PACQUIAO-CLOTTEY:Fight will not last 12 rounds – Roach

By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com

It’s still 10 days before Filipino World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao puts his 147-pound crown on the blocks but chief trainer Freddie Roach declared that the game plan to beat Ghanaian challenger Joshua Clottey has already been in place.


“Yes, we’re ready. The way Manny is responding to his training, I can tell this early that he’s going to overwhelm him (Clottey), “Roach boldly predicted during last weekend’s media conference call held at the Wild Card Gym in downtown Los Angeles.

“With Manny’s speed and his combinations, I do believe he will be the first person to stop Clottey before the 12th round,” the four-time ‘Trainer of the Year’ awardee of the American Writers Association assured.
“I know Clottey is a big strong guy and a great fighter and we respect him as a real tough guy, but we also know his characteristic, we know his mistakes and we know his bad habits, which we can exploit to the hilt,” he said.

The Filipino ring icon and the Puerto Rican hero face each other off for 12 rounds titled ‘The Event’ March 14 (Manila time) at the newly built million dollar Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas.

After almost four weeks at the gym since arriving in Los Angeles from Manila, Roach said the ‘Pacman’ has kept on improving day after day and that he wouldn’t stop in trying to get better. Following an 11-round sparring Friday last week against four sparring partners, Roach said he wanted to give the champ a rest day the next day, but Pacquiao refused his offer and instead boxed for 12 more rounds that day.

Roach told members of the international media, some of whom fielded their questions via phone patch from their respective countries, that Team Pacquiao have been watching a lot of tapes on Clottey fights from where the training staff learned about the challengers’ weaknesses.

This week, the team’s last at Wild Card before driving to Dallas Monday next week, will be a tapering off period in order to maintain Pacquiao’s peak condition.
Pacquiao himself, who was with Roach during the media conference call along with Top Rank bossman Bob Arum, declared himself in tip-top shape.

“I am, good. Training camp is good and everything is going great,” he quipped. I know Clottey is taller and bigger than me. I know I can’t underestimate him because he’s also a former champion. “

Asked about Leonard de Jesus, who was once one of Pacquiao’s corner men but who will be at Clottey’s corner, Roach said he couldn’t care less.

“Lenny used to work as cut man for Manny. He knows us pretty well, but we have changed a lot since then. If he thinks he’s going to face the old Manny Pacquiao, that’s not going to be the case,” Roach remarked. “I respect him though. He’s a good boxing guy.”

“Am I a better trainer?” he asked. “I don’t know. All I know is we have a better fighter (in Pacquiao). We have a perfect game plan and I don’t care who trains Joshua Clottey for this fight, he can’t beat us.”

“Let’s face it. Clottey is what he is. He fights the same way in every tape I watched, “ he said by way of assessing the challenger. “Whether he fights southpaw or right-handers, he is predictable. He’s good at he does, but he does the same thing over and over again.”

“He’s going to try to change for this fight, but once he gets in he will revert back to it,” Roach continued. “We are 100 percent ready to his style. He is resilient. The beginning of the fight is going to be very hard because he is a very good opponent and he likes to fight. We will break him down and I am confident the firth will not go 12 rounds.”

source: philboxing.com

Pacquiao itching for a shot at Mayweather Jr.: Boxing Insider

by Joe Maxse, The Plain Dealer

MANNY PACQUIAO is closing in on his welterweight bout against Joshua Clottey at Dallas Cowboys Stadium on March 13.

But it's evident Floyd Mayweather Jr. still gets as much attention as the Pac Man's upcoming opponent, especially when trainer Freddie Roach is involved.

"We are not happy with his remarks," Roach said during a conference call, referring to Mayweather's inference that Pacquiao has been using steroids and other performance enhancing drugs. "Manny wants to fight him in the future.

"Sometimes when Manny is shadowboxing he will show me how Mayweather fights and how he will take care of the problem. I've never seen him do that before. [Mayweather] was trying to ruin our reputation with those allegations and we do want to fight him and we do want to knock him out."

Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) is the solid favorite to keep Mayweather in his future by getting past Clottey (35-3, 21 KOs). HBO will show it on a pay-per-view basis.

