Sunday 14 March 2010

Pacquiao wants a knockout in Clottey title defense -- CNN

CNN.com

(CNN) -- Manny Pacquiao weighed in two pounds lighter than challenger Joshua Clottey then sent a message to his adoring fans that he would be targeting a quick knockout in their WBO welterweight title fight in Dallas.

The 'Pacman' has won 11 straight bouts since losing to Erik Morales in March 2005 and is an odds-on favorite to dispatch Ghana's Clottey when the action gets underway at 04.15 GMT on Sunday morning.

"I am not going to promise you a knockout, but I will do my best," Pacquiao told the crowd who had gathered to watch the weigh-in Friday night in the Cowboys Stadium.

"We have a strategy that we created in our training so people are going to be surprised."

Pacquiao tipped the scales at 145 pounds, while Clottey, who has three losses on his record, weighed in at 147 pounds.

Clottey is clearly the bigger man and will have an even bigger weight advantage over the Filipino boxer by the time they enter the ring.

Pacquiao, who began his career as a 112 pound flyweight, has won world titles at six different weights and boasts a 50-3-2 record with 28 knockouts.

He has flourished under trainer Freddie Roach and rated by many the best pound for pound fighter in the world.

The fight has attracted worldwide attention, particularly back in the Philippines where Pacquiao is a national hero.

Pacquiao was originally slated to be taking on American Floyd Mayweather Jr, in what was billed as the richest fight in boxing history, but a row over dope testing led to negotiations be called off.

The Clottey fight was arranged in its place, but many expect Pacquiao to take on the unbeaten Mayweather later in the year.

The undercard in Texas also features David Diaz taking on Humberto Soto for the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight title.

Source: edition.cnn.com

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