Houston Boxing Examiner | Marv Dumon
ARLINGTON, TX - WBO welterweight champion and current pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao (50-3-2) and former welterweight champion Joshua Clottey (35-3) faced off in an amicable atmosphere to promote their upcoming March 13th fight.
Surrounded by the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, team owner Jerry Jones, trainer Freddie Roach, and Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, the two welterweights participated in the promotional press conference inside the new $1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium.
Top Rank announced that Pacquiao vs Clottey will be featured on HBO Pay-Per-View (PPV). It appears that Floyd Mayweather, Jr will fight on a different date, perhaps on May 1st.
During the press conference, Pacquiao stated:
I would like to thank God for giving me good health every day. I'd like to thank Jerry Jones . . . It's my first time to come here. I like the introduction, it's amazing . . . I feel like a football player. Please come on March 13th. It's going to be a good fight with Clottey . . . . We will do our best to give a good fight.
Clottey stated:
First of all, I would like to thank Mr. Jerry Jones for giving me this opportunity fight . . . I've never seen a stadium like this before . . . . and I would like to thank Manny Pacquiao and Freddie Roach for this wonderful opportunity that they have given me. I can't thank Manny Pacquiao enough. He is the best guy. This fight will be a hell of a fight.
In an interview, Clottey stated that Pacquiao is his favorite fighter, and he thanked the Filipino icon for the opportunity to appear in a big fight. The stadium will be configured to hold 45,000 seats for the bout. Clottey lost a close decision fight with Miguel Cotto in June 2009, a bout held in New York. Arum and Pacquiao watched that fight at ringside.
Pacquiao vs Clottey was hastily arranged after negotiations for a fight between the Filipino and Floyd Mayweather, Jr fell apart due to a disagreement over urine and blood testing protocol.
Texas billionaire Jerry Jones was elated to have an athlete of "Manny Pacquiao's stature" performing in his new stadium, which has a crowd capacity of over a 100,000. Jones hosted Arum and former U.S. President George W. Bush last weekend in a NFC playoff game between the Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles.
Former President Bush indicated that he will attend the March 13 fight, barring any conflicts in his schedule. In an interview on ESPN, Jones indicated the stadium's capability to host any type of event, be it basketball, football, or boxing.
Reportedly, the Cowboys owner is purchasing 30,000 tickets for the fight, guaranteeing a sizeable gate for the bout. Texas has a large Hispanic population with several metropolitan cities which may drive a sell-out crowd. Austin, San Antonio, and Houston are within nearly three hours of Dallas. Additionally, fight fans can come from Mexico, New Orleans, Oklahoma, and New Mexico for the WBO welterweight championship.
Additionally, the fight may find willing fans that can afford the $50 to $700 price points per ticket. Texas' economy has remained relatively robust despite the reset U.S. economy.
Texas judges were viewed negatively in 2009, given the poor scoring of Juan Diaz vs Paulie Malignaggi at the Toyota Center in Houston in August. Given Clottey's size advantage over the 5' 6.5" Pacquiao, this fight could go the distance. If Pacquiao vs Clottey does go the entire 12 rounds, Texas judges will be in the middle of the boxing spotlight once again.
Source: Examiner.com
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