BOB ARUM: Manny Pacquiao is having a great training camp, as Freddie will tell you. There is excitement is Dallas. We have less than 8,000 tickets to go and I am fully confident we will have a sellout for the fight. It is very exciting for us and it should be a great, great show.
FREDDIE ROACH: Manny Pacquiao is in great shape. We boxed 11 rounds yesterday with four different sparring partners. He is looking really good and he’s got the game plan in place. We were so sharp yesterday I almost wanted to give him a day off but Manny won’t take a day off.
We’ll spar 12 rounds on Saturday. That will be our peak day and we will taper off from there and we are heading to Dallas after training on Monday the 8th.
Manny is getting better all the time and he still wants to improve. We are getting better at making the moves. We have watched a lot of tape on Clottey. We know his characteristics, we know his mistakes and we know his habits. I do feel that the way Manny Pacquiao is training for this fight, the game plan and how to beat Clottey is in place. I know Clottey is a big strong guy and a great fighter and we respect him and he’s a real tough guy but with many Pacquiao I feel that he’s going to overwhelm him with his speed and his combinations and I do believe he will be the first person to stop him before the 12th round.
MANNY PACQUIAO: I am good; I’m just finishing jogging and sit-ups. Training camp is good and yesterday we sparred 11 rounds then I hit the bag a couple of rounds. Everything is great. I know Clottey is taller and bigger than me. I know I can’t underestimate him because his is a former world champion also.
Fallout from Mayweather negotiations – anger?
FREDDIE ROACH: We are not happy with his [Floyd Mayweather Jr.] remarks. Manny wants to fight him in the future because of the remarks he made. 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 many do that before. He was trying to ruin our reputation with those allegations but we do want to fight him and we do want to knock him out.
BOB ARUM: We will knock him out in court also. That lawsuit continues on and justice will prevail.
What would you like to do better in this fight than the last?
FREDDIE ROACH: Don’t want to be on the ropes as much as we were in the Cotto fight. Clottey is very effective on the ropes and will throw uppercuts from that position. We are working on not being there when he is trying to counter-punch. Clottey likes to lay on the ropes and counter when we are finished a combination, but we’re not going to be there – he’s not going to find us.
How much has Freddie Roach meant to your success and improvement?
MANNY PACQUIAO: Freddie Roach is very important to me in how he started with me when I began in the States. I think because our chemistry and we are very coordinated during our training. Freddie Roach is a very good trainer.
What has Bob Arum meant to your career?
MANNY PACQUIAO: Bob has helped me a lot especially promoting the last four or five fights. Because of him my career has been very good. He helped me a lot and has been very important. Bob officially negotiates my fights and chooses opponents and finds good opponents. I trust him and he’s a fine promoter.
FREDDIE ROACH: Bob has a lot of history and has a lot experience of course. He knows how to make a fight. He knows how to build a fight up. He knows how to do his job and he has a great staff. He has great matchmakers that will put the right styles together. That’s why this fight is going to be so great and compelling because of the styles. This is going to be a fight of the year type fight for sure.
Would you consider him the greatest promoter in the history of boxing?
FREDDIE ROACH: Yes I would. His longevity of course from Ali to Manny Pacquiao and all those champions in between…the Hagler’s… and he is still going strong. He has surrounded himself with good young helpers.
Why would you not take the opportunity to clear your name and fight?
MANNY PACQUIAO: I don’t want to talk about or think about blood testing. I want to focus on the Clottey fight. I did take a blood test when I fought Erik Morales. I didn’t think I would fight Mayweather because people know Mayweather was not ready to fight me.
BOB ARUM: It causes chaos and it is wrong for one fighter to try to impose rules and regulations on the sport on another fighter. It is as silly as Alex Rodriguez striking out 4 times but a Red Sox pitcher saying I’m not going to face him again unless he takes a blood test. We cannot have that. We have commissions to do that. You make a request and if the commission feels that there is some validity the commission will then order whatever tests and the fighter, in order to fight in that state has to follow what the commission dictates. It’s not for a fighter to do this. In other words, two fighters can agree to fight without gloves or with 6-ounce gloves, but the commission would not allow it because it goes against the rules of the commission. This fight with Mayweather was supposed to be in Nevada and what he should have done is to go to the Nevada commission and requested it. But not to try to bully a fighter that comes from a different country into undergoing tests. Why? Because Mayweather said so? Because he was jealous of the man’s accomplishments? That is preposterous.
MANNY PACQUIAO: It has never been in boxing before that a fighter changed the rules. It is the fighter’s job to fight in the ring and is the promoter’s job and the commission’s job to make the rules for the fight.
BOB ARUM: The Nevada commission has in place, random testing and urinalysis, and they did it while the fighters were negotiating. No one is arguing against random testing. No one is arguing about urinalysis because it is not invasive. That’s already in place. The question is about blood testing and it’s not for you or me or anybody else to decide how important it is other than the applicable state where the fight is being held. Do I feel that random testing is valid? Yes, of course. Nevada has random urinalysis.
Are you surprised there has been no mention of drug testing between Mayweather and Mosley?
