Pacquiao to fight Clottey in Dallas
DALLAS (Reuters) – WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao will defend his title against Ghanaian Joshua Clottey at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas on March 13, the Filipino's promoter and the Cowboys owner said Sunday.
Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum finalized the deal after talks of a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. fizzled out over Mayweather's demand for a rigorous dope testing procedure.
"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?" Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a statement.
"Manny Pacquiao is boxing's number one pound-for-pound attraction and the world champion," Jones added.
"Manny defending his title against Joshua Clottey is not just a great event, it's a great fight, and one we can showcase to the fullest in Cowboys Stadium. We're going to promote this like it was the Super Bowl."
The new $1.2 billion stadium will seat 40,000 for the pay-per-view bout and Arum said in a statement he was delighted with the venue.
"Manny Pacquiao is the lone star of boxing," he said, referring to the nickname of the state of Texas.
"There isn't a more appropriate place in the world for him to fight."
Pacquiao has a 50-3-1 record with 38 knockouts. He won the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title with a 12th round knockout of three-time world champion Miguel Cotto.
Clottey has a 35-3 record with 21 knockouts. He claimed the International Boxing Federation (IBF) welterweight title in 2008 by defeating American Zab Judah but lost a split decision to Puerto Rican Cotto last June.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com
Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum finalized the deal after talks of a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. fizzled out over Mayweather's demand for a rigorous dope testing procedure.
"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?" Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a statement.
"Manny Pacquiao is boxing's number one pound-for-pound attraction and the world champion," Jones added.
"Manny defending his title against Joshua Clottey is not just a great event, it's a great fight, and one we can showcase to the fullest in Cowboys Stadium. We're going to promote this like it was the Super Bowl."
The new $1.2 billion stadium will seat 40,000 for the pay-per-view bout and Arum said in a statement he was delighted with the venue.
"Manny Pacquiao is the lone star of boxing," he said, referring to the nickname of the state of Texas.
"There isn't a more appropriate place in the world for him to fight."
Pacquiao has a 50-3-1 record with 38 knockouts. He won the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title with a 12th round knockout of three-time world champion Miguel Cotto.
Clottey has a 35-3 record with 21 knockouts. He claimed the International Boxing Federation (IBF) welterweight title in 2008 by defeating American Zab Judah but lost a split decision to Puerto Rican Cotto last June.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com
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