Around the ring: The Feb. 19 pro show at Cleveland State's Wolstein Center had a gate sale of $91,625. The Ohio Athletic Commission collected $4,581 in taxes for the state. . . . Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini has helped produce a documentary film on his hometown titled "Youngstown: Still Standing." It will debut at the Cleveland International Film Festival at Tower City Cinemas on March 24 at 2:10 p.m. and March 25 at 9:30 p.m. . . . The annual Jimmy Bivins Classic will combine amateur and professional bouts at North Olmsted's Soccer Sportsplex on April 24. Call 216-854-0485 or 440-258-8117. . . . Joe Louis was honored Saturday with the unveiling of an eight-foot bronze statue in his hometown of Lafayette, Ala. "The Brown Bomber" moved to Detroit when he was 12. . . . Tickets for the May 1 bout between Mayweather and Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand are on sale through Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000. Tickets range from $150 to $1,250. It will be shown on HBO PPV. . . . Allan Green (29-1, 20 KOs) has replaced Jermain Taylor in Showtime's "Super Six World Boxing Classic." Green will face WBA super middleweight champ Andre Ward (20-0, 13 KOs) on April 24. . . . The Andre Dirrell (18-1, 13 KOs) match against Arthur Abraham (31-0, 25 KOs) in the "Super Six" has been moved from California to Detroit on March 27. Dirrell suffered a back injury to force the postponement from Thursday. . . . Kelly Pavlik has opened training camp at Youngstown's South Side Gym under trainer Jack Loew for his April 17 middleweight title defense against Sergio Martinez in Atlantic City, N.J. Tickets are $350, $200, $100 and $50, through Ticketmaster at 1-800-736-1420.

History: Joe Frazier opened the fourth Madison Square Garden by stopping Buster Mathis in the 11th round on March 4, 1968. Nino Benvenuti decisioned middleweight Emile Griffith on the same card.

Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini was born on March 4, 1961.

TV: The ESPN2 "Friday Night Fights" are in Temecula, Calif., where lightweight Martin Honorio (27-4-1, 14 KOs) faces Wilton Hilario (12-0-1, 9 KOs) at 10 p.m.

On Saturday HBO will be in Uncasville, Conn., for the unification bout between WBC super lightweight champ Devon Alexander (19-0, 12 KOs) and IBF 140-pound champ Juan Urango 22-2-1, 17 KOs) at 9:30 p.m.

Showtime goes against its cable rival from Rancho Mirage, Calif., where WBC super flyweight champ Vic Darchinyan (33-2-1, 26 KOs) meets Rodrigo Guerrero (12-1-1, 7 KOs) at 9 p.m.

source:cleveland.com

Pound-for-Pound King Manny Pacquiao Amped Up For Cowboy Stadium Showdown

by Associated Press

Manny Pacquiao ran roughshod through four different sparring partners earlier this week, and boxing's pound-for-pound king churned through just as many on Saturday.

He's been peppering the speed bag, pounding the heavy bag and doing enough running to make Usain Bolt fall over in a heap. Under the watchful eye of trainer Freddie Roach, Pacquiao is putting himself in position to knock out Joshua Clottey when they fight March 13 in Dallas.

"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."

If it sounds simple, that's because Pacquiao has little trouble when fights are decided in the ring. Things aren't so easy when the fight is contested with words.

That continues to be the case with Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., after their proposed blockbuster fell through because of drug testing protocol. Mayweather and his relatives have accused Pacquiao of using performance-enhancing drugs, either directly or by innuendo, while the Filipino champion has balked at taking a blood test within 14 days of a fight.

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.

"He's trying to ruin our reputations and so forth," Roach added, "but we want to fight him and we'll knock him out."

Promoter Bob Arum still believes that Mayweather never wanted to fight Pacquiao, and his strict adherence to blood testing - which is far more extensive than urine analysis required by the Nevada Athletic Commission -- was his way of getting out of it.

"We don't have to be geniuses to know what they were trying to do. They were trying to get into Manny's head so he'd be discombobulated," Arum said. "Mayweather against Manny is a no-contest, no contest. Manny would wipe the ring with Floyd Mayweather."

If that's ever to happen, he'll first have to wipe the ring with Clottey.

