Pacquiao's camp to push for 145-lb catchweight

MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao wants Josh Clottey to trim down to 145 lb for their WBO welterweight title fight on March 13 in Texas.

“We will push for 145 pounds just like in the Miguel Cotto fight,” said Pacquiao’s lawyer, Franklin Gacal, in an exclusive ABS-CBN interview yesterday.

“We will push for that catchweight,” he added despite a statement earlier issued by chief trainer Freddie Roach that they’re ready to take on the former IBF welterweight champion at 147 lb.

“These guys (Cotto and Clottey) are naturally bigger than Manny,” said Gacal.

Pacquiao fought Cotto at a catchweight of 145 lb, weighed in at 144 and climbed the ring under 150. It’s the winning formula as far as Roach is concerned, and to the trainer two pounds less wouldn’t spell a difference.


“I think Manny can fight Clottey at 147. He is the welterweight champion and therefore should fight anyone at 147,” said one of Pacquiao’s adviser, Wakee Salud.

It may not be too good for Pacquiao’s image if he calls himself the welterweight champion but calls for a catchweight each time he fights.

“Medyo hindi nga maganda. But as long as the opponents agree, then there’s nothing wrong with it,” said Salud.

Against Cotto, Pacquiao proved that he can take any of the world’s best welterweights, and their punches as well. He took the best Cotto could offer and ended up knocking out the Puerto Rican in the 12th and final round.

The Pacquiao vs Clottey showdown will take place at the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, after a superfight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. bogged down due to a disagreement on the blood-testing procedure.

Mayweather had wanted to keep the March 13 date at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, but reports came out yesterday that the fight had been pushed to April because HBO had decided to stick with the Pacquiao fight for its pay-per-view coverage.

Mayweather’s camp said there’s no way the undefeated American will face Paulie Malignaggi and had shifted its focus to Nate Campbell.

Source: philstar.com

Pacquiao to be treated like a royal in Dallas

LOS ANGELES — Dallas is going to roll the red carpet for Manny Pacquiao next week.

Top Rank publicist Lee Samuels revealed on Wednesday night that Pacquiao will be treated like royalty when he steps inside the massive Cowboys Stadium in the kickoff press conference for the Filipino’s March 13 war with Joshua Clottey of Ghana.

The Dallas affair will take place on Tuesday, while another stop will be made in New York on Wednesday.

Renowned ring announcer Michael Buffer is also being tapped to emcee the festivities in the event to be hosted by Texas billionaire Jerry Jones, who has struck a deal with Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum in promoting the fight.

“That press conference in Dallas is going to be huge,” said Samuels, one of boxing’s most respected publicists.

The Cowboys cheerleaders are going to be in attendance and one of them might even stand out from among the bevy of beauties.

According to reports on the Internet, there is one member of the fabled group - Joannah Liad - who is said to be of Filipino lineage.

Samuels said the cheerleaders are going to escort Pacquiao to the dais where he will sit alongside Jones, Arum and other marquee names for the actual press conference.

To go to Dallas, Samuels said a private plane will pick up Pacquiao and bring him and his small party to a private hangar near LAX en route to Las Vegas on Monday where Arum and his stepson, Top Rank president Todd DuBoef, are holed up.

From Las Vegas, they will be flown to Dallas.

mb.com.ph

Pacquiao favored 3 to 1 against Clottey

HE WILL FACE a naturally bigger fighter again and, this time, Manny Pacquiao will be plunging into his latest challenge without the benefit of a catch weight.

And despite the testy challenge expected from last-minute replacement Joshua Clottey, Pacquiao has started out a 3-1 favorite for the March 13 bout in one of the biggest venues that has ever hosted a boxing match.

Pacquiao squares off with Clottey at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, after the collapse of talks to hold boxing’s so-called “Fight of the Century” pitting Pacquiao and undefeated American superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr. due to a disagreement on drug-testing protocols.

Examiner.com reported that betting lines will open with Pacquiao the prohibitive favorite. Bettors need to wager $300 to win $100 on Pacquiao. Clottey will start at plus-270, meaning a $100 bet on the ex-world champion will earn $270.

Trainer Freddie Roach remains confident of a victory for Pacquiao, who captured the WBO welterweight crown via a 12-round TKO of Miguel Cotto at a 145 lb catch weight.

“Manny’s comfortable at [147 lb],” Roach declared in a report posted by Fighthype.com. “When Manny’s eating the day of the weigh-in... he’s happy and that’s when he performs at his best.”

“He’ll come into the fight 144 to 145 and he’ll go into the ring at 148 or 149 at most,” added the trainer. “And that’s his best fighting weight.”

Roach had earlier predicted that Pacquiao will become the first fighter to knock Clottey out, although Top Rank chief Bob Arum warned that Clottey will be a tough challenge.

