By Jake Donovan
The year’s first big event – aptly named “The Event” is officially under way.
Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey both made weight for their welterweight fight at Cowboys Stadium on Saturday evening (HBO PPV, $54.95).
Pacquiao checked in at a chiseled 145 ¾ lb, while the finely-tuned Clottey weighed in at the division limit of 147 lb.
The fight marks the first truly big event of 2010, though with plenty more in queue.
At stake is the alphabet welterweight title Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38KO) violently annexed in his 12th round stoppage of Miguel Cotto last November.
The title-winning effort led to Pacquiao –widely regarded as the best fighter in the world, pound-for-pound - securing Fighter of the Year honors in 2009. The award was the third in the past four years for the Filipino southpaw, in addition to being named the top fighter of the past ten years and establishing himself as the biggest draw in the sport today.
Clottey (35-3, 20KO) plays the role of hard-luck challenger hoping to cash in on the opportunity of a lifetime that landed in his lap. The Ghana-born, Bronx-based welterweight enters the fight on the heels of a nine-month layoff. His last fight came in his close, disputed points loss to Cotto last June in New York City.
The last time Clottey has seen the win column was August 2009, when he won a vacant title against faded former two-division champ Zab Judah.
However, the opportunity came about after plans for a Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather showdown fell through due to an unresolved dispute over the handling of drug tests for the fight. Clottey willingly stepped in the moment he was contacted by manager Vinny Scolpino.
No additional drug testing beyond what’s required by the Texas Boxing Commission has been demanded by either side for this event.
A crowd of 45,000 is expected to file in to the newly renovated state of the art Cowboys Stadium for this event, a testament to the drawing power of Pacquiao considering that Clottey is only known in hardcore boxing circles, save for the features dedicated to him for this particular event.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com and an award-winning member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Contact Jake at JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.
Source: boxingscene.com
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