Joshua Clottey Set to Train for Manny Pacquiao -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

Former IBF world welterweight (147 pounds) champion, Joshua Clottey, should arrive in New York on Friday and then "head down to Florida on Monday or Tuesday," to begin training for his March 13 challenge for the WBO belt owned by seven-division titlist, Manny Pacquiao, his manager, Vinny Scolpino, told FanHouse on Tuesday.

The 32-year-old Clottey (35-3, 20 knockouts) will meet the southpaw, Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs), of the
Philippines, at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas. The fighters' Top Rank Promotions' CEO, Bob Arum, said ticket sales are soaring for the first-ever boxing match at the $1.2 billion domed venue.

"Everything is good. Joshua is in the gym, training, and so he is with his trainer training in the gym. And everything is good for him to come back up Friday, and then we head down to Florida on Monday or Tuesday," Scolpino said of Clottey, a Bronx resident who is a native of Accra, Ghana.

"We'll be staying in Hollywood, Florida, and he'll be training at the Carter Park Contender Boxing Gym, in Fort Lauderdale," said Scolpino. "Today, he's training in Ghana, right around Accra. He just got there about a couple of days ago, and he's been in training every day."
Clottey recently returned to Ghana in order to help resolve United States visas for his new trainer, Godwin Nii Dzanie Kotey, who will be in Clottey's corner for the first time.

The trainer's visas had expired in November -- this after Kwame Asante had been in Clottey's corner for June's, 12-round split-decision loss to then-WBO king, Miguel Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs), whom the 31-year-old Pacquiao dethroned by 12th-round knockout in November.

Scolpino said that the visa situation has been been taken care of. Kotey is a replacement for longtime trainer Asante.

Kotey has been "working with Joshua already for about five months," said Scolpino.

"It [replacing Asante] was Joshua's decision, and everything is good there," said Scolpino. "We should have everything on track, like I said, Monday or Tuesday, to go to Florida."

Clottey was actually the third choice for Pacquiao, who was initially supposed to face Floyd Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas before the fighters' negotiations came apart over a drug-testing impasse.

Before settling on the muscular, 5-foot-9, Clottey, Pacquiao also had considered as opponents, WBA and WBO lightweight (135 pounds) titlist Juan Manuel Marquez (50-5-1, 37 KOs); New York's junior welterweight (140 pounds) star, Paulie Malignaggi (27-3, five KOs); WBA junior middleweight king Yuri Foreman (28-0, eight KOs) of New York; and, even WBC super featherweight (130 pounds) champ, Humberto Soto (50-7-2, 32 KOs) -- the latter of whom knocked out Pacquiao's brother, Bobby, in the seventh round in June of 2007.

By settling on the man nicknamed, "The Grand Master," Pacquiao has afforded Clottey not only the biggest opportunity of his career, but also a purse that will surpass $1 million for the first time in his career.

In addition, unlike Cotto, who was contracted to face Pacquiao at a catchweight of 145 pounds, Clottey is encouraged by the fact that he is being allowed to face Pacquiao at the 147-pound welterweight limit.

Clottey has fought at more than 147 pounds 11 times during his career, including twice at 154. By fight time, against Pacquiao, Clottey could be a fully-hydrated and well-fed 160 pounds or more.

"That's going to help me a lot, because I don't think I could have done it at 145 pounds. Pacquiao's being very nice, because he's the man now," Clottey told FanHouse during an interview on Jan. 13. Pacquiao is 11-0 with eight knockouts since losing by unanimous decision to Erik Morales in March 2005 at 130 pounds.

"That's going to make me the bigger guy in the ring," said Clottey. "So, with him choosing me to fight me at 147, I respect him for that."

But Scolpino says that Clottey has gotten over the honeymoon stage of having been chosen as Pacquiao's dance partner.

"Josh was always a hard worker, so he's never out of shape. For him, he's always ahead of the curve, you know?", said Scolpino. "As far as strategy and what we need to do to get in there and beat Pacquiao, we'll start his camp on Tuesday, like I said, and then we'll go from there."

Among Clottey's biggest victories are those over former world champions, Diego Corrales, and, Zab Judah, respectively, in April of 2007 and August of 2008.

Clottey earned a unanimous 10-round decision over Corrales, and a ninth-round technical decision over Judah, a southpaw like Pacquiao.

The victory over Judah earned Clottey the IBF title, which he gave up in order to face Cotto.

"I definitely think Clottey's the biggest fighter Pacquiao will have faced," said Scolpino. "As far as the toughest, Joshua's definitely a tough guy."

Besides Cotto, Clottey's only other losses were in November of 1999, and, December of 2006, respectively, to former world champions, Carlos Baldomir, and, Antonio Margarito.

