any unfair advantages entering their fight.

"I don’t want to do that, because I respect him so much," Clottey said. "He’s a very nice guy. I feel comfortable around him. He’s a nice, classy guy. He respects everybody."

Mayweather and his father, Floyd Mayweather Sr., have strongly suggested that Pacquiao has benefitted from performance-enhancing drugs in recent years. The younger Mayweather’s demand for random drug testing halted negotiations two months ago for a fight that was tentatively scheduled to take place Saturday night.

Pacquiao has never tested positive for steroids or any other illegal substance, but critics contend he’s hiding something because he wouldn’t agree to at least submit to blood testing 14 days prior to a fight against Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs).

VINNY’S VICTORY: Oakland’s Vinny Scolpino, Clottey’s manager, couldn’t believe their luck when promoter Bob Arum called him about boxing Pacquiao once the Pacquiao-Mayweather negotiations got messy.

The previous fight Arum’s Top Rank Inc. offered Clottey was a 10-rounder against Mexico’s Michael Rosales (26-3, 22 KOs). Instead of fighting Rosales in the main event of a "Top Rank Live" broadcast on FOX Sports, Clottey will challenge arguably the best boxer in the world before a crowd in excess of 40,000.

Clottey, who made what was then a career-high $550,000 to fight Cotto, will make his first seven-figure purse for facing Pacquiao.

"This is the biggest opportunity of Joshua’s career," Scolpino said. "You can’t ask for anything more than this. Now Josh just has to go take advantage of it and he’ll be in best position possible."

STADIUM TOUR: Arum and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones are ecstatic about the possibility of drawing a crowd of 45,000 for the first fight at Cowboys Stadium.

Ticket sales for this card have made Arum push harder than ever to promote fights at stadiums, something he has often talked about doing in recent years. Negotiations are all but complete for a June 5 bout at Yankee Stadium that’ll pit WBA super welterweight champion Yuri Foreman (28-0, 8 KOs, 1 NC) against Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs).

Foreman, an aspiring rabbi from New York, trains in Paterson.

Author: KEITH IDEC

Source: northjersey.com

Roach And De Jesus Get It On

2010-03-12T04:11:00.000-08:00

While pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao and Ghana’s Joshua Clottey showed their utmost respect for one another before stepping into the ring set up right on top of the star in the center of the fantastic Dallas Cowboys Stadium, their trainers have had a go at each other, effectively picking up the rhetoric nearing fight time.

Most media believe that there’s a bigger mismatch in the corners of both fighters than the difference between the WBO welterweight champion Pacquiao and former champion Clottey, with Roach way ahead with three “Trainer of the Year” awards in his trophy room.

De Jesus of Puerto Rican descent has never really been a trainer although he’s been in the corner of some great champions as an ace cutman, including six fights of Pacquiao himself. However, Roach pointed out, rather unfairly, that they got rid of De Jesus when they got rid of former promoter Murad Muhammad when Shelly Finkel took over. What Roach didn’t mention was that Pacquiao didn’t renew Finkel’s contract and let it lapse and that Manny himself had no part in the replacement, not ouster, of De Jesus.

A low key individual unlike Roach who sometimes shows his irritation, De Jesus has quietly pointed out that he’s "been around a long time” and as he correctly stated “I’ve been through it all” including the first Pacquiao-Erik “El Terrible” Morales fight in which Manny suffered a nasty gash due to an accidental head-butt in round five and De Jesus could hardly do his job because of the panic in Pacquiao’s corner. To his credit Pacquiao went the distance and nearly pulled it off in the final round when he hurt and staggered Morales.

DeJesus has 40 years in boxing in his bank of experience and has worked the corners of some of the true greats as cutman including Roberto Duran, Wilfredo Benitez and Hector “Macho” Camacho.

An individual who is soft-spoken and likes to take a similar approach when working a fight, De Jesus was quoted by boxing writer/photographer Chris Cozzone as saying “It’s not about yelling at the fighter,” harking back to such renowned trainers as Angelo Dundee, pointing out “You didn’t see Angelo Dundee yell and shout in the corner. The cheers, the hollers, aren’t going to matter. What you need is to be good and quiet.”

What De Jesus wants is quiet in the corner and for Clottey not to be carried away but to listen because Lenny says if he does that, Clottey will win and if he doesn’t he will lose by decision. Fairly straightforward.

While he believes Clottey’s size and strength will make the difference, Pacquiao’s conditioning expert Alex Ariza told us, Clottey is surprisingly not bigger than Manny, only a little taller and the Ghana fighter will probably enjoy a ten-pound advantage over Pacquiao at fight time.

Most people including De Jesus bank on the axiom that a good big guy will beat a good little guy but promoter Bob Arum has also said prior to the Oscar De La Hoya fight where Pacquiao pulverized “The Golden Boy,” that “speed kills” and in this respect Manny is miles ahead of Clottey.

The hungrier fighter will win, is what De Jesus says. But he also indicates that Clottey won’t be a target for Pacquiao which means he is unlikely to stay on the ropes and try to get Pacquiao to wear himself out. But Roach is ready to adapt to whatever Clottey brings, indicating that he “ does the same thing, over and over and over again,” even though he concedes that Clottey “is a good fighter. We know he’s a dangerous fighter. But we’re not re-inventing the wheel here. He’ll either try to impose his size and strength on Manny – which is what I would do – or he’ll go to the ropes and try to counter while wearing Manny out.”

Roach is confident “that’s not gonna happen. Manny will not tire. He’ll get the openings and hit the body. And if Clottey comes forward, he’ll start reaching because Manny won’t be there. He’ll use lateral movement and angles rather than stand right in front of him.”

Roach and Ariza agreed with us that Pacquiao won’t knock Clottey out but that he will win by a TKO with the referee probably stepping in to stop the fight at some point. Roach was quoted by Cozzone as saying, ”I don’t know if we can knock him out, or down because he (Clottey)has a good chin. But I know Manny c an stop him.”

Taking a shot at De Jesus, Roach said he thought it was “weird” when he heard DeJesus was given the position. “He’s been around the game, but does he know boxing as a trainer? I don’t know.” We'll find out on Saturday night deep in the heart of Texas.

Author: Ronnie Nathanielsz

Source: PhilBoxing.com

Pacquiao a sure thing – almost

2010-03-12T04:04:00.000-08:00

ARLINGTON, Texas – Manny Pacquiao has been saying all the right things as he prepares to defend his World Boxing Organization welterweight title on Saturday at Cowboys Stadium against Joshua Clottey. He respects Clottey’s ability. He is just as intense for Clottey as he was for his stunningly one-sided victories over Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto.

His trainer, Freddie Roach, insists Pacquiao hasn’t scrimped on his training.

“He doesn’t take anyone lightly,” Roach said Thursday. “If he were going to fight you, he wouldn’t take you lightly, or me.”

Pacquiao is widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, but that’s always a tenuous perch. And in Clottey, he’s facing a guy who may be as much as 15 pounds heavier when the fight begins and who is a superb defensive fighter with a great chin.

Clottey is a significant underdog in the eyes of the casual fan, but he’s not nearly as big of an underdog to those in the boxing business.

“Anybody who thinks Manny is just going to walk in and blow Joshua away is kidding themselves,” said Lenny DeJesus, formerly Pacquiao’s cut man and now Clottey’s trainer. “Joshua is one of the elite fighters in the world, too. These are two elite guys in there. Manny’s just the one getting all of the attention.”

Pacquiao’s getting attention for his string of jaw-dropping victories over larger men and because he’s a rare combination of speed and power. He was so fast that De La Hoya said he thought he saw more than one of him in the ring.

Pacquiao won every minute of every round against De La Hoya until the bout was stopped after eight rounds.

“He’s so fast,” De La Hoya said. “You’re looking for him here and he’s over there. And when he throws his punches, they’re coming so quickly, it’s hard to see them all.”

Clottey isn’t nearly as fast as Pacquiao, but he’s hardly worried about taking the three-, four- and even five-punch combinations that Pacquiao laid on De La Hoya. He’s the closest thing defensively to Winky Wright in boxing today.

Clottey has an uncanny ability to block punches, holding his arms and hands high in front of his face.

“Believe me when I tell you this,” Clottey said. “If I want to block punches, I can block. I won’t get hit by those.”

One can’t, despite the legend of Willie Pep having once won a round despite not throwing a punch, win a fight on defense alone. And Pacquiao has the kind ofspeed to take advantage of any opening Clottey leaves.

Former lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo, who faces Alfonso S. Gomez in a welterweight bout on Saturday’s undercard, served as a sparring partner for Pacquiao. He doesn’t believe Pacquiao will stop Clottey, but that doesn’t mean he believes the fight will be close.

Castillo, who hopes to fight his way back into title contention as a super lightweight, marveled at Pacquiao’s ability and thinks he’ll hammer Clottey on Saturday.

