Pacquiao always on Clottey’s mind

LOS ANGELES — Like Manny Pacquiao, his Ghanaian foe Joshua Clottey is also a fitness freak.

Clottey, who faces Pacquiao on March 13 at the Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas, is already back in the gym in the Bronx in New York, with the image of the Filipino running through his mind just about every time he works out a sweat.

Vinny Scolpino, Clottey’s manager, told the Bulletin on Thursday afternoon that his fighter arrived from Ghana a couple of days ago and is back in training mode.

“(Clottey is) training right now in the Bronx,” said Scolpino, who says he is operating a call center business somewhere in Cavite, a province just outside Manila.

Clottey, 32, spent two months in his native Ghana, and remained “in a very good condition” despite fighting the last time in June 2009, losing a close decision to Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico.

“Joshua doesn’t allow himself to go out of shape,” insists Scolpino, “(because) he plays soccer (when he is not training for a fight).”

Clottey will continue to train up until he heads to the two-city press tour in Dallas on Tuesday and in New York on Wednesday.

At the conclusion of the promotional tour, Clottey will either camp out “either in Florida or Nevada” for the most crucial phase of his preparation.

Meanwhile, tickets go on sale next Saturday with the premium ringside seat priced at $700.

Top Rank publicity chief Lee Samuels said tickets pegged at $500, $300, $200, $100 and $50 would also go on sale on that day.

The 80,000-capacity stadium, built to a staggering cost of $1.2 billion, will be reconfigured to 50,000 for the fight, the first time the sport is going to be held at the venue owned by Texas billionaire Jerry Jones.

Source: mb.com.ph