Clottey was ahead against Baldomir when he was disqualified for an intentional head butt in the 11th round, and also led Margarito early before damaged knuckles in both hands slowed Clottey over the course of a 12-round unanimous decision loss during his bid to dethrone Margarito as WBO king.

"Joshua's defense is impeccable," said Scolpino. "I mean, everybody that we have fought since I've been managing him -- which has been almost four years now -- has not hurt Joshua."

Clottey was floored by a counter left hook in the final 10 seconds or so of the first round against Cotto, but it was considered a flash knockdown.

"Joshua has come out of the ring clean and unmarked -- no matter who he has fought," said Scolpino. "I know that Manny has huge punching power, but if Pacquiao cracks Joshua's defense, it would be something beyond belief to me."

Clottey blamed hesitation among his shortcomings against Cotto.

"During the later rounds, you think about getting tired. I thought that I might have done that in Rounds 9 and 10 against Cotto," Clottey told FanHouse on Jan. 13.

"This fight [against Pacquiao,] I'm not going to think about tiring," said Clottey. "I want Manny Pacquiao to know that he picked a guy who will give him all that he wants. I'm going to fight until the last bell."

Against Cotto, Clottey lost, 116-111, and, 115-112, on two judges card, while being awarded a 114-113 decision on the third.

The difference between winning and losing against Cotto, said Scopino, may have been Clottey's relative inactivity.

"Joshua's just got to let his hands go. If he lets his hands go with his combinations or his hook, listen, he's definitely done his job," said Scolpino.

"It all comes down to whether or not he lets his hands go a little bit more, and we have all of the plans of doing that," said Scolpino. "We have a conditioning coach that will be down in Florida with him that will take him to the next level, and he's never had that before."

Meanwhile, Arum said that tickets are going swiftly for Pacquiao-Clottey.

"We have about 20,000 tickets left to sell. We're very gratified with how the tickets have flown out," said Arum, of an arena that will be set up, at least, initially to seat 50,000.."We're sure that when we announce the undercard, the rest of the tickets will be sold."

Cowboys Stadium seats 80,000, but is expandable enough so that it can hold up to 111,000. The stadium also has a retractable ceiling.

In addition, the stadium boasts over 3,000 Sony LCD displays throughout the luxury suites, concourses, concession areas and more, allowing fans the ability to watch the action from anywhere.

All, if not most, of the displays will be operating on fight night, Cowboys Stadium owner, Jerry Jones, told FanHouse on Jan. 10.

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

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Conte Volunteers To Catch Cheaters If He Can -- The Sweet Science

By Bernard Fernandez, The Sweet Science

Victor Conte might not bear much of a resemblance to Leonardo DiCaprio, but the controversial founder and president of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative, better known to the public as BALCO, is eager to play the sort of reformed bad-guy role undertaken by the strikingly handsome leading man in a 2002 film, Catch Me if You Can.

If you recall, DiCaprio was cast as an actual person, Frank Abagnale Jr., who joined the FBI to aid law enforcement in its apprehension of the most clever perpetrators of bank fraud. It’s a familiar storyline; in an old television series It Takes a Thief and a new one White Collar, suave and mostly contrite confidence men are enlisted from prison by government agencies for their potential to help nail non-reformed evil-doers.

Conte fits the ex-convict part of the profile well enough, having served four months after pleading guilty in 2005 to conspiracy to distribute steroids and money-laundering. With a client list that included disgraced Olympian Marion Jones, champion boxer Shane Mosley and baseball slugger Barry Bonds, he of the literally swollen head and cartoonishly inflated biceps, Conte was and is widely viewed as the serpent who enticed world-class athletes with an apple enriched with anabolic steroids, human growth hormone, erythropoietin (EPO) and designer drugs that came to be known as “the clear” and “the cream.”

Now Conte says he wants to make his expertise available to every anti-doping organization in ridding sports of performance-enhancing drugs. If the FBI was willing to swallow its pride and take on Frank Abagnale Jr., he reasons, why wouldn’t, say, the Nevada State Athletic Association reach out to the one man whose knowledge of PEDs might exceed all others?

“I will never, ever do anything involving illegal performance-enhancing substances again,” Conte says. “I would never again subject my family members to what they went through. That is a past life for me.

“There needs to be a change in where the spotlight is, and it needs to be put upon Olympic governing body officials, the owners of the teams and the players’ union executives who have had the full knowledge of the rampant use of performance-enhancing drugs for 50 years.”

But if the testing procedures for the Olympics, the NFL and Major League Baseball are flawed to the point of being “inept,” according to Conte, he saves his most scornful rebukes for boxing, which he describes as the “wild, wild West” of PEDs.

“Most fighters open training camp about eight weeks before a fight,” Conte says. “They only way to ensure they’re really clean is to have some type of random, unannounced testing, and both blood- and urine-testing.”