“He’s a great fighter, out of our league,” Castillo said. “He’s great. He’s so fast. He’s also strong and he hasn’t lost any of his speed even though he’s gone up in weight.

“I visualize the fight like Clottey is going to be a punching bag and Pacquiao’s going to be hitting him, moving, hitting him and moving.”

The fight may well pan out that way. Clottey, though, has never been knocked down and has never been stopped. He’s lost three times, once by disqualification and twice by decision. He was very competitive in a loss to Antonio Margarito until suffering stress fractures in each hand and he believes he was robbed in a split-decision loss to Cotto.

Hitting him will be one thing; knocking him out will be another.

Pacquiao says he won’t even concern himself with a knockout.

“I just want to make my people happy,” Pacquiao said. “I don’t worry about a knockout. It’s nothing personal. I’m just going to do my job.”

If Pacquiao doesn’t got for the kill, though, he could open himself up for problems. Big underdogs have won before – a 42-1 underdog (Buster Douglas) and a 24-1 underdog (Evander Holyfield) both defeated Mike Tyson – and if Pacquiao doesn’t get rid of Clottey if he has a chance, he may come to regret it.

Roach, however, believes fully in his fighter’s desire to perform at the highest level. Other fighters who were major upset victims became content with their success.

Pacquiao, though, is not. He’s begun to watch video to spot opponents’ tendencies, something he didn’t do for much of his career. He’s become much more detail-oriented.

“They got lazy,” Roach said of the common thread that existed among many of boxing’s most famous upset victims. “They get satisfied. With Pacquiao, I haven’t seen that yet. I’m waiting for the day he comes through the doors of the gym and doesn’t have the work intensity he’s had for so long. He works harder today than he did eight years ago. He just likes to work.

“He’s never satisfied. We’ll come up with moves to make counters. I’ll show him how I want it done and he’ll show me how he likes it. If we find no holes with it, we go with it, but if we see a mistake, we erase it and try to figure out a way to do it better.”

Very few fighters in boxing history, though, have been immune to a major upset, particularly those who have reached the heights that Pacquiao has.

Boxing historian Bert Sugar said it’s difficult to judge when an experienced fighter has reached his peak and when the downslide has begun. Roberto Duran once lost to an unknown named Kirkland Laing, but came back to later win world titles at super welterweight and middleweight.

Pacquiao’s vulnerability to the upset is lessened by his dedication, but he’s nearing the end of a long career and it’s hard to know what the many fights have taken from him.

“We sometimes put too much faith in a fighter, whosoever it is, thinking he’s going to keep winning,” Sugar said. “Then, we’re surprised when he gets upset, but if we don’t know when his peak was, we can’t really assess it properly. It wouldn’t be a shock if he lost, but it would be a surprise.

“This is a harder fight than anyone thinks it is. Think of Winky Wright and you have the modern version of him in Clottey. And Clottey is big. I think [he] was born at 147 pounds. He’ll enter the ring at least 10, if not 15, pounds heavier. He’ll be around 160, maybe more, when he rehydrates. And you know, he might have the style to pull it off. He’s not just going to run in like [Ricky] Hatton did.”

Promoter Bob Arum has to walk a fine line. He knows Pacquiao is his cash cow and a Pacquiao win would benefit him more than a Clottey win, but he also needs the public to buy Clottey as having a chance in order to maximize pay-per-view sales.

“I don’t think he’s going to win, but he definitely can win,” Arum said of Clottey. “It’s a dangerous fight for Manny because this is a guy that is big and strong and has a very good defense. I think Manny will win, but it’s no slam dunk.”

Author: Kevin Iole

Source: sports.yahoo.com

Pacquiao-Clottey Special On 'The Main Event'

2010-03-12T03:22:00.000-08:00

A one hour pre-fight special on “The Event” featuring pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao and former world champion Joshua Clottey of Ghana will be telecast on the top-rated weekly boxing show “The Main Event” over RPN 9 at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.

Hosted by veteran boxing commentator Ronnie Nathanielsz, the special sponsored by Tanduay, the No.1 Rhum will provide viewers an insight into both fighters, their training camps and the launch at the spectacular $1.2 billion state-of-the-art Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Texas with famed ring announcer Michael Buffer as host.

Highlights of Pacquiao’s title fights and Clottey’s showdowns with Miguel Cotto, the late Diego Corrales and Zab Judah will also be part of the special

The Pacquiao-Clottey special will set the stage for what many believe will be an intriguing contest and although Pacquiao is an overwhelming favorite to win Clottey’s trainer Lenny De Jesus has warned Pacquiao and his legions of fans not to underestimate the tough, strong and bigger fighter from Ghana.

The fight will be telecast on Sunday, Manila Time by Solar Sports and GMA 7 while it will be shown on a pay-per-view basis at the Araneta Coliseum where the giant four-sided screens create an atmosphere that makes viewers feel they are actually at special ringside at the venue.

The fights will also be telecast at all SM, Robinson and Rockwell Cinemas and in numerous other venues including restaurants and clubs across the country.

Manila Mayor Fred Lim has also guaranteed that city residents in the various congressional districts will be able to follow the action on big screens strategically located in the various districts free of charge.

The giant broadcast network ABS-CBN will telecast the fights on a pay-per-view basis over its widely watched global channel TFC in the Middle East, Europe and Australia with well-known commentators Bill Velasco and Ed Tolentino handling the coverage.

Source: philboxing.com

Pacquiao vs Clottey Press conference: March 10, 2010

2010-03-11T13:35:00.000-08:00

Watch Pacquiao-Clottey March 10, 2010 press conference.

In less than a week one of the biggest fight in Dallas will happen. THE EVENT will about to happen between the two greatest fighter, Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao and Joshua "Grand Master" Clottey. The fight will be held at the Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Dallas on March 13, 2010.

Soucrce: youtube.com

Dallas Cowboys Stadium fitting stage for ‘megastar’ Manny Pacquiao

2010-03-11T13:33:00.000-08:00

But the fighting Filipino’s grip on his own people, and his mystique for those outside his own culture, grows exponentially.

Pacquiao now has an entourage of 140 – including his Jack Russell Terrier, ‘Pacman’. That is a larger following than Muhammad Ali ever had. They are all decked out in bespoke red adidas tracksuits and travel in a tour bus skinned with Pacquiao’s face. Wherever he goes, his countrymen move towards him like fireflies in the night lured to a flame. It is hard to think of a sporting icon worldwide who enjoys such … love, from his people.

But Pacquiao is also loved by television executives. He is fighting gold. Mark Taffett, senior vice-president of Home Box Office Sports and Pay-Per-View events, said Pacquiao had become “a megastar” a fact borne out by sales figures.

“Manny Pacquiao is spectacular in and out of the ring. He has taken part in 10 pay per view fights on HBO and generated 5.5 million buys, which created $290 million in revenue. In his last three fights he averaged over one million pay-per-view buys. That alone makes him a pay-per-view megastar. Manny Pacquiao has helped boxing expand beyond the sports pages, into mainstream magazines, and mainstream television.”

Jerry Jones, the owner and general manager of the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium which stages Saturday's fight, admitted that he has always been “hands on” in the business.

“This stadium was not for me, not for the players, but for the fans. The fans are the club.” It is expected to be a sell-out crowd on the first fight night ever staged at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium, although boxing has been sanctioned in Texas for 79 years by their athletic commission. It is also the first time that HBO have shown boxing from a stadium on PPV, which could signal a new direction for the broadcasting giant.

Jones, who put down a $7 million site fee for ‘The Event’, as it is has been named, said there are a few hundred seats available for the 45,000 capacity stadium. Jones, of course, had originally proffered a $25 million site fee, the largest in boxing history, for Pacquiao-Mayweather to take place here on this date. That would've demanded double the gate, even up to 100,000, to make it financially viable.

If the glazed floor, ultra-comfortable seats, and airiness of the domed monolith to sport were not enough, the two combatants will be 72ft high when they enact their brutal dance on Saturday night, presented on the largest screens in the world. They are also in high definition. The two protagonists have promised a dance fitting of the venue and the occasion. It will have to be.

Bob Arum, who once promoted Muhammad Ali and who says Pacquiao has the same hold over people, said: "He [Pacquiao] has grown up in life after running away from home, fighting for a dollar a time, dedicating his life to his sport, and becoming an icon.

“An even greater story is that he hasn't lost his humanity. With the storm, corruption and poverty in his country, he wants to change that. Be something different. I hope this is the last pre-fight press conference where I introduce him as plain old Manny Pacquiao. I want to introduce him as congressman Manny Pacquiao."

What typified the final head-to-head news conference between Pacquiao and Clottey was the absence of trash talking – and a mention of Floyd Mayweather Jnr.

