The three judges – Levi Martinez, Nelson Vazquez and Duane Ford – all scored in favor of the seven-time world division champion as Pacquiao successfully defended, for the first time, his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight strap that he won over Miguel Cotto. With the win, Pacquiao hikes his record to 51-3-2 while Clottey absorbs his 2nd straight loss for 35-4 overall. Pacquiao says Clottey’s very tough, very strong. “He took a lot of punches but he’s never been hurt,” he tells Mario Lopez.[via gmanews]

UNDERCARDS:
Humberto Soto def. David Diaz
Alfonso Gomez def. Jose Luis Castillo via stoppage after 5th round
John Duddy def. Michael Medina via Spilt Decision
Arthur Trevino draw Isaac Hidalgo
Rodrigo Garcia def. Calvin Pitts via 2nd round TKO
Robert Marroquin def. Samuel Sanchez via 2nd round KO
Salvador Sanchez def. Jaime Villa via 6th round KO
Eden Sonsona def. Mauricio Pastrana via 8th round TKO
Michael Farenas NC Joe Morales (accidental clash of heads)

The underdog Clottey weighed in at right weight at 147 lbs while Pacquiao weighed in at 145 lbs.

Pacquiao and Clottey fight on March 13.

Credits

Video by Truth Esguerra

Manny Pacquiao
Joshua Clottey
Michael Buffer
Freddie Roach
Buboy Fernandez
Vinny Scolpino
Jerry Jones
Bob Arum

That arena will be dark Saturday night, when it could have been the site of Pacquiao’s world welterweight title defense against Joshua Clottey.

In an interesting column Thursday by The Times’ Bill Dwyre, Arum addressed his anger at Mayweather promoter Golden Boy Promotions and at MGM/Mirage, which has staged several of Oscar De La Hoya’s bouts as a fighter and as a promoter, including the upcoming April 3 fight between Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. and the May 1 Mayweather-Shane Mosley bout.

In January, Arum said he extended MGM/Mirage the opportunity to host Pacquiao-Clottey, while Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones bid to do the same. During that period, Arum said he had a discouraging conversation with MGM/Mirage President Richard Sturm, while checking to see if Pacquiao could fight at the MGM Grand for a fourth consecutive time, after bouts against De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto.

“They said the date’s booked,” Arum said, referring to a prior request filed to the Nevada State Athletic Commission by Golden Boy Chief Executive Richard Schaefer to keep the March 13 date open for Jones-Hopkins first, then Mayweather-Pacquiao.

“Golden Boy had told me at the time that they planned to bring in Mayweather versus another opponent — [Paulie] Malignaggi at the time,” Sturm told The Times on Thursday. “It’s industry practice to honor whoever has the first hold on the date. Bob called me, I explained that situation, and the rest is history.”

When Mayweather ultimately opted to fight Mosley May 1 at MGM Grand, the March 13 request was dropped.

The MGM explanation, as Arum said he interpreted it, was that the company had more loyalty to Golden Boy fighters than Arum’s.

Last week, at a lunch with The Times, Arum said this: “We’ll never have Manny fight at MGM again. Manny brings in more business to Las Vegas than any other boxer, more than anyone since [Mike] Tyson. Manny’s a boon to the gaming tables. A casino guy once told me, ‘Manny’s Frank Sinatra times 20.’ So MGM just [hurt] themselves, and all the other casinos in Vegas.”

Sturm said he hopes that’s not true.

“We had no idea March 13 was going to open,” Sturm said. “Had I known, I’d be more than excited to have Manny come back here, and I’d love to have him back.”

Sturm said he plays no favorites among promoters.

“We don’t book promoters; we book fights,” he said. “Bob is entirely wrong to say there’s anything more to our relationship with Golden Boy than that.”

For now, however, Arum is talking of taking his business elsewhere.

After Dallas, Arum said he is going to stage light-middleweight world champion Yuri Foreman’s first title defense against ex-welterweight champ Miguel Cotto June 5 at the new Yankee Stadium, and he’s promising another Dallas show later this year, along with a spring 2011 event at the new Meadowlands in New Jersey.

On Thursday, Arum mildly softened his stance to say he’d “never say never” to another Pacquiao fight at the MGM Grand.

“But Pacquiao is disillusioned after the way they disrespected him,” Arum said.

Sturm said he’s willing to extend an olive branch.

“I wouldn’t have a problem picking up the phone and expressing my interest in having Manny back here soon,” Sturm said.

– Lance Pugmire | latimes.com



RP pool team head coach Boyet Asonto explained that as playing coach, Reyes will help in overseeing the Billiards and Snooker Council of the Philippines’ series of tryouts that will determine the members of the squad to the 16th edition of the Asiad.

Tryouts for the men’s 9-ball singles, 8-ball singles, carom cushion singles, and snooker singles, and the women’s 9-ball singles, 8-ball singles, snooker 6 red balls singles, and snooker 6 red balls team will be held as soon as the BSCP’s request for the reopening of the venue inside the Philippine Sports Medicine building is approved.

Reyes, though, has been seeded to the RP men’s English billiards squad, along with Rey Grandea.

“Meron nang sulat si Mr. Ilagan [BSCP president Bong Ilagan] kay chairman Angping [PSC chief Harry Angping] para magamit muli ang billiards center at pag na-aprubahan yun, pwede nang mag-conduct ng tryouts,” Asonto said during Friday’s SCOOP sa Kamayan session.