If that sounds like a semi-accusatory finger being pointed at Manny Pacquiao, whose March 13 megafight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. fell apart because of Pac-Man’s incensed refusal to participate in a higher level of drug-testing than ever has been implemented in boxing, so be it.

“Is it suspicious the way (Pacquiao) has gained so much lean muscle mass while retaining and even seemingly improving his power and speed? Yes,” Conte says. “It is highly suspicious. But it’s difficult to make any type of allegations against him because he’s never tested positive for illegal drugs. The problem is that he has been subjected, as is the case with all boxers, to the standard urine testing that, in my opinion, is worthless.

“It’s announced testing. Any time an athlete knows when he or she is going to be tested, they or someone advising them knows the clearance time of these performance-enhancing drugs. If you know urine tests are only going to be administered immediately before and after a fight, all you have to do is taper off an adequate number of days and you’re going to test negative.”

To buttress his argument that most sports’ drug-testing is as best inadequate and at worst useless, Conte points out that Marion Jones tested negative for PEDs 160 consecutive times. She only admitted to using them, he contends, to avoid more substantial jail time while testifying under oath before a grand jury.

Conte’s insistence that he has seen the light and has crossed over to the side of good and virtue have for, the most part, been viewed with skepticism by those agencies to which he has made overtures.

Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission (the scuttled Pacquiao-Mayweather bout was to have taken place at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand), said Conte’s very public crusade to become a latter-day Frank Abagnale Jr. is akin to the fox requesting to guard the hen house.

“I hope you’ll forgive me if I don’t put a lot of stock into what Victor Conte has to say,” Kizer says. “I’m amazed at how much press he’s getting these days.

“But that said, the NSAC is known not just for drug-testing, but in being very pro-active in all aspects of regulation. We change and update our rules as need be. Almost two years ago we instituted out-of-competition drug-testing, to be even better at detecting. Keep in mind, our ultimate goal is not to catch people; it’s to keep people from using in the first place.

“We were also the first (state boxing commission) to put in testing for steroids. We did that in 2001, I believe. We also expanded around that time our testing for stimulants.”

So Conte’s claims that boxing’s testing procedures are mostly for show are groundless?

“I’m very pleased with our policy,” Kizer said. “We actually had some experts from the U.S. Olympic Committee and USADA (the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency) come here eight or nine months ago to talk about our drug-testing. They didn’t have a problem with it at all. Definitely nothing about blood (testing) came up.”

Conte said the problem – well, one of them, anyway – is that many of the so-called “experts” giving their stamp of approval to agencies like the NSAC are anything but.

“Mosley has sued me two times in federal court in California, and there’s still an ongoing suit in the New York State Supreme Court where he’s suing me for defamation,” Conte notes. “Before his fight with (Miguel) Cotto in 2007, he came out and said I misled him. He said I gave him vitamins when I was instead giving him performance-enhancing drugs. That is simply not true.

“He testified before a grand jury and admitted that he knowingly used EPO. We have a videotape of his deposition in New York in October 2009 where he admits again that he knowingly used EPO, that I told him what it was and what the benefits and side effects were.

“He’s asked, `So you injected the drug before any attempt was made by anyone from the Nevada commission whether the drug was legal or not? Is that true? And he said yes.

“I read shortly thereafter an article in the New York Daily News that indicated the WBC was conducting an investigation of Shane Mosley. The WBC attorney’s name is Robert Lenhardt. I called him and said, `Look, I would be willing to assist you in this investigation.’ I sent him emails and documents. All I got back from him was an acknowledgment, `We’re in receipt of this information. Thanks.’ He didn’t seem to have any interest in following up.”

I spoke to Lenhardt and he said he was limited in what he and the WBC could do at this time because Mosley’s lawsuit against Conte was in litigation.

“The WBC believes it is one of the early leaders in all of sports in putting in anti-doping regulations,” Lenhardt said. “Now, did Mr. Conte send information to the WBC? I can confirm that he did. But the WBC recognizes that these matters (Mosley’s defamation suit against Conte) are currently being litigated in the U.S. court system, so there has been no determination (of their validity) in advance of the outcome.”

Conte has received similar rejections from other organizations and agencies whose message to him basically is “thanks, but no thanks.”

“I met with officials of USADA face-to-face,” Conte says. “I reached out and wrote an open letter to WADA. I flew to New York and met with Dick Pound, who is the founder of WADA and was then its chairman.

“On each occasion I’ve offered my advice. But the new regime at WADA, headed by Australia’s John Fahey, doesn’t want to listen to me because I’m a bad guy. Fahey said he’d rather get his information from medical doctors than from a convicted felon.”

To hear Conte’s detractors tell it, he is a slimy guy who hopes to cleanse himself by smearing others, a ploy often used by certain politicians and used-car salesmen. Conte counters that those who vilify him, while paying lip service to the concept of purifying sports of PEDs, are not willing to go the distance because they know that sports fans aren’t really as interested in having all-natural heroes as they profess to be.

