Dallas Boxing Examiner | Matt Stolow
ARLINGTON, TX - While most boxing press conferences historically run a minimum half hour late, I'll say this one today was well worth the approximate 40 - minute delay.
The media turnout for this Pacquiao vs. Clottey announcement press conference today will rank as a top five in the past 30 years in the Dallas - Fort Worth Metroplex.
Oscar De La Hoya vs, Floyd Mayweather in 2007 was tops; De La Hoya vs. Julio Cesar Chavez in 1996 was up there; Julio Cesar Chavez vs. Pernell Whittaker in 1993; and any Donald Curry press conference in the mid 1980s was huge.
All of the above were a part of a multi - city and not the actual site of the fight.
Which brings us to today and 52 days until Saturday March 13 in Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX, just west of Dallas.
Co-promoter Jerry Jones spoke of the fans being able to see Manny Pacquiao as a 70 - foot tall giant on the world's largest HD screens inside the world's largest domed stadium.
HBO Sports Pay Per View Executive Mark Taffet told me he'd rather watch the fight on the big screen than directly in the ring.
Both fighters said very polite things about each other. I don't think there is animosity between the two camps at this point but we have almost eight weeks to go. There was no trash - talking. This was a true family show.
From an efficiency and style basis, this was as flawless as a Las Vegas entertainment act. I believe both fighters, their trainers and even Bob Arum were just overwhelmed at the dramatic size of the building.
Throw in the music, the fireworks, color, pageantry, along with the energetic and attractive Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and short speeches and this was a perfect press conference.
The two camps head to New York City tonight for the important presser there tomorrow. Then they go to their respective training camps and get down to serious business.
I couldn't see New York topping what Jerry Jones and his staff pulled off today.
Kudos to site coordinator Lester Bedford for bringing together and choreographing a serious world-class production.
Jones made his fortune drilling for oil and I don't think that experience, nor three Super Bowl seasons with the Cowboys in 21 years prepared him to bankroll a fight where a young Filipino speaking broken English and a polite Ghanaian speaking broken English could captivate the chicken-fried Dallas - Fort Worth media.
While advanced sales have been going on for almost two weeks, the public gets its first shot at buying tickets on Saturday.
I don't know what is going to be written by the DFW media tonight, but Jones must believe he has a fighting chance to have a success in this his first big - time boxing venture. He's done his part so far.
Source: Examiner.com
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