Yet there were plenty of huddles afterwards when Pacquiao, Arum and Roach were asked for their opinions on whether arguably the richest fight in history will ever happen. The answer was the same. Todd DeBoeuf had the most telling reply. “If you want a fight to happen, you make it happen.” The suggestion is that Mayweather, deep down, does not really want this fight with Pacquiao.

"Both sides have not done any trash talking," said Pacquiao, who defends the World Boxing Organisation welterweight title. "We can be a good example to everybody." Clottey concurred "We have a great deal of respect for each other. But nobody has every beat me or cracked me. I want to see what he can do."

Author: Gareth A Davies

Source: telegraph.co.uk

Clottey, trainer find resolve as subs

2010-03-11T13:30:00.000-08:00

Joshua Clottey was in his native Ghana in January not even thinking about boxing when he got the call from manager Vinny Scolpino. The Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. negotiations had imploded, and Pacquiao needed an opponent to face.

Top Rank, which promotes Pacquiao and Clottey, was offering Clottey, a former welterweight titlist, the opportunity to make a seven-figure payday by challenging Pacquiao for his title.

Clottey, admittedly a great admirer of the pound-for-pound king, quickly accepted the chance of a lifetime and will fight Pacquiao on Saturday night (HBO PPV, $49.95) at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

As Clottey and Scolpino went about setting up the training camp, Clottey hoped to reunite with trainer Godwin Kotey, from whom he had split in 2004.

Clottey (35-3, 21 KOs) had parted ways with trainer Kwame Asante last year following his close decision loss to Miguel Cotto in June, and he wanted Kotey to return to his corner.

Kotey agreed, and after a brief media tour to promote the fight, Clottey returned to Ghana to help Kotey secure a visa that would allow him to come to the United States for training camp and the fight. However, Kotey was denied.

When Clottey found out that Kotey would not be able to enter the United States after a clampdown on visas following an attempted airliner bombing on Christmas Day, he wept.

"It is true," Clottey said of his reaction to the news.

Clottey said he couldn't wait for the visa situation to be ironed out "because I have to get ready to fight and my life is on the line."

That left Clottey, the substitute fighter against Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs), to find a substitute trainer.

Enter Lenny De Jesus, a 64-year-old New Yorker and locksmith by trade -- but a boxing lifer. De Jesus has been around the game for more than 40 years working on and off as a trainer, but mostly as cutman -- the role he performed in Clottey's corner for his past three bouts.

In February, De Jesus took over Clottey's Fort Lauderdale, Fla., camp as head trainer, and he will also serve as the cutman on Saturday night.

"In other fights, my cutman, Lenny, was pushing me a lot, so I thought I would use him as my trainer," Clottey said. "I have known Lenny, and he is a very good man. He was my cutman with Cotto. So my trainer could not get a visa and I picked [De Jesus] to be my trainer for this fight."

It is just a bonus that De Jesus is quite familiar with Pacquiao. De Jesus served as the fighter's cutman for six fights and believes his knowledge of Pacquiao can help in Clottey's quest for the upset.

"I really don't need to look at video of Manny Pacquiao. I worked enough of his fights and know how he fights," De Jesus said. "Manny will be Manny. You can teach a fighter certain things, and when you get hit and hurt you go back to your style. He has fought many fighters who were on top on the way down. [Clottey] is a strong, lean fighter. I'm going to bring the best out of him."

Of course, Pacquiao's cutman, Miguel Diaz, also has good knowledge of Clottey, having worked in his corner before De Jesus was part of the team.

Chris Farina/Top RankReady to rumble: A rough start to training hasn't thrown Joshua Clottey off his game.

Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's trainer and a four-time trainer of the year, said De Jesus' past work with Pacquiao won't make a difference.

"He knows us pretty well, but we have changed a lot since then," Roach said. "He thinks he's going to face the old Manny Pacquiao, but that's not going to be the case. I respect him and he's a good boxing guy. Am I a better trainer? I don't know, but I have the better fighter. We have the perfect game plan, and I don't care who trains Joshua Clottey for this fight; he can't beat us. He is what he is. Let's face it: He fights the same way in every tape I watch. Whether he fights southpaws or right-handers, he is predictable.

"He's good at what he does, but he does the same thing over and over again and he is very predictable. He's going to try to change for this fight, but once he gets in he will revert back to it. We are 100 percent ready for his style. He is resilient. The beginning of the fight is going to be very hard because he is a very good opponent and he likes to fight. We will break him down, and I am confident the fight will not go 12 rounds."

By all accounts, the Clottey-De Jesus pairing has worked well so far, even if using a substitute trainer doesn't seem like the ideal way for Clottey to go into the biggest fight of his life, one in which he is a prohibitive underdog.

"I asked Joshua about that, and he and Lenny are getting along really well," said Top Rank's Bob Arum. "Lenny has taught him a lot of new things. Lenny has been around the sport for a long time. You know how much of boxing is mental. Joshua feels at ease and confident with him. Is Lenny De Jesus going to be mentioned in the same category as Freddie Roach? Of course not, but there are very few trainers who can be."

Scolpino said he is comfortable with De Jesus in the lead role and, more importantly, so is Clottey.

"Lenny is an old-school guy," Scolpino said. "Been around 40-plus years in the business. He's calm, cool and collected and has a lot of knowledge that Joshua has just been absorbing.

"He brings a wealth of experience, he knows the business, he knows what to do in the ring whether he's a cutman or whether he's a trainer. So we are comfortable. Joshua is comfortable with him and we are ready to rumble. Josh was training in Ghana with another trainer [Kotey] and we tried to get that trainer in, but we weren't sitting on the sidelines hoping and praying that that trainer would get in. We had plans. If the trainer joined us from Ghana, we would love it. Right now we are comfortable with what we have, and Josh is a true professional. Josh is so excited to get in that ring with Manny. We are ready to rumble."

De Jesus said Clottey has been a good student and a hard worker.

"Camp was good. We have a good respect between us," De Jesus said. "I don't talk too much. I see little mistakes and let Joshua know. He's been very good in camp. We've done about 90 good rounds [of sparring]. I think I got a chance, like anybody else [would], to win this fight. I know we're 4-to-1 to lose. That's good. It will motivate us some more."

Even if Kotey had made it stateside, Scolpino said De Jesus was going to be part of the camp. Now his role has just expanded.

"Whether Godwin came or not, Lenny was going to be there -- and as a bit more than just a cutman," Scolpino said. "It was always the plan to have Lenny in camp. We didn't sit there and wait to see if Godwin would get the visa. We were always prepared for the worst. We were hoping [Godwin] would be able to come. It is what it is. All I know is that this has been the best training camp I have ever seen, and the kid is in phenomenal shape. He wasn't even in this kind of shape for the Cotto fight."

Scolpino thinks the change of trainer has been refreshing for Clottey.

"I think it's a change of pace," Scolpino said. "I think everything is clicking. I am not just saying it. I have never seen this kid in such good shape. Just fabulous. Him and Lenny just hit it off. It just clicked. It's been a very good training camp."

Scolpino has known De Jesus for years. One of Scolpino's other fighters, former super middleweight titlist Alejandro Berrio, also has him as a trainer.

"He's not the most known guy, but he's trained guys. He's just never had anybody in this kind of spotlight before," Scolpino said.

A Clottey win, of course, would do wonders for De Jesus' reputation and significantly raise his profile. But when asked about that possibility, he downplayed the potential personal rewards.

"To me, it's the whole camp, not just me," De Jesus said. "Scolpino, the chef, the kid with the pads, all of us. It's going to be a good win for all of us. I'm a team player. I know it will put us all in a good position. I think we have a pretty good chance. I'm not overconfident, but I'm very excited. Fighting Manny Pacquiao comes once in a lifetime. You're fighting the pound-for-pound best guy on the planet.

"These guys will get in the ring and fight, and my job is to have a calm, collected corner so Joshua can listen to instructions and then go out there and do it. I will tell my kid if there is an opening and what to do."

Author: Dan Rafael

Source: ESPN.com

Boxing’s road to revival

2010-03-11T13:27:00.000-08:00

ARLINGTON, Texas – Promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank desperately wanted to bring Manny Pacquiao, the pound-for-pound finest boxer in the world, to Cowboys Stadium as soon as he completed a deal in January for the Filipino superstar to defend his World Boxing Organization welterweight title on March 13 against Joshua Clottey.

A sense of duty to his hometown as well as a sense of obligation to MGM Mirage, a company with which he’d had a long and fruitful business relationship, prompted Arum to first pitch the bout to the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, however.

Pacquiao is the most popular fighter in the world and Nevada’s casinos got a first-hand example in November when he defeated Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The Nevada Gaming Control Board reported that state casinos had their first increase in revenue in 22 months and specifically noted the Pacquiao-Cotto fight was the primary impetus for it. The state’s baccarat win in November increased 138 percent year over year, largely because of the high-rolling gamblers from Asia who came to Las Vegas to watch Pacquiao.