As proof of the existence of a double standard, Conte points out that Mark McGwire, obliged to confess his steroid-injected past as a condition to returning to baseball as the new hitting coach of his former club, the St. Louis Cardinals, was cheered by 2,500 red-clad fans of the team in a packed hotel ballroom. Those same fans so willing to forgive one of their own presumably have less tolerance toward, say, Bonds, Manny Ramirez and Roger Clemens.

More evidence comes in the form of a poll of track and field fans in Europe, where the sport is much bigger, at least between Olympics, than it is in America. Asked whether they’d rather see a certifiably clean 100-meter sprinter clocked in 10.2 seconds, or a steroid-fueled one break the world record (the current men’s mark is 9.58 seconds), a majority of respondents gritted their teeth, ’fessed up and admitted they’d rather see the faster guy on PEDs.

Conte said Mayweather’s demand of random blood testing of himself and Pacquiao, up to five days before the fight, although unprecedented in boxing, should be instituted as the industry standard.

“Pacquiao said he had agreed initially to testing 30 days out, then he agreed to cut that to 24 days out in the final phases of the negotiations,” Conte says. “The Mayweather sided held firm at 14 days, so the big story supposedly was that they were 10 days apart.

“Well, let’s look at what could be done with a 24-day window. I don’t believe so-called `designer’ steroids are being used much anymore, like the THG (the “clear”) that was at the heart of the BALCO scandal.

“All anabolic steroids are similar to testosterone. If you test often enough over a sufficiently long period, you can see where the perks are. What athletes are doing now is using low-dose testosterone. The gels and the creams will clear in a day. Oral testosterone will clear in about four days. Water-based injectable testosterone will clean in about 10 days.

“With intense training and a two-week program of anabolic steroids or low-dose testosterone, you can get a significant advantage in terms of strength and power.”

And users need not look like Arnold Schwarzenegger during his Mr. Universe incarnation, either.

“Steroids make you tight and pumped-up. You lose speed,” Conte says. “It’s great during the training process because you’re going to build explosive strength, but thereafter you go back to a normal fluid balance so that you no longer have that tightness. Your flexibility comes back. You’re going to lose some speed. But if you taper off, you’re much faster 10 days to two weeks out than you are while you’re still on the stuff.

“Now, the drug EPO increases your percentage of red blood cells. If you start out at 40 percent, in a two-week time frame or less, you could increase that to 50 percent. That’s a 25 percent increase in the percentage of red blood cells. Oxygen molecules attach themselves to the hemoglobin, and that means 25 percent more oxygen is being delivered to the muscle tissue. It also means the metabolic waste byproducts, like carbon dioxide, ammonia and lactic acid, are transported out 25 percent faster. That gives you a huge edge in training and especially in the later rounds of a fight.”

Not that all fighters should be regarded with a raised eyebrow if they resist blood-testing. Even big, strong guys have been known to faint at the sight of needles. Others are queasy if taken to a high place. Hey, it happens.

“I think you could do blood testing up to five days of a fight with no physical detriment to a participant,” Conte says. “A compromise of 10 days would be all right. But as soon as you go 14 days or more, that’s enough time to use EPO and build up your red blood cell count. At 24 days, there’s all sorts of things that can be done with thyroid medication, fast-acting forms of insulin, EPO, testosterone.

“Now, for psychological reasons, some athletes are going to complain if blood-testing becomes mandatory. Manny Pacquiao isn’t the only one. Asafa Powell, the Jamaican Olympic sprinter, is terrified of having blood drawn. A lot of people are. But to take a very small blood sample would have an extremely minimal or no effect physically. Once someone got accustomed to it, it’d be much easier to accept.”

For now, though, the biggest fight of this century – and maybe the highest-grossing one of all time – remains on the drawing board because of an impasse neither side appears willing to take steps to resolve. And if you’re waiting for boxing officials to step forward to work out the kinks, don’t hold your breath.

“I believe there’s a rampant use of performance-enhancing drugs in boxing, and there has been for decades,” Conte says. “It’s certainly not anything new.”

Source: thesweetscience.com

Margarito's biggest supporter? His opponent -- ESPN

By Dan Rafael, ESPN.com

There are a lot of people utterly disgusted by the likelihood of Antonio Margarito being granted a boxing license by Texas regulators, a situation I outlined in a blog last week.

Carson Jones isn't one of them.

If Margarito, who was punished last year by the California State Athletic Commission for attempting to wear loaded gloves for his fight with Shane Mosley in Los Angeles, gets his license, Top Rank will match him with Jones in a 10-rounder at 155 pounds. It will be a high-profile fight co-featured on the Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey HBO PPV card at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

I think that most who read my work regularly know I'm one of the people appalled by the idea of Margarito getting a Texas license without even having to go before the California commission, which rightfully revoked his license at a disciplinary hearing last February.