The fight appears to be a mismatch on paper, especially considering the rugged fighter from Ghana lost to Miguel Cotto -- the same guy Pacquiao dominated last fall. But just like fights aren't decided with words, they aren't decided on paper, either.

"Joshua Clottey I know is taller and bigger than me, and you cannot underestimate him," Pacquiao said, "because he's a former world champion also."

Clottey has been training in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for the first seven-figure payday of his career. It would go a long way toward helping his family back home in the dusty city of Accra, where Clottey acknowledges that poverty is a way of life.

"I'm coming to do my best," he said by phone earlier this week. "He is a good fighter. He is the best now. This is the test and I am going for the WBO title. I'm going all out. I have my game plan and I always come to fight."

It's a difficult fight to market because it's not the fight demanded by the public, but that doesn't mean there isn't significant interest. Pacquiao is making an encore appearance on Jimmy Kimmel next week and will soon have a profile in Time Magazine, while Clottey was the subject of a lengthy expose in ESPN The Magazine.

And of course, Pacquiao is running for Congress in the Philippines.

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.

It may not be Mayweather, but it's something to tide fans over.

"People were looking forward to a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight, that's clear. But Manny has a huge, huge fan base," Arum said. "Every sports fan knows Manny Pacquiao. Our job is to present Joshua Clottey as he is, a bigger guy, a stronger guy probably, a guy who has never been off his feet -- a real test for Manny Pacquiao. That's what will sell this fight.

"I think the public gets it, and I think the pay-per-view is going to do extremely well."

source: nesn.com

PACQUIAO EASES UP, CLOTTEY LOOKS RIPPED AND READY

By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com

“Fighter of the Decade” Manny Pacquiao eased up in his training grind on Wednesday as he returned to the track at the LA High School.

After a hard workout in the morning trainer Freddie Roach asked him to ease up and have a light workout in the Wild Card Gym in preparation for what conditioning expert Alex Ariza said “will be a long sparring session tomorrow (Thursday in LA.)"

Ariza told us that “everything is going really well” and that Wednesday was the first day that Pacquiao “went to the track after the leg injury last weekend and he looks a hundred percent.”

Ariza said that since Pacquiao had a hard day on Tuesday when he sparred ten rounds and then a hard workout on the track, trainer Freddie Roach “talked to him to having a light workout and preparing for a tough sparring session on Thursday” although there was no definite word on who his sparring partners would be.

Last Tuesday Pacquiao went five rounds with undefeated Ghana welterweight Abdulla Amidu (18-0, 17 KO’s) and pushed Roach to allow him to follow up with five rounds against Stevie Forbes.

The conditioning expert who, working alongside Roach has turned Pacquiao into a devastating fighting machine said Pacquiao was “feeling good. Manny is the type that just when his legs feel better he wants to see how far he can push it so we are trying to keep him from doing that.”

But while there are rave reviews about Pacquiao’s preparation coming out of the Wild Card Gym, award-winning photographer Chris Farina of Top Rank who visited the training camp of challenger Joshua Clottey was quoted by Chris Robinson of Examiner.com as saying that Clottey “looked awesome” and that he is “completely ripped and toned.” Read More

source: philboxing.com

Clottey aims to slow down speedy Pacquiao

MANILA, Philippines – Joshua Clottey of Ghana seems to be unthreatened by his match-up against the only 7-division world champion and pound-for-pound king, Manny Pacquiao, on March 13 at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
“Manny Pacquiao is a human being, like everyone else. He's just a really good fighter who is out there now who is No. 1 now,” Clottey told Lem Satterfield of Fanhouse.com.
“If I win this fight against Manny Pacquiao, I will never feel like I beat the best fighter in the world,” he said. “I will feel like I had a fight with Manny Pacquiao, the best fighter out there, and I won.”
He also clarified that just in case he wins on March 13, people should not regard his victory as an upset.
“I'll say, ‘It's not an upset, but a win,’” the Ghanaian stated.
But before the 33-year-old Clottey talks about his possible triumph over Pacquiao, he knows that he first has to overcome the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion.
He said he plans to beat Pacquiao by connecting his shots and wearing him down.
“I can't throw a lot of punches like Pacquiao will do. But I will connect enough to make him slow down and wear down, and bring his speed down,” he shared.
“I will also rely on my pressure. But I don't know what Pacquiao is coming to do, so I have to use my head. I don't know if he's planning to move around. But I'm not going to make him chase me. I will be right there.” Read More

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Can Joshua Clottey Upset Manny Pacquiao?

