Pacquiao Vs Clottey - Original Spot (English)

Jerry Jones interview on Pacquiao vs. Clottey / Dallas Cowboys

Pacquiao’s real challenge is not to beat Clottey, but to stop him

By Scott Heritage

Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey received a rapturous reception in Dallas today when they met with the press, and there seemed to be little animosity between the two as they prepare to face off in the ring in a little under two months time.

Although Clottey will be seen by some as something of a consolation prize for Pacquiao, eager to see if he could be the man to finally end Floyd Mayweather’s thus far perfect record, the fight will none the less generate a lot of interest. Enhanced to a degree by the use of the billion dollar Dallas Coyboys stadium. For a lot of people, the issue isn’t really even if Manny can win, because he certainly should, but whether he can do what no one else has and stop Clottey inside the distance.

No matter how you might hear the fight played up for the purposes of selling a ticket or pay per view or two, make no mistake, Clottey is an easy fight for Manny. Clottey was just beaten by Miguel Cotto, who then went on to lose to Pacquiao, and it wasn’t even particularly close.

Cotto struggled with Clottey, but at the same time he had a massive gash impairing his vision for most of the fight as well. Pacquiao with his speed and power has most of the advantages over Clottey, who can perhaps claim only a better chin and more physical strength as his assets in the fight.

The biggest problem with Clottey though is that he has a tendency to drift in some rounds and become inactive. Against opponents he could bully around or catch with shots regularly this isn’t so much of a problem, but against Pacquiao he will struggle to land a glove all night unless the Filipino feels like going toe to toe (which he often does).

The real challenge for Manny then is to stop Clottey rather than simply beat him, and he has managed to steamroll all his recent opponents despite what they might have said about his punching power after the fact.

The question won’t be whether Manny can land, but whether he has the power to put Clottey away. Although he has a difficult to navigate defense, Clottey tires late against similar sized welterweights, and Pacquiao is known for his conditioning and relentless pace. If he can push Clottey for the first half of the fight, then the later rounds are as good as in the bag, and he can get to work on getting the stoppage.

The Cowboys stadium is setting up for 40,000-50,000 people, and other than the Ghanaian contingent, the rest of the crowd to a man will be waiting for a Pacquiao knockout. Whether they will get what they want from the always rugged Clottey is another matter, but a stoppage is what Manny has said he will be looking for.

Source: fightsportsonline.com

PACQUIAO-CLOTTEY TICKETS TO GO ON SALE SATURDAY, JAN. 23

PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 20 Jan 2010

ARLINGTON, TX – The stars will fight, big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas!

Jerry Jones and Bob Arum, owner of the Dallas Cowboys and chairman of Top Rank, respectively, announced today that Cowboys Stadium would be the site of THE EVENT: MANNY PACQUIAO vs. JOSHUA CLOTTEY World Welterweight Championship. Promoted by Top Rank, in association with the Dallas Cowboys and Tecate, Pacquiao vs. Clottey will take place, Saturday, March 13 and will be produced and distributed Live on HBO Pay-Per-View®, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.


This marks one of the biggest world title fights to be held in a major U.S. sports stadium since the Muhammad Ali – Ken Norton World Heavyweight Championship in Yankee Stadium in 1976, also promoted by Top Rank.

Pacquiao and Clottey boast a combined record of 85-6-2 (59 KOs) -- a winning percentage of 91% and a victory by knockout ratio of nearly 70%.

Tickets to Pacquiao vs. Clottey go on sale This Saturday! January 23 at 10 a.m. CT. Priced at $700, $500, $300, $200, $100, and $50, tickets can be purchased in-person at the Cowboys Stadium box office in Arlington, or by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com .

“I have wanted to bring a major boxing event to North Texas for many years, so why not bring in the biggest and the best?” asked Jones. “Manny Pacquiao is boxing’s No. 1 pound for pound attraction and the world champion. Manny’s title defense against Joshua Clottey is not just a great fight, it is THE EVENT, and one we can showcase to the fullest in Cowboys Stadium. We’re going to promote this like it was the Super Bowl. This will be the fight to remember.”

Cowboys Stadium will be configured for over 40,000 fans for THE EVENT with elevated floor seating similar to NBA games.

“Jerry Jones knows exactly how big and important THE EVENT is, which is why it was so easy to put this deal together,” said Arum. “As a lifelong Giants fan I had to receive special dispensation from Steve Tisch, the Giants’ Chairman and Executive Vice President, to bring this event to Cowboys Stadium and he blessed the deal. If Jerry could sell me on Cowboys Stadium and the North Texas market, you know he is going to have no problems selling out Cowboys Stadium on March 13. We are ready to roll up our sleeves and promote Manny’s debut as World Welterweight Champion. Manny Pacquiao is the Lone Star of boxing. There isn’t a more appropriate place in the world for him to fight! Like Yankee Stadium, when it hosted so many great world title fights, including Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson and Ali, I feel a new era in boxing is about to begin at Cowboys Stadium.”

Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs), of General Santos City, Philippines, will be defending the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title he earned in his last fight, produced by a 12th round knockout of three-time world champion Miguel Cotto. Pacquiao’s victory made him the first man to win seven titles in as many different weight divisions, with his last three world championships coming by way of knockout. The consensus Fighter of the Year for the third time in the past four years, Pacquiao’s resume features victories over future Hall of Famers, including Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Lopez and Cotto. His knockout victories over Cotto and Hatton made him the 2009 pay-per-view king, exceeding two million buys combined.

Clottey (35-3, 21 KOs), a native of Accra, Ghana, now fighting out of Bronx, NY, captured the International Boxing Federation (IBF) welterweight title in 2008 by trouncing three-time world champion Zab Judah. His career has been a highlight reel of thrills featuring victories over two-division world champion Diego Corrales and undefeated contender Richard Gutierrez and a close decision loss to world champion Antonio Margarito. In his last fight, Clottey lost a controversial split decision to defending WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto at Madison Square Garden. Clottey is currently world-rated No. 1 by the WBO and No. 4 by the World Boxing Association (WBA).

Source: PhilBoxing.com

As venue for Pacquiao-Clottey fight, Cowboys Stadium is a knockout

By BARRY HORN / The Dallas Morning News

ARLINGTON – The circus came to town Tuesday, and promoter Bob Arum instantly proclaimed it the greatest opening day in boxing history. Never before has an introductory news conference been held in a $1.15 billion venue with Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders standing guard as the fighters took center stage.

"I've never seen anything quite like this," proclaimed Arum as he lovingly took in the sights and sounds of the event held to introduce Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey, who will return to Cowboys Stadium for their welterweight world championship fight March 13. "This had panache."

Across the field, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, whom Arum expects to help promote the fight like no other partner he has had, was saying he envisions as many as "four or five significant fights a year" in the new home of the Cowboys.

"Las Vegas has its aura, and we can do things here to capture our own aura," Jones said.

Pacquiao-Clottey is a good start. It's not a mega-fight like Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather would have been. Rather it's a strong welterweight pairing between Pacquiao, the WBO's 147-pound champion who has held titles in seven weight classes and is considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and Clottey, who is ranked the as the No. 1 challenger by the WBA and No. 4 by the WBA.

For the fight, Cowboys Stadium will be configured much like it was for last month's Texas-North Carolina college basketball game. The ring will be built at midfield, with Arum and Jones hoping to fill 40,000 seats.

"It was always in our mind that right here on the star we would put the ring," said Jones, who later said the earliest renderings of the stadium included a configuration for boxing.

Clottey thankful for chance: Pacquiao, 31, is 50-3-2. He is an icon back home in The Philippines. He has won 11 fights since losing a super featherweight fight to Erik Morales in March of 2005. Clottey, 32, a native of Ghana who lives in New York, is 35-3. His lost his last fight by split decision to Miguel Angel Cotto in June. Five months later, Pacquiao beat Cotto in a 12th-round technical knockout. Clottey sounded star-struck when talking about Pacquiao. "He is the best guy, and I want to thank him for giving me this opportunity."

Briefly: Among those introduced to the crowd by ring announcer Michael Buffer were three local former world champions: junior welterweight Gene Hatcher, featherweight Troy Dorsey and bantamweight Paulie Ayala. ... Tickets for the fight dubbed simply "The Event" will range from $700 at ringside down to $50. When the undercard is announced in the next several days, expect it to be filled with lots of Hispanic fighters. ... The fight will be televised on pay-per-view by HBO. Pacquiao's last three pay-per-view bouts averaged one million buys. The suggested retail price for this one is $49.95.

Source: dallasnews.com

Manny Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey gets a splashy kickoff

By Lance Pugmire
January 20, 2010

Manny Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, announced Tuesday that HBO pay-per-view will televise the March 13 Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey welterweight fight at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas.

More than 1,500 fans plus the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders greeted Pacquiao and Clottey for their news conference Tuesday inside the stadium.

Both fighters entered the stadium through the players' tunnel and said they felt like football players.

"It was a fun announcement," Cowboys and stadium owner Jerry Jones said. "With the stature of Pacquiao, we're going to be able to put on a unique fight."

Jones, just two days removed from his football team's disappointing playoff loss to the Minnesota Vikings, appreciated having some new excitement.

"I needed this," he said. "Before I came here, I didn't have the usual juice in me. I was dragging."

Tickets, priced between $700 (ringside) and $50, will go on sale Sunday. The plan is to fill 40,000 seats, but Arum said a 60,000-seat plan can be arranged if necessary.

After the proposed Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight fell apart, both fighters made plans for different opponents. Mayweather is close to reaching a deal to fight Shane Mosley on May 1 in Las Vegas.

For Pacquiao-Clottey, Jones said he will lower the stadium's high-definition video screen to 30 feet above the ring on fight night, so fans can better view the blow-by-blow action.

"I'm proud of this, I always envisioned boxing in this venue," Jones said. "One of the things that motivates me is the idea that first impressions are important. It's why I wanted Pacquiao here.

"He has the . . . charisma and talent, but then there's the story of how he got here from the Philippines . . . and what he means to his country. An entire country follows him. The fans here appreciate that, and he's a great fighter. To get this fight, to have it in this venue, it's going to be a happening."

Pugmire reported from Los Angeles

Source: LATimes.com

Pacquiao-Clottey Dallas press conference

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