BOB ARUM: You don’t have to be geniuses to know what they were trying to do. They were trying to get into his {Pacquiao’s] head. Get him completely discombobulated so he would be easy pickings for Mayweather and if they couldn’t and he said no because of the bullying, Mayweather would get his wish and not have to fight Manny. Mayweather against Manny is a no-contest. Manny would wipe the ring with Floyd Mayweather.
Manny, are you expecting support of the Latinos in Dallas?
MANNY PACQUIAO: I am expecting a lot of Mexican fans to be at the fight.
Has it been difficult to create a buzz around this fight to the general public?
BOB ARUM: To be frank, we had to overcome disappointment. People were looking forward to a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight. That is clear. Manny has a huge fan base. He has crossed over. Our job is to present Joshua Clottey as he is. A bigger guy. A stronger guy. A guy who has never been off his feet. A real test for Manny Pacquiao. That is what will sell this fight. You can’t say there are two household names fighting on March 13th, Clottey is a well-respected welterweight. He lost a very close decision to Miguel Cotto in his last fight. He won the title by stopping Zab Judah. He is a formidable opponent but I think that the public gets it. The pay-per-view at $49.95 is going to do extremely well and we are very pleased with the ticket sales at Cowboys Stadium.
Would you agree that Manny has become a cross-over star?
BOB ARUM: 100% correct. That was our goal when we started with Manny was to break him out from the Filipino base that he had. We were able to pick up millions of Hispanic fans and we have broken him in to the general conscience of the people around the world. He is truly a crossover star. How many fighters of our time go on Jimmy Kimmel Live and go on Good Morning America and have a big article coming out in Time magazine? I think that is saying something.
What do you know of Leonard De Jesus?
FREDDIE ROACH: Lenny DeJesus used to work as a cut man for Manny Pacquiao. He knows us pretty well but we have changed a lot since then. He thinks he’s going to face the old Manny Pacquiao but that’s not going to be the case. I respect him and he’s a good boxing guy. Am I a better trainer? I don’t know but I have the better fighter. We have the perfect game plan and I don’t care who trains Joshua Clottey for this fight, he can’t beat us.
He is what he is. Let’s face it. He fights the same way in every tape I watch. Whether he fights southpaws or right-handers, he is predictable. He’s good at what he does but he does the same thing over and over again and he is very predictable. He’s going to try to change for this fight but once he gets in he will revert back to it. We are 100% ready for his style. His 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 fight will not go 12 rounds.
What is the last fight of this magnitude [Pacquiao-Mayweather] that didn’t come off?
BOB ARUM: I remember Bowe and Lewis not coming off when everyone thought it was going to come off. Tyson and Foreman was being negotiated and that never came. Tyson and Holyfield didn’t come off until a number of years later. These things happen but it doesn’t happen all that often. No fighter on my watch is going to get bullied by another fighter. That other fighter, Mayweather, was totally out of line in making the demands he was making to the fighter. Any of those demands should have been directed to the Nevada Athletic Commission. You cannot have independent agencies taking all kinds of testing. It creates chaos. If the Nevada commission has testing, you have to subject yourself to the test. You can’t have baseball players calling out other baseball players to take tests.
Do you think the Mayweather fight will eventually get made?
BOB ARUM: Only if the Mayweather side agrees, they can have any testing they want, but those issues have to be brought before the commission where the fight is taking place. No fighter is going to be able to dictate anything like that to a fighter of mine without going to the commission and petitioning them to adopt those rules.
Manny, do you believe Mayweather does not want to fight you?
MANNY PACQUIAO: What I believe is Floyd Mayweather is not ready at this time to fight with me. That’s why he makes the reasons to cancel the fight. I feel bad and disappointment because he is accusing me of using drugs or whatever and trying to ruin my name in boxing. People know I have been successful through God and hard work.
Maybe he is afraid of me or maybe is not ready for this fight. I am disappointed at what he is accusing me of. I really feel bad but I have no anger toward him. This is boxing. That’s his style. We cannot change that because we are different.
What about your election?
MANNY PACQUIAO: In the election I am leading and the start of campaigning is March 26 so it will not be until after my fight. After the fight I will go back to the Philippines and start campaigning. It is going to be busy. I want to pass some bills that will be good for the livelihood of the people there and education for the children.
What do you mean by Mayweather’s style?
MANNY PACQUIAO: Some fighters like me we can be the greatest fighters without fast words and trash talk. His style is talking a lot of trash and it is not a good example for everybody.
If your career ends without fighting Mayweather, will you be disappointed?
MANNY PACQUIAO: I don’t really need Floyd Mayweather because what I have achieved in boxing is good enough for me and people know that by comparing my achievements in boxing to his achievements.
Will you take full advantage of the weight limit?
FREDDIE ROACH: He [Pacquiao] will weigh in at 147 and he will go into the ring at 149, 150 max. I am not worried about his size. Size doesn’t win fights, skill does and it won’t be a problem.
I have read reports this could be your last fight?
MANNY PACQUIAO: This is my last fight before the election. I am not saying I’m going to retire. It is hard to say right now when I’m going to retire but this is my last fight before the election and I’m very excited about it.