You’re probably wondering how on earth can Joshua Clottey win this fight. He appears to have little chance when he faces off against Manny Pacquiao in three weeks. Not many people outside of his homeland of Ghana, West Africa think he can win.

Here’s why.

Clottey recently lost to Miguel Cotto. The same Miguel Cotto who got beat down by Pacquiao last year. I know that it’s silly to compare how two fighters fared against a common opponent but Clottey’s performance against Cotto simply does not match up well with Pacquiao’s.

Clottey also has shown a reluctance to pull the trigger in his biggest fights. Maybe it’s an issue of physical fatigue. Or maybe it’s simply mental. Whatever it is, this gun-shy nature, especially late in his two fights against Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto, cost him a chance at victory in both fights. If he commits the same sin against Pac Man, he may not last 12 rounds for the first time in his career.

Yes, it appears that Clottey has no chance. But looks can be deceiving.

The Case for Joshua Clottey: Physical Strength

For the first time, Manny Pacquiao will be facing off against a full-blown, welterweight. Not a blown-up Ricky Hatton coming off a knockout loss to Floyd Mayweather. Not a weight-drained Oscar De La Hoya fighting at 147 for the first time in years.

In Clottey, Pacquiao will be facing the strongest boxer in his career. Talented, yet naturally smaller boxers like Diego Corrales and Zab Judah were unable to hold up against Clottey. Will Clottey’s strength have a similar impact on the Pac Man?

The Case for Joshua Clottey: El Dinamita

In case you didn’t know, “El Dinamita” is Juan Manuel Marquez’s fighting nickname. Simply put, Clottey better be studying film of Pacquiao’s epic wars with Marquez like an undergrad cramming for Sweet Science 101: A Lesson in Counter-Punching by Juan Manuel Marquez.

Clottey is a natural counter-puncher. Watching tapes of Marquez-Pacquiao may give him the clues that he needs to pass the considerable test that is the Pac Man.

The Case for Joshua Clottey: Manny Pacquiao

Will thoughts of his political career after boxing or of a potential fight with Floyd Mayweather, Jr. later in the year cause Pacquiao to overlook Clottey? It’s not beyond the realm of possibility that the Pac Man is looking past Clottey.

He’s accomplished just about everything in his career. What does a win against Joshua Clottey mean? If what I say is true, the always-in-shape Clottey may be primed for an upset.

What do you think?

Next week, I will state the case for Manny Pacquiao. Stay tuned.

source: www.sportsperspectives.com

Roach: Opening rounds hard for Pacquiao, Clottey

MANILA, Philippines – Although boxing coach Freddie Roach is confident that Manny Pacquiao will demolish Joshua Clottey, he sees a very hard fight for both boxers.

The prized trainer said he thinks the March 13 bout between reigning World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champ Pacquiao and challenger Clottey might even turn out just like the Miguel Cotto fight last November.

“Just like Cotto fight... the first half of the fight will be really, really hard for both guys,” Roach said in an interview with FightFan.com.

Roach, who oversees Pacquiao’s training at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, California, acknowledges Clottey’s durability.

He, however, said the Ghanaian’s defense leaves much to be desired so he expects his Filipino ward to assert himself by the middle rounds.

“We will take over in the middle or late rounds,” said Roach.

Passive defense
Roach said he has patterned some of Pacquiao’s strategies against the Ghanaian’s “amateurish” defense.

“He's passive, he's way too passive,” he said while describing Clottey’s defensive stance. “That works in the amateurs. There's no counter punching in that defense. He waits for you to finish your combinations then he throws.”

Roach said the only way Clottey would be effective against Pacquiao is if the Ghanaian engages the Filipino into a full fight.

This means Clottey would have himself get hit before he can tag Pacquiao with power punches.

“For him to be effective, he has to hit while we're engaging also for him to land that power shot, but he seems like he doesn't do that a lot,” said the boxing coach.