Despite that, MGM Mirage declined the Pacquiao-Clottey fight, a fateful decision that may have a positive long-term impact for boxing, though a not-so-positive impact for boxing’s capital.

MGM Mirage opted to pass on Pacquiao-Clottey because its closest business partner is Golden Boy Promotions and it held the arena for a potential Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight that Golden Boy was trying to arrange.

And so, when perhaps as many as 50,000 fans are watching Pacquiao fight in Texas on Saturday and are spending their money at Texas restaurants and in Texas hotels and in Texas stores, the MGM Grand Garden Arena will be dark, because it turned out Mayweather opted to fight on May 1 instead.

Had the MGM accepted Pacquiao-Clottey, it would have a full casino and still would have the Mayweather-Shane Mosley fight in the hole in seven weeks.

As soon as he had the door slammed in his face, Arum picked up the phone and called Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Jones quickly made a deal with Arum that will have major repercussions for the sport.

More than 40,000 tickets have already been sold and pay-per-view projections are rising dramatically. Arum had earlier said pay-per-view projections of between 500,000 and 700,000 “were reasonable,” but said Wednesday indications are that the fight may perform better than expected at the box office.

Mark Taffet, the president of HBO Pay-Per-View, conceded that the opulent new $1 billion-plus stadium was playing a major role in attracting customers.

“The venue is really the third fighter in this situation,” he said. “It’s a big part of the story and people want to see a fight from this place they’ve heard about so much.”

The Pacquiao-Clottey fight is the first of two Arum has scheduled at lavish new iconic stadiums. On June 5, he’ll promote a super welterweight title fight between Yuri Foreman and Cotto at Yankee Stadium. He said he may also host Pacquiao’s next fight in Cowboys Stadium.

Boxing fans – not high-rolling gamblers – will fill the seats on Saturday and in June. There is also suddenly formidable competition for the big-time fights that almost without fail used to wind up in Las Vegas.

“We are going to be in communication with Bob and we’re looking for ways to bring more fights like this to Cowboys Stadium,” Jones said. “I can’t tell you what it means to us to have a guy like Manny Pacquiao, the best fighter in the world, to be fighting here. And we want to be involved when there are other significant fights.”

Boxing used to routinely have many of its biggest fights in baseball stadiums, where fans could afford to buy a ticket and see the most significant fights live. A large majority of the most desirable bouts now, though, are held in Las Vegas at either the 16,000-seat MGM Grand Garden Arena or the 12,000-seat Mandalay Bay Events Center. In order to pay the boxers, ticket prices are exceptionally high and often go to casino customers and not actual boxing fans.

By taking the act on the road and putting on cards in opulent new venues with prices that the 9-to-5er can afford without taking out a home equity loan, Arum is hoping to create a new generation of fans.

Cowboys Stadium also hosted the NBA All-Star game earlier in the year. More than 40,000 tickets have been sold for the Pacquiao-Clottey bout.
(Tony Gutierrez/AP Photo)

“For boxing to get back to being a big-league sport – which it is not – but to be a major, major sport, it has to put on events around the country and around the world, in big, big arenas,” Arum said Wednesday before the Pacquiao-Clottey news conference. “That is essential. You can not consider yourself a major sport [by] going back to the same town, and, indeed, the same casino and putting on events for the customers of the casino with ticket prices too high for the average fan. You can’t do that and consider yourself a major sport. You’re not. You’re not.

“You’re a side event, a circus act, to bring in casino players. That’s all boxing, at the top level, has been.”

Arum said boxing in Las Vegas was special when Caesars Palace was hosting major fights in the 1970s and 1980s at its outdoor arena. Matches such as Larry Holmes-Gerry Cooney, Holmes-Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard-Thomas Hearns, Leonard-Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Hearns-Hagler were all held outdoors at Caesars’ stadium.

“Those were ‘Wow’ events,” Arum said.

But the stadium no longer exists at Caesars – a hotel expansion took care of that – and the only casino venues with arenas are MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay, both of which are owned by MGM Mirage.

Promoters got too comfortable at the casino trough and, in essence, may have overstayed their welcome.

“You kept going back and back and then Caesars was out and then you were in an arena that looked, frankly, no different than any other indoor arena in the world,” Arum said. “You started putting on these events and you looked at ringside when Mike Tyson was fighting and you thought you were in Hong Kong because all of the customers came from China. That’s what we got into.

“Now, everybody made a lot of money. Everybody made money, but you were not growing the brand.”

Las Vegas will still land its share of big fights as a result of the exceptionally close relationship between Golden Boy and MGM Mirage.

The often-volatile Arum, however, isn’t wishing ill will on his hometown or on MGM Mirage. He’s feuded often with the city’s casino power brokers, only to patch up the feud when there was a mutual need.

He conceded he’ll likely promote again at an MGM Mirage property in Las Vegas, but said it’s likely Pacquiao has made his last appearance there unless an outdoor stadium is built.

There had been talk, as Las Vegas was angling to land the failed Pacquiao-Mayweather bout, that city officials would build a 30,000-seat stadium, with a bubble, on land on Las Vegas Blvd. opposite the Wynn Hotel.

Opposition to the project from MGM Mirage, though, killed the deal.

“If Vegas had a 30,000-seat or 35,000-seat venue where you could put on an event and do reasonable ticket prices for actual fans, that would be great,” Arum said. “That would be great. Las Vegas is a great city. It has great hotel rooms, [a nice] convention area. Why not? But to go back all the time to this one arena, where to come out [OK financially] and the ticket prices are impossibly high, you’re not growing the sport. You’re becoming a circus act for casino customers.”

For far too long, boxing has neglected its core audience and instead focused on bowing to the wishes of Las Vegas’ deep-pocketed casinos.

Las Vegas puts on special events as well or better than any city in the world and there is a magical feeling when big bouts are held there.

The Cowboys are going to have football games in their stadium and the Yankees are going to have baseball games and it’s not always going to be possible to put on fights in these kinds of iconic venues.

But by doing it as often as possible, the sport’s fan base will expand and only then will the fights that wind up in Las Vegas be truly monumental affairs.

Author: Kevin Iole

Source: sports.yahoo.com

Manny Pacquiao's speed fails to faze Joshua Clottey

2010-03-11T13:23:00.000-08:00

Joshua Clottey is confident he will be able to deal with Manny Pacquiao's furious punch output when they meet at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas on Saturday.

Ghana's Clottey, 35, is challenging for the Philippine superstar's WBO welterweight crown.

Clottey said: "It doesn't matter if he throws 1,000 punches if I'm blocking them. I don't waste punches."

Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach said: "Blocking punches doesn't win fights. We can stop him in the later rounds."

The 31-year-old Pacquiao only ended up fighting Clottey after his proposed super-fight with Floyd Mayweather fell through, but the five-weight world champion said he was "inspired to give a good show" for an estimated 45,000 crowd.

"There's no stage big enough for Manny Pacquiao," added Roach. "He loves it, and I love it. He'll entertain all 45,000, he'll entertain everybody.

"The accumulation of punches Clottey will be taking in this fight he's never seen before. I don't think he'll be able to handle it."

Clottey, a former IBF welterweight champion, has 35 wins and three losses from 39 fights and has never been knocked out. He was beaten on a split decision by Miguel Angel Cotto last time out, the man Pacquiao dismantled so ruthlessly in his last outing.

The bout is the first at the new $1.2 billion (£800m) stadium and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones declared himself more than happy to be showcasing Pacquiao v Clottey rather than Pacquiao v Mayweather.

"This is the first fight ever in this stadium and to have an individual like Manny Pacquiao fighting here is everything I had hoped would be a part of this stadium," Jones said.

Meanwhile, promoter Bob Arum has laughed off suggestions Pacquiao is planning to walk away from the sport to concentrate on his political ambitions - Pacquiao will begin campaigning for election to Congress in his homeland on 26 March.

Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Arum discusses fights in the works

2010-03-11T13:21:00.000-08:00

GRAPEVINE, Texas -- When Top Rank's Bob Arum promotes a big fight, like he's doing in advance of Saturday night's Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey welterweight title bout at Cowboys Stadium, he loves to hang around the media center and gab with the boss scribes.

Although Pacquiao-Clottey (HBO PPV, 9 ET, $49.95) is foremost on his mind -- and why not? Arum is predicting more than 750,000 buys and thinking the fight may reach 900,000 -- he is also working on other events. Here are a few things in the works:

• Arum said the Yuri Foreman-Miguel Cotto junior middleweight title bout at Yankee Stadium on June 5 will take place on HBO rather than HBO PPV, as had been discussed. He said he and the network had reached an agreement. This is a good thing. That fight would die on pay-per-view. As a live HBO fight, it becomes a much bigger event, particularly with the backdrop of it being the first fight at the new Yankee Stadium (sort of like Saturday's fight being made bigger by its status as the first fight at Cowboys Stadium). I would love to see HBO do a countdown show for the fight, because there are a lot of storylines. You have Foreman, the future rabbi, with an interesting story. You have Cotto trying to rebound from his November loss to Pacquiao, the death of his father soon after the defeat and his hunt for a new trainer (Arum said Joe Santiago would remain in Cotto's corner, but not as the head man). And, of course, you have Yankee Stadium and the rich boxing tradition built in the old stadium across the street.

