Boxing
Pacquiao-Clottey: The Event Looms
By Francis Walker, BASN Staff Reporter
Mar 9, 2010

NEW YORK (BASN) -- The battle between WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey is fast approaching and it promises to be an event to remember.  

“Pacquiao vs. Clottey: The Event” will be televised on HBO Pay-Per-View from the newly constructed Cowboy Stadium in Dallas, TX. The suggested retail is $49.99. More than 40,000 tickets have been sold for “The Event” and are still available at www.ticketmaster.com .  

Pacquiao is the real deal. He is the driving force behind “The Event.” Pacquiao fights as if he’s a Marvel Comic action hero. His southpaw style creates fits for his opponents and he moves while throwing punches with punishing conviction.  

It will be curious to see if Pacquiao can build off his previous performance -- an 11th round TKO of Miguel Cotto -- in November. Is Pacquiao, who looked phenomenal in breaking Cotto down with one-punch power and vicious combination punching, still getting better?  

Pacquiao looked like a machine in previous bouts against Ricky Hatton (KO 2) and Oscar De La Hoya (TKO 8). No wonder why Floyd Mayweather has asked “Team Pac-Man” for three random drug examinations while negotiating for a fight. Even Mayweather can’t believe what Pacquiao has done in recent years and the way he has accomplished so much.   

Credit to Clottey, a former IBF welterweight champion for stepping up to the plate for what should be the biggest fight of his career. Bigger than winning the vacant strap from Zab Judah two years ago.

Bigger than having gone the distance with both Cotto and Antonio Margarito, this fight represents Clottey’s chance to put his name as one of the best fighters of his generation by besting Pacquiao – the best of all men outside Floyd Mayweather.  

Clottey will be the biggest man that Pacquiao has ever fought inside of a professional boxing arena. Clottey, at 5-foot-7, has a well sculptured physique and is very muscular. When he drops down to 147 and replenishes his body, Clottey usually shoots up to 170 because his muscular tone retains water.  

“Everything is great,” Pacquiao said. “I know Clottey is taller and bigger than me. I know I can't underestimate him because his is a former world champion also.” 

Pacquiao is the overwhelming favorite to pull but the big question is whether the Pac-Man, as extraordinary as he has been, can stop Clottey inside the distance?  

Pacquiao’s longtime trainer Freddie Roach believes yes.  

“Pacquiao I feel that he's going to overwhelm him with his speed and his combinations,” Roach has stated publically. “I do believe he will be the first person to stop him before the 12th round.” 

No U.S. TV for Wladimir Klitschko-Eddie Chambers  

The significance of watching a World Heavyweight Championship fight has been reduced to a cyber webcast.  

IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko’s bout on Saturday, in front of more than 50,000 ESPIRIT Arena, in Dusseldorf, Germany, will not be seen on U.S. television.  

Instead, Klitschko, making the eighth defense of his title IBF belt and appearing in his 17th career world heavyweight title fight, will be fighting “Fast’ Eddie Chambers, another American heavyweight title contender on a webcast for $14.99 at www.klitschko.com .   

HBO, the U.S. network giant that has developed a strong relationship with Wladimir and his older brother, current WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko, believes that it’s very difficult to appeal to the U.S. fan base when they’ve fought so frequently while beating up America’s best, but little known heavyweight competitors.  

HBO also feels that the Klitschko’s don’t have the outgoing personality that could capture the interest of American fight fans that are eager to have an American heavyweight champion.  

Andre Berto’s Fighting For Haiti 

WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto will be fighting for Haiti when he defends his 147-pound title against Carlos Quintana on Saturday, April 10, at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, FL. The bout will be broadcast live on HBO’s World Championship Boxing. Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.com .  

Berto was originally scheduled to meet WBA champion Sugar Shane Mosley in a highly anticipated unification bout on January 30, but a terrible earthquake hit Haiti. Berto, born in Florida to Haitian immigrants, represented Haiti in the 2004 Olympics.

Berto quickly pulled out of the Mosley fight to be with his family.  

However, Berto is back and he is ready to represent Haiti in a manner that’s much larger than an Olympic ceremony. He returns to the ring this spring with hopes of giving back to Haiti.  

Berto isn’t fighting Mosley, but rather a former world titlist in Quintana who pulled off a major upset when he outpointed Paul Williams to claim the WBO welterweight title in February 2008. Coincidentally, Berto stopped Michael Trabant on the undercard, as both fights were aired on HBO’s Boxing After Dark.  

While Berto moved on to eventually win the WBC welterweight championship four months later by knocking out Michael Rodriguez (TKO 7), Quintana would lose his in an immediate rematch to Williams June 2008, via first-round knockout.  

A Berto win will mark his fourth successful defense of the WBC 147-pound title.  

Guillermo Rigondeaux on Berto, Haiti show 

Two-time Olympic gold medal winner and undefeated prospect Guillermo Rigondeaux will appear on the Berto vs. Quintana “Fighting for Haiti” show. Rigondeaux will be fighting 71-fight veteran Giovanni Andrade.  

“I am pleased to showcase Cuban amateur legend Guillermo Rigondeaux on another DBE card,” said Lou DiBella, president of DiBella Entertainment. “The large Cuban-American population will get the opportunity to see one of the greatest products of Cuban amateur boxing.

Guillermo showed his concern for the people by donating the purse of his last televised fight to Haitian relief. It’s appropriate that he be given the opportunity to display his talents as a part of this great event.”

Rigondeaux, in last fight, donated his entire purse to the Haitian relief effort. Rigondeaux knocked out Adolfo Landeros in the first round. 

Devon Alexander: Boxing’s next superstar?

Devon Alexander is making the most of his opportunities. Not did the young 23 year-old capture the WBC junior welterweight championship from Junior Witter in style, but he also unified the title by becoming the first fighter to knockout IBF 140-pound champion Juan Urango.

Alexander unified the WBC/IBF junior welterweight championships by knocking out Urango in round eight at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT last Saturday. Alexander’s speed and movement proved too much for a very strong and hard-punching Urango.

Urango has gone the distance with the best – Andre Berto and Ricky Hatton. Urango was also coming off a career-best: a knockout of Randall Bailey. For Alexander to stop Urango on HBO was HUGE.