Waiting for Pacquiao to get tired would only bring Clottey more trouble.

“[Because] Pacquiao… doesn't get tired,” said Roach.

source: ABS-CBNNews

Clottey: Pacquiao in for a tough fight

DESPITE internet reports that he has been cramming in his training for his March 13 fight against Manny Pacquiao, Ghanaian Joshua Clottey has expressed confidence he has what it takes to beat the Filipino boxing star.

In a report carried by Fightfan.com, Clottey was quoted as saying: "I have a stiff jab and I will throw it a lot against Pacquiao. He will be coming to me and you’ll see what I can do. I will stay in front of him with my tight guard using a stiff jab. He’s going to get hit while he’s traveling in."

Pacquiao’s camp has repeatedly noted that Clottey is bigger and has never been stopped in his past fights but trainer Freddie Roach is confident his ward can handily win.

Clottey is training in Florida but recent internet reports have claimed he has not been focused in his regimen. Roach, meanwhile, has even ordered Pacquiao to slow down in his training.

In a recent interview on the Krystal Hart Show, however, Clottey said: "I’m running a lot and I’m training hard. I’ve beaten welterweights for years. If you look at me from head to toe I’m a big guy and I need to train hard to make the welterweight limit. In the past I may have over-trained but I feel comfortable now at 147."

Pacquiao took time off from his training at Roach’s Wild Card Gym last Saturday (Sunday in Manila) to watch five Filipino fighters, led by Nonito Donaire Jr., take on Latin opponents.

source:Malaya.com.ph

Pacquiao-Cotto Clottey-Cotto video highlights comparison

Here is the highlights of Clottey-Cotto fight, just watch and compare it to the highlights video of Pacquiao-Cotto match.





So who do you think will win?

The Final Score: Pacquiao is NBA All-Stars’ Choice by Miko Halili

DALLAS, Texas - The stars came out for the Lone Star State for the 59th NBA All Star Game last Sunday (Monday morning in Manila). Celtics legend Bill Russell, hip-hop mogul P. Diddy, comedian Chris Tucker, rapper Drake, Knicks die-hard Spike Lee and actress Gabrielle Union dotted the glitzy landscape. During the game, another star quietly entered Cowboys Stadium. He strolled with his entourage and looked for his VIP seat.

Floyd Mayweather, Jr. made a nondescript entry into the scene. Cowboys Stadium was set aside for Mayweather versus Manny Pacquiao. Mayweather said, “No thanks." Then, those who wanted to watch Floyd and Pacman in the ring, including many of the 2010 NBA All-Stars, retorted, “No way."

“Oh, I was very, very disappointed that the fight didn’t push through," West All-Star Chauncey Billups, a fan of Pacquiao, admitted. “I love Manny Pacquiao. He’s one of the greats. I love his heart. I love his passion out there and he fights to the end."

Many of the 2010 NBA All-Stars believe Pacquiao knocks out opponents the way LeBron James slams the ball. Successful athletes, after all, recognize skill and resolve the way Simon Cowell identifies talent. They also recognize a missed opportunity for Mayweather to test his greatness against Pacquiao.

“Pacquiao’s just tenacious," West All-Star Brandon Roy said. “I mean he goes in there and not only gives a great show but a great fight, that’s why you really want to see him in boxing. He’s just a great athlete, a great competitor and he fights at a high level every night."

“I’m very impressed with Manny Pacquiao," 1st time All-Star Deron Williams added. "He’s arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter and the way he has been beating people has been ridiculous."

Billups, Roy and Williams refused to predict a winner in a Pacquiao-Mayweather bout. They all agreed, though, that a showdown would feature two great fighters.

“I don’t know who’ll win that fight," 5-time All-Star Chris Bosh said. “That’s why it’s going to be a great fight. No one knows what’s going to happen."

Mayweather still has loyal fans. 1st time All-Star Derrick Rose is one of them. Still, if Mayweather slid into Sunday’s game with little fanfare, Pacquiao blasted the boxing scene like a Dwight Howard two-handed slam. Pacquiao, who’ll face Joshua Clottey at Cowboys Stadium on March 13, didn’t quietly enter the consciousness of the NBA’s boxing fans, he rocked their world.