• The televised undercard for Foreman-Cotto will be Humberto Soto defending a lightweight belt against Anthony Peterson. That, of course, is assuming that Soto, a reigning junior lightweight titlist, wins the vacant lightweight belt he will fight for againstDavid Diaz on Saturday night's Pacquiao-Clottey undercard. And if John Duddy wins his fight Saturday night, you can also count on him to be on the untelevised Yankee Stadium undercard.

• Arum said featherweight titlist Juan Manuel Lopez's next fight will come against Bernabe Concepcion, with a target date and location of July 10 in Lopez's native Puerto Rico. Arum promised the winner of the recent Concepcion-Mario Santiago fight a shot at Lopez, and Concepcion got the job done. Concepcion against Lopez is a nice fight. Arum added that he is not tied to HBO for the bout.

• Yuriorkis Gamboa, Arum's other featherweight titleholder, probably will return in July (but not on a split-site card with Lopez, as was originally talked about) if he retains his belt later this month in Germany. Arum said he hopes to match him against Celestino Caballero, assuming Caballero defeats Daud Yordan in their April 10 HBO bout.

• Another bout Arum hopes to make -- which conceivably could be part of a doubleheader with Gamboa-Caballero -- is Edwin Valero, moving up from lightweight, against Lamont Peterson in a junior welterweight bout. If Arum can figure out a way to keep the two fights together on the same card (they're expensive fights), that is a great doubleheader. He said Showtime has particular interest in Valero-Peterson.

• Top Rank's Carl Moretti said junior flyweight titlist Giovani Segura will headline "Top Rank Live" (Fox Sports en Español) from Acapulco, Mexico, on March 27, possibly againstDenver Cuello. Moretti said it hasn't been determined if Segura will defend his title or take a nontitle bout. The opening fight on that show will be a junior flyweight title eliminator between former titlist Ulises Solis of Mexico against the Philippines' Bert Batawang. The winner gets a mandatory shot at titleholder Carlos Tamara.

Source: espn.go.com

How big will Pacquiao-Clottey be on pay-per-view?

2010-03-11T13:17:00.000-08:00

We've done these "Guess the PPV Buys" posts before for a few fights, namely last year's three major PPVs, but this one strikes me as the most interesting we've done to date.

We are now living in a boxing world dominated by Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., whether we like it or not. And whether we're all sick of hearing about Pacquiao-Mayweather for the time being (since it isn't, you know, going to happen right now) or not, there are a lot of people that aren't. To those people, Manny and Floyd are all that matters, and these other fights, with Shane Mosley and "whoever the hell Joshua Clottey is," are merely speed-bumps. Maybe even speed-bumps that risk taking the bumper off your car, which nobody wants in this situation.

For some people, I think there's a genuine fear that Manny or Floyd could lose before we get to see them go at each other for all of boxing's pound-for-pound marbles.

They're the two biggest stars in boxing. Pacquiao's name value and some good promotion in Texas have combined to sell nearly 45,000 tickets at Cowboys Stadium as of this moment on Thursday morning. Clottey -- even though he deserves better and bigger standing and is a legitimate opponent without question -- is the proverbial nobody at the box office.

This isn't the Manny Pacquiao from a year ago. While Manny was big before his December 2008 fight with Oscar de la Hoya, and very big after, he's become huge. He's the boxer of choice for everyone in the world that wants to be inspired by a boxer, it seems, featured everywhere.

Pacquiao's popularity has in large part come the old-fashioned way. When he fights, people want to see him, because he's exciting, fearless, and ruthlessly efficient in the ring. Outside the ring, he's humble, good-humored, a philanthropist, and, at least in his own mind, a dynamite singer.

I think you can even argue that Manny Pacquiao is a boxing star, whereas Floyd Mayweather Jr. is a star who also boxes, if that makes sense. (And I'm not saying Mayweather doesn't box exceptionally well, so keep the "hater" comments in reserve for when I actually "hate" on him.)

Pacquiao-Clottey is a really good fight. With Shane Mosley and Andre Berto both tied up when Pacquiao needed to find an opponent, Top Rank surprised a lot of people by matching Manny with the absolute toughest available opponent. Names like Paulie Malignaggi and Timothy Bradley (junior welterweights) were tossed around, and this was a time when Floyd was rumored to be considering opponents like Nate Campbell and Matthew Hatton.

On January 7, I made a comment about Clottey being inserted as Pacquiao's opponent. I truly didn't think that would happen, nor had it ever really been in discussion publicly. Five hours later, Top Rank announced Pacquiao-Clottey via their Facebook page.

Since then, fan reaction has been mostly positive, and the fight is being treated as legit by everyone who knows anything, which it should.

But can it sell on PPV? I think this might be a reverse of the Mayweather-Marquez situation last year, where the live gate and attendance in Las Vegas were very disappointing, but the PPV numbers shocked everyone in and around the sport. The gate for this isn't going to set any records (well, it'll set the record for boxing in Texas, which is currently held by last year's Marquez-Diaz fight), but the attendance is obviously something that American boxing hasn't seen in a dog's age. But on PPV? I'm just not sure.

Pacquiao's fight last May with Ricky Hatton did around 800,000 buys, and his November bout with Miguel Cotto did about 1.25 million, matching what Pacquiao did against former PPV ruler Oscar de la Hoya the year previous. Does Clottey have the name power to help Manny reach those heights again? Does Manny himself have such enormous branding power himself that he can carry a show alone to a million homes in the States? Or will there be some disappointment with the buys for this show?

Author: SC

Source: badlefthook.com

Clottey belittles Pacquiao’s punching power

2010-03-11T13:13:00.000-08:00

GRAPEVINE, TEXAS—Joshua Clottey holds little fear of Manny Pacquiao’s punching power.

The Ghanaian is even willing to take a few Pacquiao hits to find out what’s in store for him when they collide on March 13.

And if Pacquiao’s punches don’t hurt, Clottey swore the Filipino superstar will be in trouble. The Ghanaian said he will go after Pacquiao and unleash a few that will rattle the pound-for-pound king and put his World Boxing Organization welterweight title defense in jeopardy.

“Pacquiao throws more than a thousand punches and I’ll block most of them,” Clottey said during Thursday’s press conference at the $1.2-billion facility.

“I only throw a few, but those punches will land and those punches will hurt.”

Knowing that Pacquiao started fighting at 106 pounds, Clottey, a naturally big 147-pounder, said he can impose his strength on Pacquiao.

Clottey claimed that he has not seen Pacquiao’s fight tapes, adding all that he knows about the Filipino is his speed, footwork, the left hook and right hook.

“Apart from that, nothing,” said Clottey, who enjoys a 2-inch height and 2 ½-inch reach advantage over Pacquiao. “I don’t watch his tape. I never watch his tape. The only thing I know is those deadly two punches.”

The 33-year-old Clottey feels good about being rated a 5-1 underdog and is motivated to do well on fight night.

He added that he’s happy and proud to be given the opportunity to fight the world No. 1, and be his country’s greatest fighter ever.

Ghana’s famous boxers include Hall of Famer Azumah Nelson and former world champions Ike Quartey, Joseph Agbeko, David Kotei and Alfred Kotei.

“If I win the fight, I’m the greater one,” he said, noting that Nelson lost to Pernel Whitaker and Quartey lost to Oscar De La Hoya.

Although he admires Pacquiao for what he has done to Filipino fighters, Clottey said he will do everything in his power to topple the world’s only seven-time champion in as many divisions.

“When we climb the ring, its business,” said Clottey. “But after the fight we could be friends again.”

Author: Roy Luarca

Source: sports.inquirer.net

Pacquiao in trouble, if Clottey’s chin holds

2010-03-11T13:09:00.000-08:00

DALLAS, Texas — If his chin holds up to Manny Pacquiao’s expected bombardment Saturday night, Ghanaian Joshua Clottey said the Filipino pound-for-pound king would be in for a huge trouble.

“If his punches don’t hurt (me), it’s going to be a big problem for him,” said Clottey on Wednesday, boasting that during his training camp in Florida he never got himself in trouble with the guys he sparred with.

“Those who sparred with me, once they hit me, I didn’t feel nothing,” said Clottey, who is a 5-1 underdog in the scheduled 12-round bout for Pacquiao’s World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight crown.