Reyes, for his part, stressed that no one will be seeded in the teams, both in the men’s and women’s sides, owing to the abundance of world-caliber players.

“Halos lahat naman ng mga players natin ngayon, magagaling na kaya in fairness sa kanila, kailangang mag-tryout. Pati nga ako magta-tryout sa ibang event maliban sa English billiards,” said the local pool legend who was guest at the forum along with national training pool members Iris Ranola and Mary Ann Basas.

A total of seven slots will be at stake in the men’s squad and six in the women’s side. [source: gmanews.tv]

Reyes said both the men’s and women’s teams are capable of bringing home gold medals, although he offered that competitions in the women’s side will be tougher than the men’s play because of the presence of equally-talented campaigners from Korea, China, Taipei and Japan, among others.

“Medyo mabigat ang laban ng mga babae natin, pero ang mga lalake, mas madali kasi Taipei lang ang dapat bantayan,” Reyes, who will be flying to Japan next week for a three-week playing and teaching stints, assessed.

Boxing, according to Clottey, is nothing but business.

“I’ll make sure that if I throw a few [punches] it’s going to connect. And I’m going to cause damage. I believe in that,” Clottey told reporters who gathered around him shortly after Wednesday’s final press conference for his 12-round fight with Pacquiao at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

“If he’s going to throw a thousand punches, then I’ll block a thousand punches. And that will get him thinking I’m not going to back down. I’m not going to go backward. I’m going to stay there. I’ll make him fight. I want him to fight for the first time.”

Without being indifferent to Pacquiao’s vaunted power, Clottey said he can’t wait to finally come face-to-face with the Filipino superstar for him to personally test once and for all if there is any truth to the Pacman’s legendary speed and strength.

“I want to see if I’m gonna feel Manny Pacquiao’s punches. Call me crazy, but I just want to see that,” said the challenger from Ghana, who holds a two inch advantage in height (5-foot-8) and one-and-a-half inch in reach (68) over the seven-time world champion.

As usual, Pacquiao, wearing a black-red jacket with matching fedora hat, was gracious to his Ghanaian opponent, whom he referred to as a “very nice person” in a manner opposite to his menacing personality inside the ring.

Possibly 1,500 fans waited a few hours to be allowed into a roped off area with numerous security guards to view the seven – time world champion and pound for pound No. 1 fighter in the world from The Philippines work up a sweat.

The emotion wasn’t waisted as the champ played to the adoring crowd throughout his workout as he genuinely appreciated its support.

Pacquiao Security Chief Rob Peters was very pleased to see the big crowd as a continuation of the support Pacquiao gets at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, CA.

“I called up to Manny’s room and told him the crowd was big and boisterous, but he was still amazed as he entered the ballroom today and he was pleased with the crowd at the airport last night,” said Peters.

After stretching in the ring Pacquiao, 50-3 (38 KO’s), amazed the crowd with his awesome hand speed and technique while shadow boxing in the ring.

Later Pacquiao did mitt work per the instructions of his long-time trainer Freddie Roach and wowed the captivated audience with sizzling, precision – combinations of punches into Roach’s gloves.

DALLAS, TEXAS, March 10, 2010 – Surrounded by the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, seven-time world champion and “Fighter of the Decade” Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao (L) and challenger Joshua Clottey (R) pose during the final press conference Wednesday for their upcoming World Welterweight championship on Saturday, March 13, at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on HBO Pay-Per-View..

Video: Manny Pacquiao attends the press conference for his bout at the Cowboy Stadium in Dallas TX.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS, March 10, 2010 – Seven-time world champion and “Fighter of the Decade” Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao (L) speaks during the final press conference Wednesday for his upcoming World Welterweight championship against challenger Joshua Clottey (R) on Saturday, March 13, at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on HBO Pay-Per-View

Video: Manny and Freddie answer questions from the media. Questions ranging from retirement, to fight in Cowboy Stadium, to Joshua Clottey, to whom they would like to fight next.

Arnel Pineda, the Filipino front man of popular American rock band “Journey,” will sing the Philippine national anthem in Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao’s much-awaited fight with Ghanaian Joshua “The Grand Master” Clottey on March 13 (March 14 in Manila) at the Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas.

In an exclusive interview with abs-cbnNEWS.com, Pineda confirmed that he was invited by Pacquiao to sing “Lupang Hinirang” in his upcoming fight.

“Pupunta ako sa Dallas to sing sa laban ni Manny [Pacquiao].This Thursday [ang alis ko]. (I am going to Dallas this Thursday to sing in Pacquiao’s fight.),” Pineda said.

“I’m really happy kasi matutuloy na. Nahihiya na ako kay Manny kasi pangatlong invitation na ito sa akin. Baka kasi isipin ay iniisnab ko. So finally, matutuloy na. (This is my third invitation from Manny who might think I’m snubbing him. I’m happy this is finally pushing through), ” he said.

The crooner said he was not able to sing in Pacquiao’s previous fights because of his hectic schedule as Journey’s vocalist.

Pineda, who was introduced over the phone to Pacquiao by common friends, was also present during the boxer’s birthday party in General Santos last December.

Pineda is currently part of ABS-CBN’s weekly variety show “ASAP XV.”

Aside from singing in the Pacquiao-Clottey bout, Pineda is also set to fly back to US this coming April to record the latest album of Journey.