However, there are two sides to every story, and Jones is one of the few people who wholeheartedly endorses the idea of Margarito being allowed to fight.

Can you blame him?

It would be the biggest fight and payday of his career. Jones (24-7-1, 15 KOs) is a 23-year-old from Oklahoma City trying to make a living in a tough, tough sport. Nobody looks at Jones and sees a future world champion -- just a hard-working fighter trying to do the best he can and looking to take advantage of a big opportunity against Margarito.

In his last fight, Jones did open a few eyes. In December, he scored a third-round knockout against previously unbeaten and wholly untested Tyrone Brunson in the main event of a "ShoBox" card on Showtime.

A fight against Margarito would dwarf that bout.

"If Margarito is not allowed to fight, that takes food off of my table and robs me of a chance to show the world that I am the real deal and hurts me far more than it does Antonio Margarito. I wish people would stop trying to prevent this fight from happening. This is a dream fight for me and something I have worked all my life for to have an opportunity to do," said Jones, who is going to go through with an already scheduled rematch against Eloy Suarez on Thursday night to prepare for the Margarito fight.

"The public needs to let me handle the punishing of Antonio Margarito, because that is exactly what I will do if he is allowed to fight me on March 13. I ask all the people who want this fight stopped to just support me on March 13 when I pull off my second upset in a row."

Jones, who has already signed a contract for the fight in anticipation of Margarito being licensed, said he has no concern about him trying to cheat again. Besides, you can bet the house that the wrapping of Margarito's hands for that fight will be the most scrutinized in history.

"I think he has learned his lesson, and I am not concerned at all about him trying to do any of the things that he has been accused of doing in the past," Jones said. "This is supposed to be his comeback fight. It will be his retirement fight also. Trust me."

Source: sports.espn.go.com

Pacquiao/Clottey: Ghanaians rally behind Joshua Clottey -- Eastside Boxing

By Prince Dornu-Leiku, Eastside Boxing

WBO Welterweight title challenger Joshua Clottey has received the full backing of his countrymen ahead of March 13’s big fight against Manny Pacquiao. Clottey goes into the fight as a huge underdog against the man who has won seven world titles in seven weight categories but Ghanaian boxing chiefs led by former world champion Azumah Nelson have reposed a huge confidence in the 32 year old Joshua Clottey.

“My fear is that Manny Pacquiao is a southpaw because they are hard to fight but Joshua has given us an assurance that he knows how to fight southpaws so I am relieved. I will advise Joshua to train hard but I know him and I know that he will not rest. We will be there to support him physically and mentally,” stated Hall of Famer Azumah Nelson at the press conference organized by the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) in Accra this morning to show support for Joshua Clottey..

Azumah, now Technical Director of GBA, was surrounded by the bigwigs of Ghanaian boxing as well as top government officials on the high table at the press conference as the nation formally threw support behind the boxer. Clottey who like many of the country’s top boxers have endlessly criticized the GBA for a lack of support, confessed that he goes into the fight against Pacquiao feeling like he is fighting for Ghana for the very first time. “I am encouraged by what I am seeing and hearing today and for the first time I am thinking about the nation which will make things harder for Manny Pacquiao. The nation didn’t support us much in the past but if now they are ready to get behind us, that is the best motivation I can get. And I promise to win the title for Ghana,” Clottey told the press conference at the Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra.

Joshua still battling US immigration officials in Accra for his trainer Godwin Dzanie Kotey and assistant Daniel Clottey to get visa clearances to travel with the boxer to the US, was very emotional on the issue pleading with the US Embassy to even issue a two-month visa for the trainers and it will be enough. He even made a plea to Ghana President Atta Mills to personally get involved to help with the visa application. “The nation is with you in spirit and we pray to God to guide you unto victory. The NSC will also take over the visa issue so that Alloway can travel with Joshua,” said Worlanyo Agrah, CEO of the National Sports Council (NSC) of Ghana before leaving the room of the press conference and returning few minutes later with the promise that the necessary contacts are being made for Clottey’s trainer to be issued with the visa.

Clottey meanwhile is scheduled to depart Accra for the US on Friday hopefully with coach Alloway to begin final preparations for the big fight on March 13. He has again assured his countrymen that nothing will stop him from beating Manny Pacquiao even if the stakes are highly placed against him. “I am taking this fight not for the money but to win the title. I know its Pacquiao but I don’t want people thinking that Manny is super, that nobody can beat him. He is a human being like me. He has lost three times and I have also lost three times. We speak, laugh and share jokes together. I promise that I will dethrone him,” Joshua Clottey said.

Source: eastsideboxing.com

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Only 39,316 tickets to go: Manny Pacquiao beats Muhammad Ali, JC Chavez -- Examiner

By Michael Marley, Examiner.com

The number, according to Bob “I Never Lie” Arum, is about 24,000.

