ARLINGTON, TEXAS. (March 15, 2010) – Fighter of the Decade, seven-division world champion, three-time Fighter of the Year, boxing’s No. 1 pound for pound fighter and No. 1 box office attraction, the best fighter of his era…call him what you want, but one thing is certain, the sport of boxing crosses over all borders when its only bonafide superhero fights, and his name is spelled:
M-A-N-N-Y P-A-C-Q-U-I-A-O !
Joshua Clottey (35-4, 21 KOs) from Accra, Ghana, the former IBF welterweight champion, current No. 1 welterweight contender and Pacquiao’s mandatory challenger, learned that firsthand Saturday night, enduring an assault of 1,231 punches thrown by the defending WBO welterweight champion while only being able to counter with 399 of his own. Pacquiao literally outgunned his bigger opponent by a blistering 3 to 1 ratio, averaging over 100 punches per round in front of 50,994 fans, the largest U.S. crowd to see a fight in 17 years. His unanimous decision victory over Clottey extended Pacquiao’s five-year winning streak to 12 bouts, including knockout victories Oscar De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton and David Diaz, the last three for world titles, each in a different weight division. Is it any wonder that Pacquiao has become the face of boxing as well as his native Philippines?
“Nothing personal, just doing my job”, said the modest Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs), from Kiamba, in the Sarangani Province of the Philippines, immediately after the fight. “I thank Jerry Jones for giving me the opportunity to headline the first boxing event in Cowboys Stadium. He was a magnificent host and the people of Arlington, Dallas and Ft. Worth, Texas were wonderful. I will never forget my time there and I hope they do me the honor of inviting me back.
“But now it is time for a more serious fight for me and that is my campaign for congress. The people of my province are among the poorest. They have been underserved for too long. I want to give a voice to those too weak to speak. They deserve better schools and a higher standard of living. I know how my people have suffered because I have too. That is how I grew up and because I am one of the fortunate ones to have escaped poverty I am compelled to be a public servant for them. If my being in public office can attract new businesses to relocate to my province and to shine a light on the neglect my people have endured, I am only too happy to serve.
“One of the biggest advantages I have is that every fight is an opportunity to give honor to the Philippines. The Filipino people don’t just give me their support, they also give me their strength, their pride and their love. Running for congress is a way for me to repay them.”
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It’s a special edition of WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® when HBO Sports presents MANNY PACQUIAO VS. JOSHUA CLOTTEY, the exclusive replay of their welterweight title showdown, THIS SATURDAY! MARCH 20. The replay will begin at 11 p.m. ET /PT on HBO.
The HBO Sports team, which was ringside for the live event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, will call the action. The replay will be available in HDTV.
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with the Tecate and MP Promotions, THE EVENT: PACQUIAO vs. CLOTTEY took place at Jerry Jones’ Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The $1.2 billion stadium is the largest, most technologically advanced entertainment venue in the world. It was produced and distributed Live on HBO Pay-Per-View®.