“Well, Clottey is a dangerous opponent. Miguel Cotto was a dangerous opponent. If they’re not dangerous opponents, who the hell wants to lay out hard-earned money to buy the pay-per-view?” Arum told Examiner.com.

Source: inquirer.net

Its official Pacquiao vs Clottey in Dallas March 13

MANILA, Philippines -- The contract is already signed for the pay-per-view fight of Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey, according to Top Rank Promotions.

The March 13 bout, which is called “The Event,” will be airing live worldwide.

The official kick-off for “The Event” Pacquiao vs Clottey will be a press conference on January 19 at the Dallas Stadium.

Lee Samuels of Top Rank said that it will be an epic press conference.

Two levels of the stage were made just for the kickoff. A total of 50 Cowboys cheerleaders will be present to dance for the audience. A special fireworks display is also expected to happen.

Veteran host Michael Buffer will be hosting while Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will be the speaker for the event.

Pacquiao will be flying to New York on a private jet for the second press conference that will take place at the Madison Square Garden on January 20. After that, Pacquiao will head straight to train in Los Angeles, California.

Top Rank added that Pacquiao needs to work and train hard for the bout since Clottey is a fighter who has never been knocked out in any of his matches. Clottey and Pacquiao are both from Top Rank.

Pacquiao’s erstwhile opponent, Floyd Maywether, Jr., is said to be fighting on the same day as the Clottey clash. Rumors say that Mayweather will be fighting Paulie Malignaggi.

No confirmation has been made yet by anyone from Mayweather or Golden Boy Promotions.

If the Mayweather bout does take place in Las Vegas, boxing fans will be divided watching two of the world’s boxing greats. Pay-per-view would know who will be getting more buys.

Leaving on Sunday
Pacquiao will leave on Sunday for the US to attend the official kick off of his fight with Clottey.

According to a report by Philboxing.com will leave together with Michael Koncz, trainer Nonoy Neri, lawyer Jing Gacal and assistant cook Haplas Fernandez.

Before leaving the Filipino boxer will celebrate the birthday of his wife Jinkee at the Paradise Island Beach and Park in Samal Island.

Assistant Filipino trainer Buboy Fernandez is now already at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles with chief trainer Freddie Roach.

Pacquiao is expected to make 7 weeks of training at the Wild Card Gym.

Source: abs-cbnnews.com

Private is jet for Manny Pacquiao’s press tour - Arum

LOS ANGELES – Manny Pacquiao will be traveling in style when he goes on a two-day publicity tour of Dallas and New York next week to promote his March 13 battle with Joshua Clottey of Ghana at Cowboys Stadium.

“Manny will be flying on a private plane all the way (from Los Angeles to Dallas and to New York and back to Los Angeles),” said Top Rank chief Bob Arum as he eagerly awaits the arrival of the Filipino pound-for-pound king from Manila.

Pacquiao will grace the kickoff press conference at Cowboys Stadium on January 19 then head to New York for another media affair at the Madison Square Garden the next day. From the Big Apple, Pacquiao will return to Hollywood on the same day so he could show up at the Wild Card the following day for the first day of training camp under Freddie Roach.

Arum can’t wait to get things started although when the press tour makes a stop in Dallas, he will allow Texas billionaire Jerry Jones – owner of the Cowboys Stadium and the fabled National Football League team – to take the spotlight.

“Jerry Jones could be the greatest promoter in the world,” said Arum. “He is a crazy guy--crazy in the kind of way. The guys in Texas are very, very excited.”

Going up a notch, Arum said Jones might end up being a great promoter of boxing after the Pacquiao-Clottey clash.

“He is better than me and (Don) King,” said Arum, adding that the alluring Cowboys cheerleaders are also going to be in attendance to add glamour to the already-appealing event.

Immediately after signs pointed to a collapse in negotiations for the fancied showdown between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather a few weeks ago, Arum said Jones expressed his interest in bringing Pacquiao to his brand-new $1.2 billion facility in the city of Arlington, which is just outside Dallas.

Jones had attempted to land the botched Pacquiao-Mayweather tiff but the MGM Grand in Las Vegas was awarded the rights to host that fight.

Having a private plane on hand has become a tradition starting with Pacquiao’s landmark fight with Oscar De La Hoya.

After Pacquiao polished off the Golden Boy in Dec. 2008, Arum has arranged for the same VIP treatment for the world’s premier puncher against Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto last year.

Flying on private jet is ultra-expensive but Arum believes Pacquiao deserves to be treated like a true VIP, being the representative of his sport.

Source: mb.com.ph

Pacquiao's Determination Vs. Clottey's Tenacity and Theatrics

So Pacquiao-Mayweather fell through. It’s not the end of the world. The Pacquiao-Clottey fight has tremendous potential to be a classic match. Given the styles of both fighters, there’s just no way that this fight could fail to be exemplary of boxing at its best.

Joshua Clottey is a rough, tough, genuine welterweight with a rock-solid defense. The 33-year-old boasts a record of 35-3-0 with 20 knockouts.