The probable maximum number, according to Arum when speaking to Steve Kim at Maxboxing, is 45,000.

I say Uncle Bob is too conservative. I say he’s showing a real lack of imagination with his red hot and smoking Manny Pacquiao product.

We’re talking about the Joshua Clottey-Pacman WBO welterweight title bout set for March 13 at Jerry’s World, Mr. Jones’ swanky football playpen in Arlington.

I say Arum is not shooting for the moon when he should be.

They are calling this “The Event,” aren’t they?

The head of Top Rank is aiming low by margins of 18,315 tickets sold and also by 13,891 ducats peddled.

The magic numbers—attention Dallas Cowbys marketing and publicity machines—are 63,315 and 58,891.

Let me explain as I was at both of these magical boxing events

The 63,315 was the paid attendance in the Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, in 1978 when Muhammad Ali beat upstart Neon Leon Spinks in their rematch.


Michael Marley asks, why can't Manny Pacquiao outdo Muhammad Ali, JC Chavez on paid attendance?

The 58,891 is how many people paid to put their respective butts into seats at the then new San Antonio Alamodome for the Pernell Whitaker-Julio Cesar Chavez superfight on Sept. 10, 1993.

Yeah, the one with the odious majority draw decision, a blatant robbery of Whitaker but we’ll get to that. later.

Then there was the Greg Haugen-Chavez bout in Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, when 132,000 tickets were sold and 136,000 filled the massive soccer stadium but don’t get me started.

Btw, this also took place in 1993, so it's astounding to note that Chavez sold at least 190,000 fight tickets in just two bouts that year. He fought four other times in the calendar year so it's safe to say that 200,000 people paid to watch "El Gran Campeon" fight in person during 1993.

Let’s stick to venues where there is a roof, retractable otherwise.

It’s not even Feb. 1 and Pacman-Clottey has sold almost 25,000 tickets.

The addition of returning from disgrace Antonio Margarito has been leaked but not formally announced. And the Cowboys peddle many football tickets throughout Mexico, especially around Monterey where a Pacquiao-Clottey presser will drive ticket sales south of the border.

The promotion has not even moved into second or third gear so why not aim for the moon, why not try to eclipse San Antonio or even New Orleans?

Greg Marotta, former football agent and nephew of legendary boxing cutman Ace Marotta, has done business with Jones and his staff. Marotta said the Pacquiao-Clottey fight can came close to or surpass the 63,315 and 58,891 attendance figures.

"In 1992 Jerry Jones, through his revolutionary deal with APEX ONE, re-wrote the NFL licensing book.Jerry's philosophy was simple. The Dallas Cowboys were going to return to glory and re-entrench themselves as America's Team-----and the Dallas Cowboys alone deserved to reap the benefits of all that hard work,” Marotta said.

“Why should the apparel licensing pie be cut up in equal parts when not every team put the same product on the field? The Cowboys were committed to greatness and deserved to garner their just financial reward for such commitment. His maverick, risk-taking style translated to other deals also, like Pepsi and American Express. The APEX ONE deal set the tone for how Jerry was going to change the NFL marketing business------he was going to market the Dallas Cowboys to those who wanted to be in business with The Dallas Cowboys. I would not bet against him changing how the great sport of boxing is marketed. He's going to change the entire landscape, once again

"I wouldn't be surprised if Jerry surpassed the 60,000 sold for Whitaker-Chavez. I wouldn't be shocked if he sold out the building. I really wouldn't." When we started the APEX ONE deal the Cowboys were selling single digit percentages of all NFL licensed apparel. It quickly went to 25 percent. Jerry is a results-motivated guy."

(More about the San Antonio event to follow.)

(mlcmarley@aol.com)

Source: examiner.com

Manny begins tough grind for Clottey bout -- The Philippine Star

By Abac Cordero, The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao kicks off his grueling training at the gym this week, which may include a series of sparring sessions as he steps up his buildup for the Josh Clottey fight on March 13.

Pacquiao’s strength and conditioning coach, Alex Ariza, said it will mark the start of the tough plyometric and isometric exercises that should last for at least six weeks.

Depending on his condition, sparring may also begin this week, according to Ariza.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao made sure to break sweat even on his rest day by playing basketball in Burbank.

The Filipino boxing icon, after two hard days at the Wild Card Gym, went out with friends Sunday afternoon to play basketball, his only way of keeping himself and his adrenalin going when he’s out of the gym.

Pacquiao arrived in Los Angeles last Wednesday from a three-day press tour in Dallas and New York, and the following day put on his basketball shoes for some pick-up games with his LA buddies.

Friday and Saturday he was at the gym pounding the mitts with his chief trainer Freddie Roach, trying out his brand new pair of gold boxing gloves that match the color of his new tatoo, a scorching meteor, on his left arm.

