This week begins the countdown toward the March 13, WBO welterweight (147 pounds) title defense by seven-division champion Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines against Ghanian-born Bronx resident Joshua Clottey at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.The 31-year-old Pacquiao, who has been named Fighter Of The Decade, is 50-3-2, with 38 knockouts, including a record of 18-1-2, with 15 knockouts under four-time Trainer Of The Year Freddie Roach. A three-Time Fighter Of The Year, Pacaquiao has an 11-match winning streak that includes eight knockouts coming in against the 32-year-old Clottey, who is 35-3, with 20 knockouts.There is a lot going on with this fight in terms of publicity and videos available, given that it is being promoted by Top Rank and is being televised on HBO pay-per-view.
"Manny is getting better all the time," Roach marveled after a training session Friday at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles. "I know Clottey is a big, strong guy. I respect him, he's a great fighter. But Manny I feel is going to overwhelm him with his speed and combinations, and I do believe we will be the first one to stop him in 12 rounds." Pacquiao will instead fight Clottey at Cowboys Stadium, while Mayweather is headed for a showdown May 1 against welterweight champion Shane Mosley. Along with the verbal jabs, Pacquiao and Mayweather can also fight over who generates bigger pay-per-view numbers. "We're not happy with his remarks and Manny really wants to fight him in the future because of the remarks he made," Roach said. "Manny, sometimes when he's shadowboxing, he shows me how Mayweather fights and how he'll take care of the problem, and I've never seen that before.
More than 30,000 tickets have already been sold for the fight, and Arum expects the $1.2 billion football stadium just outside Dallas to be filled with about 45,000 fans on March 13.
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