Against Pacquiao before an expected sellout crowd of 45,000 at Cowboys Stadium in the neighboring city of Arlington, Clottey is more than confident that even Pacquiao’s best blows would not be enough to stop him from making history.

Even Pacquiao’s vaunted rapid-fire punches coupled with blinding speed, don’t faze the 32-year-old from Accra.

“He (Pacquiao) can throw a thousand punches, but the few that I will throw are the ones that will land, the punches that will hurt him.”

Armed with a 35-3-0 win-loss-draw record with 20 knockouts, Clottey has earned a reputation of being a durable fighter after years of slugging it out with some of the heaviest hitters of the welterweight class.

Clottey’s most memorable bouts were against Antonio Margarito, Zab Judah and the one versus Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto, who went through hell in carving out a split decision in his last outing in June 2009 before a throng of Cotto fans in New York.

Pacquiao enters the ring with a 50-3-2 slate with 38 knockouts and his trainer Freddie Roach insists that Clottey will taste his first knockout loss at the hands of Pacquiao.

But that’s not what a vocal member of Team Clottey imparted to a handful of journalists during the interview session following Wednesday afternoon’s press conference.

“Joshua will make Pacquiao quit,” said Kwaku Gyanfi, known as ‘Alligator’ to members of Clottey’s party.

And if Gyanfi’s words turn out to be prophetic, Clottey said he won’t splurge on the $1.2 million purse and an upside on the pay-per-view sales that he is getting.

“If I win this fight, the only thing that I would like to do is make a party for myself in Africa,” said Clottey.

That will be known Saturday night (Sunday Manila time).

Author: NICK GIONGCO

Source: mb.com.ph

WBC President Sulaiman arrives in Dallas; says Pacquiao will win

2010-03-11T13:06:00.000-08:00

DALLAS, TEXAS -- As "The Event" draws closer and closer, celebrities and sports personalities here in Dallas are beginning to arrive from all across the globe. Today, honorable WBC President Jose Sulaiman arrived in Dallas to watch his WBC Diamond belt champion Manny Pacquiao on Saturday at Jerry Jones' larger than life Dallas Stadium.

I had the pleasure to chat with the longtime WBC president as he came in the posh Gaylord Texan Hotel here in Grapevine, Texas where we and several media and fighters are checked-in.

It's not every day when you get the opportunity to meet and talk to one of the true legends and institutions of the sport. When I asked the WBC president who he felt was going to win the big fight this Saturday, he was careful to say that he did not do predictions, but some provocation from this scribe, Sulaiman said "Pacquiao... Pacquiao will win".

To cap things off, Sulaiman asked one of his liaisons to unwrap the WBC belt from his luggage and handed it to me. The liaison then asked if I wanted a picture with the gracious president. "Of course!" I answered.

Author: Dennis 'dSource' Guillermo

Source: Philboxing.com

A first look at Cowboys Stadium, which is a really impressive fight club

2010-03-11T13:04:00.001-08:00

What type of praise would be appropriate for Cowboys Stadium? You enter this gleaming, domed enormity after having been exposed to such unrelenting hype you almost want to hate it just to be different. Or, if you will, "dif'rnt."

But Cowboys Stadium is as staggeringly impressive as advertised, even as it advertises itself with an LED screen that is as big as, well, Boulder City. This stadium is so brilliantly over-the-top, with its mirrored exterior, let-the-sunshine-in retractable roof and 110,000-seat capacity, that if CityCenter were to incorporate a sports venue, Cowboys Stadium would be that place.

At a cost of $1.2 billion, it would just about put the cost of CityCenter to an even $10 billion. So when Jerry Jones asks, "What do you think of the place?" complaining that the restrooms are a little difficult to locate seems pointless.

"Amazing," is all you can say, shaking your head. "Love the screen."

Like a Manny Pacquiao right jab, the stadium's signature effect nearly knocks you off your spindles as you enter. The famous high-def video board spans to each 20-yard line of a football field, when a football field is actually unrolled along the floor of the big beast. But today, staging crews on the ground and operating very tall cranes cranked away on the metal skeleton that would be the ring and seating for Saturday night's Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey WBO world welterweight title bout.

These guys pack a punch, but they are not big, and never seemed more diminutive as they were as they were engulfed by the splendor of the stadium they will half-fill Saturday.

"I want to thank Jerry Jones for bringing this fight to this stadium," Pacquiao said in his brief comments from the glass podium. "Without Jerry Jones, there would be no fight here. It wouldn't happen."

Top Rank chief Bob Arum made note of a pair of startling names on the guest list for Saturday's fight card: UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta and the organization's president, Dana White. As Arum said, the two are encouraging UFC fans to buy into the fight's pay-per-view package, an impressive diplomatic move considering Arum once compared UFC fights to gay erotica (as a means of criticism, not praise, mind you). "We want to thank Dana and Lorenzo for crossing sports to help promote this fight," Arum said, as Jones, the guy who helped make that unlikely visit happen, nodded from the dais.

For sure, Jones is entering the fight game — and in the process competing with Las Vegas for some of boxing's premier events — with all the delicacy of a Walt Garrison off-tackle blast. His approach is simple: build a the largest domed facility in the world, throw a saddlebag full of cash across the table and say, "Do we have us a deal, or not?"

Jones is nothing if not eager to fill seats and finance this billion-dollar bowl o' fun, which was financed largely through credit.

"We want all events here, any events that will fill seats," he said after the news conference. "The Dallas Cowboys only play a set amount of games, but boxing you can do many, many times, and I'm interested in putting as many fights as possible in here. How many? I can't yet say. But we are interested."

Ever a showman who often seems to have learned the art of promotion from the knee of P.T. Barnum, Jones secured a flag team and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders today to usher the fighters into the stadium. For a press conference.

Of Jones, Arum has said it's a good thing the Cowboys owner wasn't around a generation ago when Arum and Don King were kings of dueling empires in the fight game. Jones might have taken the whole sport for himself.

Luckily for Arum, the Jerry Jones of today is all too happy to share the wealth.

Author: John Katsilometes

Source: lasvegassun.com

Pacquiao, Clottey keep final news conference downright civilized

2010-03-11T12:57:00.000-08:00

ARLINGTON – Love bloomed inside Cowboys Stadium on Wednesday afternoon as Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey exchanged verbal bouquets three days before they are scheduled to trade punches in their welterweight title bout.

Instead of trying to sell tickets and boost pay-per-view sales with trash talk, Pacquiao and Clottey were nothing but complimentary of each other at the final news conference before Saturday night's fight.

"I want to thank Manny Pacquiao for the opportunity he has given me," said Clottey, the challenger from Ghana who went on to declare, "I really like him."

Countered Pacquiao, the pride of the Philippines: "Joshua Clottey is a nice person. ...We will try our best to give people a good fight and make them happy."

And on and on the fighters went for most of the hourlong news conference held on a Cowboys Stadium concourse. Elementary school class elections produce more venom.

Promoter Bob Arum, who brought the fight to Jerry Jones' stadium, gave his blessing to the serene scene.

"Athletes that respect each other makes the sport," Arum said. "I say it's the trash-talking guys that kill this sport."

Ticket sales surpass 40,000: About 42,000 tickets have been sold for Saturday night's fight, which is scheduled to include at least eight bouts on the undercard. With the upper deck already curtained off, plans had been to sell 45,000 tickets. But if demand exceeds seats, standing-room party passes may be sold on the day of the fights. ...Every bout on the undercard features at least one Hispanic fighter. ... Plans are in the works to have Cowboys Stadium host its second fight card during the home team's bye week during the 2010 NFL season. Arum said the card could include undefeated middleweight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., son of Mexico's most iconic boxer, and Kelly Pavlik, whose only loss has been to Bernard Hopkins.

Jones has rival for his lateness: Jerry Jones, who sat on the dais alongside Pacquiao, is notoriously known for habitual tardiness for Cowboys news conferences. But his reputation for being late is nothing compared with that of Pacquiao, who arrived almost 45 minutes late Wednesday, way later than the prompt Jones, who has been giddy throughout fight week. ... Perhaps Jones has been smiling because of the celebrity his stadium has gotten. Arum introduced the fighters as "the pride of Africa" and "the pride of Asia" meeting in "America's best stadium."

Author: BARRY HORN

Source: dallasnews.com

Pacquiao, clottey final presser

2010-03-10T16:46:00.000-08:00

3/10/10, Arlington,Texas -- Surrounded by the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, seven-time world champion and "Fighter of the Decade" Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao (L) and challenger Joshua Clottey(R) pose during the final press conference Wednesday for their upcoming World Welterweight championship on Saturday, March 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas on HBO Pay-Per-View. -- Photo Credit: Chris Farina - Top Rank.

Source: Philboxing.com

Joshua Clottey ready to follow hometown heroes when he fights Manny Pacquiao

2010-03-10T16:33:00.000-08:00

Bukom, in Jamestown, on the outskirts of the country's capital Accra, is an area known to all Ghanaians. It is a slum, and yet the small number of criss-crossed dusty streets in the port town have spawned a succession of world-class fighters over several decades.

