By BARRY HORN, The Dallas Morning News
ARLINGTON – Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey was a lousy fight gift wrapped in magnificent packaging.
First the lousy: That's what happens when one boxer, Pacquiao, comes to fight and the other, Clottey, shows up to cash a paycheck while extending a career-long streak of never being knocked down or out. Sparring sessions often provide more drama.
Now the magnificent: Cowboys Stadium proved it can host a major fight with the same panache it has international soccer, NFL games and the NBA all-star game.
That the crowd of 50,994 gathered for a prize fight and had to settle for a booby prize and did not boo Clottey's plodding posing in round after round is a tribute to the stadium's wonderment. Once again, the giant video board was mesmerizing and the presentation around the ring was electric. It was a spectacle. Still, Cowboys cheerleaders singing the national anthem should not show better moves in the ring than one of the featured fighters.
The three ringside judges weren't fooled by the glitzy spectacle. Two generously scored one of the 12 rounds for Clottey, while the third didn't give him a round, scoring Saturday night's WBO welterweight title bout a shutout for Pacquiao.
"Joshua had the power to knock him out, but was reluctant to punch," said Clottey's trainer, Lenny DeJesus. "We clearly got beat. I don't think we won a round."
Still, promoter Bob Arum was all smiles as he toured ringside after the fight. He had no problem with Clottey's performance, which could earn him $2.5 million for perhaps his last major fight.
"There was no way Clottey was going to beat this guy, even if he took off his gloves and fought him bare-fisted," said Arum, who never shared that opinion before the fight.
Keep in mind that Clottey, a native of Ghana whose record dropped to 35-4, was the bigger, stronger fighter. But he never tried to drop the hammer against Pacquiao, a buzz saw who was too quick and too smart. Pacquiao, son of the Philippines, is considered the best boxer in the world. He will earn somewhere between $17 million and $20 million for pounding Clottey en route to improving his record to 51-3-2.
"Manny fought a good fight," his trainer, Freddie Roach, said. "He pitched a shutout against a middleweight. But that middleweight should've used his [expletive] power."
Not surprisingly, Arum had more praise for Cowboys Stadium than the fight.
"I would consider this the primary location in boxing," he cooed. "We will be able to come back here again and again for more fights."
Pacquiao against undefeated Floyd Mayweather is boxing's next mega-fight. But first Mayweather has a May 1 date with Shane Mosley. Should Mosley defeat Mayweather, he would make a fitting opponent for Pacquiao.
If Jerry Jones could land Pacquiao against one of those fighters, it could be a first for Cowboys Stadium: A real fight.
Judges' cards
Judge Result
D. Ford Pacquiao, 120-108
L. Martinez Pacquiao, 119-109
N. Vasquez Pacquiao, 119-109
SATURDAY'S RESULTS
WBO welterweight title:Manny Pacquiao, 145, Philippines, outpointed Joshua Clottey, 147, Ghana, 12
WBC lightweight title:Humberto Soto, 134, Mexico, outpointed David Diaz, 134, Chicago, 12
Roberto Marroquin, 122, Dallas, knocked out Samuel Sanchez, Dallas, 2
Eden Sonsona, 119, Philippines, knocked out Maurcio Pastrana, 119, Colombia, 8
Joe Morales, 126, San Antonio, no decision with Michael Farenas, 127, Philippines, 2
Salvador Sanchez, 125, Mexico, stopped Jaime Villa, 127, Midland, 6
Rodrigo Garcia, 149, Santa Ana, Calif., stopped Calvin Pitts, 149, Grand Prairie, 2
Isaac Hidalgo, Tucson, Ariz., majority draw with Arturo Trevino, Fort Worth, 4
Alfonso Gomez, 145, Mexico, stopped Jose Luis Castillo, 144, Mexicali, Calif., 6
Punch stats
Pacquiao Category Clottey
1,231 Punches thrown 399
246 Connected 108
20% Percent 27%
549 Jabs thrown 162
14 Connected 26
3% Percent 16%
682 Power thrown 237
232 Connected 82
34% Percent 35%
Source: Compubox
bhorn@dallasnews.com
Source: dallasnews.com
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