According to insidesports.ph, Ariza was impressed with Pacquiao’s performance at the gym over the weekend, and the 31-year-old energizer looked like “he didn’t take time out.”

It was the first time Pacquiao hit the gym since posting a sensational and historic win over Miguel Cotto last Nov. 14 in Las Vegas to become the first fighter in history to win seven world titles in seven different weight classes.

The insidesport.ph report also said Pacquiao showed up at the gym just a shade under 150 lb, meaning there’s very little he would need to lose for the Clottey fight, scheduled March 13 and pegged at 147 lb.

Roach, who’s looking forward to a tough fight, is reportedly looking at Shawn Porter or Amir Khan to head Pacquiao’s sparring partners, 48 days before the fight set at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

“He’ll be aggressive. He’ll try to kill us. He comes forward, he’s strong and he fights. That’s what he does. Its not a problem. I’m reviewing tapes on how Clottey handles lefties,” said Roach, as quoted by Pinoy boxing man Hermie Rivera.

Source: philstar.com

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25,000 Pacquiao-Clottey Tickets Sold -- Modern Ghana

By Charles Nixon Yeboah, Daily Guide

Information gathered by DAILY GUIDE SPORTS indicates that 25,000 tickets have been sold for the crunch boxing fight between Ghana's Joshua Clottey and Philippine Manny Pacman Pacquiao, scheduled for March 13, 2005.

According to reports, boxing fans across the United States are hoping to witness the biggest fight in Dallas, Texas, hence the scramble for tickets.

Clottey is regarded as a fearsome welterweight boxer and acclaimed American trainer Freddie Roach says the boxer is a “very dangerous” fighter; that is why Pacman must ready himself to go the distance against the Ghanaian on March 13.

He said, “We're gonna get ready for 12 hard rounds…We'll be ready. We have 6 weeks now to get ready for the fight.”

Fans of Pacquiao regard him as a superman who can make the impossible possible and who can subdue all his opponents effortlessly.

Meanwhile, Joshua Clottey would hold a press conference in Ghana today to throw more light on his intended fight with the Filipino who holds the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) welterweight crown. He is expected to brief sports journalists about his preparations for the big fight and his appeal to the government to intervene to ensure his trainer gets a visa to travel to the USA.

Source: modernghana.com

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Haye gunning for Ruiz KO -- Sky Sports

Sky Sports

I can knock Ruiz out, says world heavyweight champion.

David Haye is an early finish in his first world-title defence.

The WBA heavyweight champion takes on mandatory challenger John Ruiz at the MEN Arena in Manchester on April 3, exclusively live on Sky Box Office.

Haye has promised to abandon the safety-first approach that saw him take the title from Nikolai Valuev and says he will be gunning for a knockout - even though Ruiz has only been stopped once in 54 fights.

"I'm looking at obviously boxing completely different to what I did against Valuev - that wouldn't be enough against John Ruiz," he told Sky Sports News.

"He's a pressure fighter, he's not going to out-box me - he'd be mad to try and do that. I expect him to get close, work my body, try to rough me up, drag me down and try to get me in the trenches and I will relish that opportunity.

"I think I can not only beat him, but knock him out. I think in my last fight I showed the power is there at heavyweight; I hurt him throughout the fight and obviously wobbled the big man (Valuev).

"I expect Ruiz to come with a solid gameplan, but I feel whatever he brings to the table I will find a way to counteract that and beat him - and not just beat him, but beat him spectacularly and knock him out."


Grinding

Haye though admits Ruiz will be no pushover.

The Quiet Man will be contesting his 11th world-title fight and has been in with the likes of Roy Jones Jr, Holyfield, Jameel McCline, Hasim Rahman and James Toney.

And with a new trainer on board, Haye is expecting a real war - even if it is one that won't go the distance.

"I feel he's under-rated," he said. "I've talked to people who say 'don't worry about Ruiz, you'll blast him out'. So, 'I say in 50-odd fights he's only been stopped once when he was caught cold by David Tua - and that can happen to anyone'. Those people say 'yeah, but...' so I say 'send me a video of a fight that he's looked bad in'.

"He's got a way of grinding people down, he's used to being a small guy, he's fought big guys - (Nikolai) Valuev twice, Jameel McCline, Andrew Golota, there are some big guys out there and he seems to find a way to smudge their work.


Power

"I've studied him enough to know why he does that and myself and Adam (Booth) have been working on a gameplan to deal with that. But this fight is a completely different animal to the Valuev fight; he's the same size as me, he's a lot faster than my prior opponent.

"Although people under-estimate John Ruiz's power, he managed to knock down (Evander) Holyfield not long after Lennox Lewis had 24 rounds to do that. He wasn't able to do that, Mike Tyson wasn't able to do that, but Ruiz could; he's got some power there."