Clottey follows in the tradition of the great Azumah Nelson, arguably the best boxer to come from Africa, who defeated Wilfredo Gómez in the Eighties and held the World Boxing Council title at feather and super-featherweight, and Ike Quartey, the welterweight from the mid-Nineties, who fought, and lost, to Oscar de la Hoya.

They all hail from those tough streets. The people of this tiny shanty are renowned as warriors throughout Ghana.

Clottey remembers when, as a youngster, he was beaten up in a street fight by the local bully. Until then, football had been his game, his precious football boots lovingly polished.

He had dreamt of playing professionally, even for his beloved Manchester United, with his heroes, among them Ryan Giggs and Eric Cantona.

Why Manchester United? "Why? Because they were the team who were always winning, and sport is about winning," he says.

Clottey, cool, calm, calculated and softly spoken, admits the street fight was the moment his life changed. He started training, strengthening his arms by weight training with bags of bricks and rocks and running twice a day.

But he also started going to one of the renowned Jamestown gyms. And then he went back and got his revenge.

"I beat him and I became a boxer. It was a simple as that, and from that, here I am today, at the point where I am facing the No 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world."

There are those who believe Manny Pacquiao's relentless attacks will prove too much for Clottey when the two powerful welterweights collide in front of the newly built $1.2 billion (£800 million) Dallas Cowboys Stadium on Saturday night, in front of a capacity crowd of 50,000, but Clottey shakes a finger slowly.

"He is showing you that he cannot be discouraged," one of his entourage said.

Clottey and his brother, Emmanuel, set out to make their fortunes in boxing in Europe just over a decade ago. They alighted at the Lennox Lewis Centre, in Hackney, where promoter Frank Maloney housed fighters from Africa and Eastern Europe, a spartan environment where fighters ran in the morning, slept in miniature dormitories, showered and sparred, repeating the process daily.

Clottey, now 33, made New York his base after that, and has a nine-year-old daughter in Ghana, whom he cites as his "inspiration". He has clawed his way through the welterweight division, having lost only twice to world champions Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto, and the second of those was close.

Clottey has never been stopped nor been knocked out. He has a reputation for being a dirty fighter, probably because he has a very hard head and has led with it at times. But if the battler from Bukom has his way, the form book will be overturned on Saturday night.

Author: Gareth A Davies

Source: telegraph.co.uk

Dallas Cowboys great Michael Irvin: Mayweather afraid to tackle Pacquiao

2010-03-10T16:28:00.000-08:00

GRAPEVINE, TEXAS—Mark pro football superstar turned broadcaster Michael Irvin down as a guy who thinks Floyd Mayweather should be arrested...

Arrested on suspicion of ducking Manny Pacquiao, that is.

I will concede that the Cowboys former wide reciever is basically part of the promotion for the Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey fight here, given the fact that he appeared at Tuesday's Open Workout for the Pinoy Idol along with team and stadium owner Jerry Jones.

But, at the end of the day, Irvin is a boxing nut who greatly admires the men he refers to as “warriors who fight alone and without teammates.”

And Irvin was sadly disappointed just like the great masses of boxing aficionados who were disappointed when Mayweather-Pacman fight negotiations blew up over Mayweather's insistence on random blood testing”

First, Irvin spoke about how excited he was for the Dallas-Ft. Worth area to be hosting this big bout in the Cowboys $1.2 billion playpen.

“This is really amazing for us,” Irvin said. “You would think a fight like this would go to Los Angeles, to New York or to Las Vegas but we got it now. Manny Pacquiao is becoming on a level like a Michael Jordan or a Tiger Woods and he's fighting in our stadium.

“I am glad Jerry got the opportunity and brought it here.”

Former Cowboys superstar Michael Irvin tells Examiner.com that new stadium wil turn into Manny Pacquiao's House on Saturday night (AP Photo)

Then he discussed why he respects prizefighters at all levels.

“I really marvel at these guys, I really do. In football, when I get tired, I get a timeout because I;ve got teammates who can go in the game. These guys don't get timeouts or halftime breaks/ I marvel because all they do is stand there, in that ring, and it's hit or be hit all the time.”

Irvin asked me and “Lord Jeff” Powell, veteran scribe for the huge Daily Mail in the UK, if we could guess what athlete might be the only one he ever asked for an autograph. Then he answered his own question.

“It was Julio Cesar Chavez, when I met that guy, I said, 'That's it, that's him, this guy is a monster.' I had so much respect for him as a real warrior. I am a huge boxing fan, always have been. I am amazed at guys like Julio, who are all fight and never give in, and now we got a second monster here in Pacquiao.”

Michael Irvin showed good fotwoork on "Dancing With The Stars" with partner Anna Demidova, she's the one in red

As I said, Irvin believes Mayweather used blood testing as a way to avoid or defer a Pacman bout.

“I mean, come on with that blood testing thing. You're supposed to want to fight the other guy when people are saying you guys are the two best out there. You don't run away from such a challenge, you're supposed to run to it. Looks to me like Mayweather is doing the ducking here.”

Further, Irvin thinks when Pacman dazzles a crowd of about 45,000 people in the stadium and across the world's TV screens, his area will have zero chance of landing Pacman-Money May even if it is put together.

“No, Mayweather won't want to come on over here, not after the way it will go down Saturday night. Then he will be thinking and saying that our new stadium, hey that's Manny House now. Mayweather will be saying he won't fight in Manny's House.”

Many former jocks have to master the broadcast business. But you can see from these brief remarks that Irvin is a natural talker, a pull no punches guy. It's no wonder he comes across as fairly smooth behind the microphone.

Irvin heard plenty of loud cheers when he played in the old Cowboys stadium and he said Pacman will be treated like the home team here.

Author: Michael Marley

Source: examiner.com

Clottey will send Pacman to hospital, says cook

2010-03-10T16:27:00.000-08:00

GRAPEVINE, TEXAS—Joshua Clottey trusts fellow Ghanaian Kwaku Gyamfi with his life.

Nearly six feet tall and around 300 pounds, Gyamfi swoons over Clottey’s boxing skills and swears his countryman will run away with Manny Pacquiao’s World Boxing Organization welterweight crown when they tangle on March 13 at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Gyamfi, who acts as Clottey’s cook and assistant, thinks the challenger will pummel Pacquiao into submission or beat him up so badly the Filipino ring icon won’t be able to perform in his post-fight party for the first time.

“He (Manny) will be going straight to the hospital, with his face cut up and bruised,” Gyamfi told Manila-based sportswriters at a Gaylord Texan Hotel bar here Tuesday. “He’s going to be hit by a brick.”

Gyamfi said the secret to Clottey’s strength lies in African food.

In the HBO pre-fight documentary of the Pacquiao-Clottey clash dubbed Road to Dallas, Gyamfi was shown cooking salmon slices and vegetables for Clottey.

Like Clottey, chief trainer Lenny DeJesus believes The Event is going to be interesting.

“This (Pacquiao-Clottey) is a dangerous fight,” said DeJesus, who worked with Pacquiao and Hall-of-Fame trainer Freddie Roach as cutman for five fights from 2003 to 2005.

DeJesus insists his partnership with Clottey has been a good one and is capable of toppling boxing’s No. 1 tandem.

“Roach may spring up a surprise for me, but I also have a surprise for him,” said DeJesus. “If he knew this is going to be an easy fight he would be talking, but he’s being careful.”

DeJesus added that Clottey sparred for only 90 rounds, all against southpaws, and dispatched all of his sparmates after four rounds.

Author: Roy Luarca

Source: sports.inquirer.net

Can Joshua Clottey Find a Way to Beat Manny Pacquiao?

2010-03-10T16:20:00.000-08:00

The upcoming fight between Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey promises to be exciting. Why?

Because Manny Pacquiao is fighting.

The dynamic Filipino could be in the ring with a miniature version of John Ruiz (the most boring fighter in recent history) and it would still make for compelling viewing. Pacquiao’s relentless aggression, speed, power and movement are enough to crack most defensive fighter’s shells, and his ability to knock an opponent out with one punch guarantees an action packed bout.

And in his fight with Joshua Clottey we can probably expect even more.

The teak-tough Ghanaian is not afraid to mix it up and has good power, particularly with his left hand. Despite being somewhat defensively minded, Clottey can switch to outright aggression instantaneously, and has a very keen sense of territory in the ring. Clottey likes to intimidate his opponents physically, and his frame is abnormally dense for 147lbs. Clottey could easily compete at 154lbs and be just as effective, and he will be the biggest, strongest fighter Pacquiao has ever faced.