BOB ARUM: As far as I am concerned, he is the best fighter I have ever seen some people may or may not agree. If he decides to retire after the Clottey fight and I would hope that he wins the election and I would give him a big party to commemorate his career in the US. If he continues to fight and then retires later I would still give him a big party. To me he is the best fighter I have ever seen. You have to understand, I’m an old guy but I’ve never seen Marciano or Robinson fight in person and I can’t tell very much from watching the film. But that includes fighter like Sugar Ray Leonard and Muhammad Ali, Marvin Hagler.
Is there a status report on the lawsuit?
BOB ARUM: That lawsuit will establish beyond any doubt that these innuendos and assertions made by that whole group of defendants, Mayweather, Shaefer, De La Hoya, the other two Mayweather’s, have absolutely no basis in fact and are pulled out of thin air and are really fueled only by jealousy. It is absolutely outrageous what these people have said. That will be affirmed in the court of law. They have not answered the complaint. They have to answer he complaint by the end of March.
Can you tell us why you would retire after fighting Clottey?
MANNY PACQUIAO: I am not saying retire. It is hard to say right now when I would retire. I am still fighting and we’ll see.
BOB ARUM: He is not saying he would retire after the Clottey fight, quite the contrary. Obviously one of these days he is going to retire. After the election he may retire or he may fight. He is leaving the options open.
Do you think Manny is the best?
FREDDIE ROACH: I do think Manny is the best fighter I have ever trained because from where we started to where we are now he is the most improved. His discipline and dedication is unbelievable.
How is your health?
FREDDIE ROACH: I just went to the Cleveland Clinic and I got a full check-up. The guy told me I am the healthiest Parkinson’s patient he has ever seen. I am on the right medications. I am on mild medications because of my strength from fighting and he said don’t worry; I am going to live a long time. So I’m going to be around for a while.
BOB ARUM: On Friday we are celebrating Freddie’s 50th birthday.
FREDDIE ROACH: Thanks for reminding me Bob.
Would you be content if Manny never fought Floyd?
BOB ARUM: I would absolutely be content.
FREDDIE ROACH: I would like to shut him up of course. Obviously he is just going to have to go by the rules. It is like saying we want to fight five-minute rounds. Commissions do that, not fighters. If you let him have his way it’s like giving away the first two rounds – it’s crazy. I do want Manny to fight him and I know Manny would knock him out and then the whole world will be happy.
MANNY PACQUIAO: Yes, I’m OK. I don’t need to fight him.
What type of boxer can beat you?
MANNY PACQUIAO: When I get old.
What about the young fighters in the world today?
MANNY PACQUIAO: I always watch them and I like to see them train and give them advice. Those young fighters in Puerto Rico are good fighters.
How do you feel about Miguel Cotto?
BOB ARUM: I think Miguel has had a great career and he’s a fighter that has never been afraid to get in the ring with anyone. He gave Manny Pacquiao, the greatest fighter of our era and in my opinion the greatest fighter I have ever seen, he gave him hell for the first six rounds. He fought his heart out. He’s a wonderful fighter. In June he will fight for another world title against Yuri Foreman in New York. He’s had a great career and he’s been a big star. More importantly, he has matured as a person. He is a great person right now. He has a lot of businesses. I am very proud of Miguel.
Is there anything that Clottey brings to the table you are anxious about?
FREDDIE ROACH: He is a very strong guy and he’s a strong puncher. His best punch is the uppercut but we will not fall into that pocket too often to let him use that shot. I do have a lot of confidence in my fighter and the reason why is the way he has been sparring. We have big strong guys that fight a lot like Clottey. Manny has been handling them with ease in sparring. We had our best day of sparring yesterday – 11 great rounds and Manny pitched a shutout. We use four sparring partners yesterday and Manny is on top of his game and he’s got the game plan down and he’s very sharp right now. I’m happy where he’s at. I think we will overwhelm him and the fight will end before 12.
BOB ARUM: March 13 is unique. People all over the world and on pay-per-view in the United States will have the opportunity to see the best fighter of our era fight a top welterweight bigger and stronger and I am looking forward to Manny Pacquiao’s performance because every single one of these performances will become part of history and we’ll see you in Dallas.
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Promoted by Top Rank, in association with the Dallas Cowboys, Tecate and MP Promotions, THE EVENT: PACQUIAO vs. CLOTTEY will take place Saturday, March 13, in Cowboys Stadium, where over 30,000 tickets have already been sold. The $1.2 billion stadium is the largest, most technologically advanced entertainment venue in the world. Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs), boxing’s only seven-division world champion, of General Santos City, Philippines, will be defending the World Boxing Organization welterweight title against Clottey (35-3, 21 KOs), of Accra, Ghana. THE EVENT will be produced and distributed Live on HBO Pay-Per-View®, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
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HBO Sports® will present “Road to Dallas: Pacquiao vs. Clottey,” a thirty-minute special analyzing the upcoming welterweight title showdown that will mark the first-ever pro boxing event at the landmark $1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Tex. The special will premiere on HBO This Saturday! March 6 at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT immediately following the live presentation of HBO Boxing After Dark®.