Stylistically, he relies heavily upon his quick footwork and superb blocking abilities. When attacked, he consistently holds his hands high with elbows tucked in tight to the body. He’s very hard to hit when he’s on his guard.

He’s also impressively resilient. This guy doesn’t run out of gas in the later rounds.

In addition to his boxing abilities, his demeanor inside the ring should provide plenty of quality entertainment. He tends to engage in overly dramatized theatrics at every hint of a foul.

He showcased his acting abilities on several occasions during his June 13, 2009 bout with Miguel Cotto.

When Clottey found himself trapped in the corner, he decided to initiate a rather unorthodox clinch by throwing his upper body over the top of Cotto’s left shoulder.

Cotto promptly demonstrated his distaste for the unusual tactic by lifting Clottey up and body slamming him face-first to the canvas.

Clottey then took an extended break while rolling around on the canvas and acting like he was dying.

This is ironic considering that he jumped to his feet quickly after Cotto knocked him off balance, sending him momentarily to the canvas in Round One. He wasn’t hurt then either.

Theatrics aside, Clottey is a tough character with an iron jaw. He has never been knocked out despite going against such top-tier opponents as Zab Judah and Antonio Margarito.

His loss to Miguel Cotto came by means of a controversial split decision.

How will Pacquiao fare against Clottey’s defensive mastery? Pacquiao is a busy fighter, so he will undoubtedly spend a lot of time and energy punching at Clottey’s gloves and shoulders. Punches to the sides of Clottey’s body could prove to be most effective in wearing him down.

Clottey is a good counterpuncher who carefully and accurately chooses his spots. It’s no secret that Pacquiao has had difficulty with good counterpunchers in the past.

This fight will definitely not be a repeat of Pacquiao-Hatton.

Pacquiao prefers fighters who are willing to engage in extended toe-to-toe slugfests, and it’s highly unlikely that Clottey will oblige.

This will necessitate Pacquiao to rely on his own counter punching skills. He will need to take advantage of those times that Clottey attempts to score.

This is when he is most likely to land something that will hurt Clottey. Pacquiao’s unconventional style and weird punching angles will be the major factor in the fight.

Even though Clottey has never been defeated by knockout, I think Pacquiao will eventually sneak something in that will hurt Clottey. At that point Clottey’s defense will become penetrable and Manny will finish him.

After one particularly impressive flurry from Miguel Cotto, Clottey dropped both hands, smiled, and shook his head to taunt Cotto.

I wonder if he’ll do that to Pacquiao?

My prediction: Manny Pacquiao wins by TKO in Round 10.

Source: bleacherreport.com

Pacquiao to fight Clottey at 147 lbs - No catch weight

MANILA, Philippines – American trainer Freddie Roach clarified that the fight featuring his ward, Manny Pacquiao, and Ghanaian Joshua Clottey on March 13 will not have a catchweight.

“It will be at 147. There’s no catchweight,” Roach told FightHype.com. A catchweight describes a weight limit for a fight that does not fall in traditional limits for weight divisions.

“He’ll come into this fight like 144-145 and he’ll go into the ring at 148 or 149 at most and that’s his best fighting weight,” Roach said.

The Trainer of the Year recipient stated that Pacquiao is comfortable fighting at 147 lbs.

“Making 135 was a bit of a struggle, making 140, we can make 140 with ease, but he likes the extra strength, he likes eating the day of the weigh-in,” added Roach.

“When Manny’s eating the day of the weigh-in and gets to eat twice before the weigh-in, he’s happy, and that’s when he performs at his best, when he’s smiling and in a good mood. He’s not in an angry mood because he’s starving himself.”

Pacquiao, the only seven-division world champion, is set to face former International Boxing Federation (IBF) welterweight champion Clottey at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The Filipino boxing superstar will defend the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title which he won after beating Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto in November.

The pound-for-pound king was supposed to face undefeated American fighter Floyd Mayweather, Jr., but negotiations for the fight crumbled due to their disagreement on the drug testing procedure.

Great opportunity

Asked by BoxingTalk.com if Team Clottey will ask for additional drug testing on Pacquiao, Clottey’s manager Vincent Scolpino said, “Whatever rules apply in the state are what we will abide by.”

“Hopefully, everybody will be professional in the situation and we won't have anything to worry about,” he added.

The Pacquiao vs Mayweather bout was touted to be a blockbuster fight. When fight talks began to be in limbo, former IBF light welterweight champion Paul “Paulie” Malignaggi and World Boxing Association (WBA) super welterweight champion Yuri Foreman were named as possible foes.

Team Pacquiao, however, chose Clottey.

“It's a great opportunity for Josh against the best fighter in the world and he's going to do what he has to do,” noted Scolpino.

He went on to say about Pacquiao: “He's one of the best fighters ever. He throws his hands and that's all you could ask for from a guy. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him.”

Source: abs-cbnnews.com