Stylistically speaking, Clottey has perhaps one of the better ones for facing the Pac Man. He has no problems with south paws (see his performance over Zab Judah), and loves to go toe to toe with aggressive fighters (see his bout with Antonio Margarito). Clottey throws very fast lead right hands that bother southpaws, and his left hook and left uppercut are feared weapons in the division. Clottey also jabs southpaws very well, a very difficult thing to do, particularly against elite level fighters.

Pacquiao has ironed out most of his technical flaws and presents a very difficult challenge for any fighter in the sport. His jab and right hook are now just as potent as his lethal left, and his lateral movement has improved almost beyond recognition. Pacquiao doesn’t just move in and out like he used to, he side steps, pivots and turns as well as any of the greats. But Pacquiao is often a victim of his own extraordinary fighting heart and tends to go toe to toe when he doesn’t have to, and can sometimes get caught while unloading his power shots. Juan Manuel Marquez and Miguel Cotto both caught Pacquiao with well timed hooks and uppercuts while Pacquiao steamed in with his trademark aggression.

If Clottey can keep Pacquiao on the end of his jab and fire out consistent lead right hands, he may be able to control the action for good parts of the bout. Clottey may also find success if he bulls Pacquiao to the ropes and unleashes his uppercuts and hooks. He must be careful to stop him from ducking and swiveling out (a trick Pacquiao has learned extremely well over the years), but Clottey’s wide frame and unusual physical strength will give him a better chance than most.

It is hard to see Clottey effectively catching Pacquiao between punches because the African fighter tends to cover up while his opponents are punching and wait for his turn to start his own offense.

And this is why Clottey probably doesn’t have what it takes to dethrone the pound for pound king.

While Clottey may be able to control the pace for portions of the bout, Pacquiao’s incredible speed and movement will force Clottey into his shell. When he does that, Pacquiao will begin to step around and attack Clottey’s body to bring his hands down. Pacquiao’s unorthodox punches will begin to find their target, and Clottey will either have to blend offensive punching with his defense, or lose more rounds than he wins. Freddy Roach will insist that Pacquiao doesn’t stand infront of Clottey for too long, and by the time the Filipino is done punching, Clottey will be swiping at thin air.

Fighters who have mastered the art of counter punching have a chance of beating Pacquiao, and as it stands, only Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley operate at a high enough level to make it work (and maybe Juan Manuel Marquez at a much lower weight). Miguel Cotto fought on even terms for three rounds with the Pac Man due to his effective counter punching, but his chin wasn’t good enough to keep him competitive throughout. Clottey’s chin is world class, but his counter punching isn’t, and for those reasons he won’t be the pick this Saturday.

It is difficult to see Pacquiao scoring a knockout over Clottey, but it might start to look pretty bad for the Ghanaian in the later rounds as Pacquiao’s speed and rhythm take over.

My prediction: Pacquiao via unanimous decision.

Author: Ben Cohen

Source: trueslant.com

UFC PRESIDENT DANA WHITE TO ATTEND PACQUIAO VS. CLOTTEY; GIVING AWAY 10 TICKETS TO FANS

2010-03-10T16:12:00.000-08:00

Author: Felix Strunk

Source: boxing.fighthype.com

UFC President Dana White just informed his followers on Twitter that he’s attending Manny Pacquiao’s welterweight title defense against Joshua Clottey this weekend. Not only that, but White is also giving away 10 pairs of tickets to fans to join him at the event. Moments ago, White updated his Twitter account with the following posts:

Going to the pac man vs clottey fight in dallas this weekend. Anyone else going? I will tweet pics for you guys. I’m pumped!
So check it out. You have all been tweetn me about the pac man fight and knowing how much I love to give tix to the REAL fight fans!!!
Many of you said you will go if I take you with me. So I said fuck it and called arums office cause he love me and mma
I said I want to bring some mma fans to the fight and I just got 10 pairs of tix to pac man vs clottey for 10 lucky fuckers!!!!
Now I have to figure out how to give them away so STAY TUNED!!!!!

White has been known to give out several tickets to his own UFC events in the past. He usually will inform fans of his current location via his Twitter account and the first ones to find him will receive tickets. To follow Dana White on Twitter, click on the following link:

DANA WHITE’S OFFICAL TWITTER PAGE

As for White’s prediction, he offered the following:

Pac man by ko in the 8th!
Clottey is a big, durable, tough guy so its gonna take pac man a few rounds should be a fun fight! Pac man never disappoints.

Joshua Clottey 5-1 Underdog Play Looks Big to Many

2010-03-10T16:04:00.000-08:00

When the initial line opened up for "The Event" this coming Saturday, line-makers opened Manny Pacquiao as a 4-1 favorite over the highly overlooked Joshua Clottey.

These odds were in line with the expectations of most that the Ghanaian would offer some solid resistance to the future hall-of-fame entrant but not necessarily anything stiffer than seen in recent fights.

Since the betting line opened up nearly two months ago in January, the line has moved gradually in favor of the "Pacman" which currently lists him as a -800 favorite. This means that either all of the money being wagered on this fight has been for Manny or that a tremendous amount of money has been bet on him in comparison to that of Clottey.

With this type of betting taking place, the rugged African prize-fighter has now made his way to the +500 region.

This means that he is a 5-1 betting underdog which has apparently caught the eye of the value seekers looking to maximize their betting leverage.

Boxing is one of the few sports in which the odds are largely based on the popularity of a fighter rather than the true level of competition within the ring.

Being that Joshua Clottey is not only considered by many to be the first legitimate welterweight test of Manny Pacquiao's career (meaning no catch-weight), but also the most rugged individual the "Pacman" has ever laced them up against points to the fact that these odds are probably a bit "off". When I refer to "off" I'm pointing to the fact that this fight would appear to be much more competitive on paper.

Usually an 8-1 spread signifies that the fight will lack any real competition and that the outcome is already a foregone conclusion.

While the line is completely correct in favoring Pacquiao, listing Clottey as a 5-1 underdog has raised the eyebrows of numerous fight fans I've spoken with thinking that it might not be a bad value bet simply based on the wideness of the line.

I'm expecting the value bettors to rear their heads leading up to the fight and by fight time Pacquiao will probably be listed as a 7-1 favorite with Clottey listed as a 4-1 underdog.

Author: John Chavez

Source: examiner.com

Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey: Five Reasons Why the Pacman Will Eat Up Clottey

2010-03-10T16:02:00.000-08:00

By Tyler Curtis

With today officially kicking off Manny Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey fight week, I have decided to put up an article every day about this fight.

Today I am starting with five reasons why Pacquiao will win the fight this coming Saturday. Many experts are picking him to win, and with good reason.

Clottey is a big tough welterweight, and in my eyes he is the first true welterweight Pacman has faced. The set of challenges he faces in this fight are different then any he has faced before.
There is no reason to believe that Pacquiao won’t overcome these challenges like he has in almost every fight. So let's get to the five reasons why he will get the W.

1. Hand Speed

His hand speed is far better than Clottey's, and he will be able to get off faster. Clottey hasn’t seen hand speed like this and will have trouble dealing with it.

Clottey did fight Zab Judah in 2008, and while Judah has good hand speed, I think it is a tad slower than Pacquiao's. Pacquiao should be able to get off first, and that is always a recipe for winning.

2. Work rate

Clottey has a questionable work rate, and he can get away with it when he fights a man who doesn’t have a high work rate. Pacquiao is not that man.

Pacquiao has a high work rate in every round and never seems to slow down. Clottey has been known to take rounds off, and he can’t afford to do that in this fight.

3. Chin

Pacquiao has a good chin, and he has shown it over the years. It was suspect in his earlier years, but it is a non-issue now.

The last time he went down was in 1999, when he was knocked out by Medgoen Singsurat. The past 11 years his chin has stood up to bigger and bigger men.
Miguel Cotto was the largest man he faced, and he couldn’t even dent his chin.

4. Power

Pacquiao is the smaller man, but without a doubt he is the bigger puncher. He has 38 knockouts in his 50 wins and has knocked out his last four opponents (David Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto).

On top of that, he is the only man to knock out Jorge Solis, Erik Morales, and Marco Antonio Barrera. His power has carried with him, and this fight should be no different.
Clottey only has 20 knockouts in his 35 wins and has never knocked out a top-tier opponent.

5. Big fight experience

Clottey has faced some big name fighters, but he hasn’t been in the spotlight like this. The whole boxing world will be watching this fight, and the pressure will be huge.

Pacquiao has been here plenty of times and is used to this. Clottey has also proved he just doesn’t beat the best guys.

His losses have come in his biggest fights, and there is no reason to think that will stop now.

All in all, I think that Pacquiao should win this fight, but I have been wrong before.

One point I left off that I wanted to add is talent. Pacquiao, simply put, is the more talented fighter. When looking at this and that, sometimes we forget that the more talented fighter usually wins, and that is Pacquiao.

Source: sportzhypeboxing.com