“I’m just a big fan of boxing so I would love to see both those guys get in the ring together but just because it didn’t push through now doesn’t mean it won’t push through," an optimistic Roy said. “I still have high hopes that it will push through eventually."

“I love Manny Pacquiao," West All-Star starter Amare Stoudamire asserted. “He’s a great boxer. He was totally ready to fight Mayweather. I was waiting to see that fight but it didn’t happen."

When asked who would win the bout between Mayweather and Pacquiao, Stoudamire had one, clear choice. "Pacquiao".

source:gma.tv

Floyd Mayweather continues his 'Anti-Pacquiao' campaign

Floyd Mayweather is continuing his one man crusade against the drug problem in boxing one interview at a time, and predictably never misses an opportunity to bring Manny Pacquiao into the discussion.

Rather than concentrating on his upcoming fight against Shane Mosley, all Floyd seems to be doing lately is talking about Pacquio and how he backed out of the fight and wouldn't take what he called a '$20 million dollar drug test'.

Before Floyd makes anymore impassioned speeches about cleaning up boxing he should remember two things.

Firstly that Pacquiao has never tested positive for anything so continuously bringing him up and accusing him of backing out of the fight is rather moot.Secondly if anything Mayweather should be keeping quiet about drug use in the sport when he himself has been using a widely banned drug for most of his career.

Perhaps Mayweather thinks that by repeating the same answers over and over again to each interviewer he talks about, he can somehow turn public opinion in his favor. Clearly his baiting is having little effect on Pacquiao and his team, who appear to be making quick progress in preparing for Joshua Clottey.

Along with his recent comments about not caring about the fans and claiming that Manny needed him and not the other way around, Floyd just seems to be digging himself ever deeper into unpopularity. continue reading

Clottey’s training ‘frozen’

WHILE WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao prepares to celebrate a warm and cozy Valentine's Day with wife Jinkee, his opponent, Joshua “Grand Master” Clottey of Ghana has become a casualty of the blizzards and record snowfall hitting the US East Coast.

Clottey is based in New York which was smothered with 10 to 16 inches (25 to 40 centimeters) of snow a couple of days ago. This obviously will make the challenger stay indoors and unable to do roadwork. To add insult to injury, his trainer of choice, Godwin Dzainie Kotey has yet to be granted an American visa and still cannot join the former world champion in training.

Clottey has been living in the Bronx since 2003. In August 2008, Clottey beat Zab Judah by 9th round technical decision for the IBF welterweight title. He relinquished his IBF belt last year for the opportunity to fight Miguel Cotto where he suffered a split decision loss. Clottey does plan to move his training camp to Florida.

Meanwhile, seven time world champion Pacquiao, is currently on target with his training regimen under Freddie Roach and is so relaxed that he is scheduled to have a Valentine's show this weekend.

Promoters and organizers of the March 13 mega-fight in Dallas are worried that Clottey's predicament will lead to less interest and pay-per-view sales will drop as fans expect a one-sided bout in the Filipino's favor.

Sales of Pacquiao vs Clottey will be ranged against the PPV receipts of the Shane Mosley vs Floyd Mayweather fight. If Pacquiao wants to fight the winner, marketability and receipts will be used as a bargaining chip.

source:inquirer.net

Freddie Roach breaks down Manny Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey @ FightFan.com

Cole tapped to referee in Pacquiao-Clottey bout

Laurence Cole, who scored a knockdown in favor of Marco Antonio Barrera against Manny Pacquiao years back, has been tapped to referee the March 13 fight between Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey at the Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, ace boxing scribe Michael Marley reported Thursday.

A resident of Dallas, Cole is also the son of Texas boxing commission chief Dickie Cole and is regarded as one of boxing’s top arbiter, having officiated countless high-profile matches featuring Oscar De La Hoya, Erik Morales, and Edwin Valero.

But for Filipino fight fans, Cole is very unpopular, having ruled that Pacquiao was legitimately floored by Barrera when they fought at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, in November 2003.

Cole, who is in the insurance business, began his refereeing job in 1990.

The names of the three judges will also be announced soon.

The Pacquiao-Clottey fight will be for the World Boxing Organization welterweight crown. (Tempo Sports)

source:mb.com.ph