And that is not the only risk Haye is taking.

In order to get a crack at Valuev in November, Haye and Sauerland, the German promotional company, had to agree to get Ruiz to give up his position as mandatory challenger.

It means there is no rematch clause for this contest. Lose and Haye will have to start again in his bid to take on the Klischko brothers and rule the division.

"I'm now the WBA heavyweight champion of the world; something I've strived all my life to become. Well, I'm now it and everybody's gunning after me," he said.

"I've spent my whole life gunning after people, they're coming after me, and my first obstacle is John Ruiz."

Source: skysports.com

One on One with Frank Warren -- The Sun

By GAVIN GLICKSMAN, The Sun

WHEN it comes to the world of boxing, Frank Warren has pretty much been seen it all.
There have been amazing highs for Britain's leading promoter, coupled with plenty of lows.

The taxman, a masked gunman and even fighters he represented have tried to KO him over the years.

But Warren is still here, fighting the corner for British boxing and doing all he can to make stars of his current crop.

Amir Khan's recent departure came as a stinging body blow, yet the show must go on.

And on February 13 it will do exactly that, when London's Wembley Arena and Warren stage the biggest card of the year so far on domestic soil.

SunSport caught up with the 57-year-old to get his thoughts on the Night of the Champions, Khan's move to America and what the future holds for the sweet science.


How is the Night of the Champions card shaping up?

We've got three title fights on, two of our Olympians, the Walsh brothers (Liam, Michael and Ryan) and George Carmen will be making his debut. It's going to be a good night and I'm really looking forward to it.

Will Danny Williams definitely defend his British title against Derek Chisora?

He's fighting! He's confirmed he'll fight so I'm delighted with that.

Has your man Del Boy got the tools to beat Williams?

It's a tough fight for Chisora. He's only had 11 fights and it's a big step up for him. But if he's as good as he says he is — and as good as we think he is — then it's a fight he should look good in.

Williams has said this will be his last fight. Should he have already called it a day?

I think he should have hung his gloves up a couple of years ago, but he chose not to. He's an old campaigner and keeps coming on and upsetting the odds at times. You write him off but he always seems to keep coming back.

He's had a good innings. He's fought for the world title, has got Mike Tyson's scalp on his record and has made some good money, so hopefully this will be his last fight — win, lose or draw.

Now that Khan has left, who do you see stepping up to fill his place as your stable's No1 fighter?

There's Nathan Cleverly, Kell Brook, Paul Smith, Kevin Mitchell — I have a few kids who are on the cusp of getting title fights.

Don't forget that just five fights ago Khan was sprawled out on the canvas against Breidis Prescott and we brought him back. Mitchell beat Prescott in his last fight and, provided he wins on February 13, he'll fight for a world title next. He's older than Khan and is ready to go, so I've got a lot of faith in him.

When Mitchell fought on the undercard of Khan's WBA title defence against Dmitriy Salita, there was talk of the two Brits squaring off. Is that a fight you'd like to make in the future?

I'd definitely like it! Mitchell's a weight below Khan at the moment but I think he could step up — or we could make a catchweight fight.

Speaking of Khan, now that he's joined Golden Boy, what's next for him?

At the minute he's got a mandatory defence against Marcos Maidana, although whether or not they're going to take the fight is anybody's guess. It definitely doesn't seem like they're keen on it happening!

How will you feel if he ends up vacating the WBA title to dodge Maidana?

I'll be a little annoyed if I'm honest. If he's going to drop it, he should have done it against Salita because that was a fight nobody thought would be hard for him. Maidana will be a much tougher proposition than Sailta, so it will look like he's running.

Do you think the one-round demolition of Salita has gone to Khan's head?

No, I don't think it's anything like that. It just seems to be the people around him saying they don't want Maidana. Freddie Roach pretty much said Maidana doesn't mean anything and he needs to build himself up. But I find that quite a strange quote as Amir's never been shown on American TV.

Maidana, on the other hand, knocked out Golden Boy's Victor Ortiz on HBO! As a result, everybody knows him, so it's such a strange comment to make. The big fights are there for Khan, it just depends what direction he goes down.

It's a bit galling when you hear people saying the only way he's going to get the big fights is by going with Golden Boy. That's a bit insulting, just like when people say that Naseem Hamed had to leave me to go to America.

It's just garbage. I took Hamed to America and I promoted a show at Madison Square Garden before taking him to Atlantic City. I was the one who walked away when the contract came to an end, not him.

I've done lots of fights over there and I would have had no problem taking Khan to the States. It was in my plans and we even talked about it live on TV after the Salita fight.

Maidana fighting Amir in America means nothing, at least as far as the gate's concerned. Over there it's just an Argentinian fighting a Brit, whereas here it would sell. Not only that, I'd already spoken to HBO and they were willing to broadcast the fight. I'd also agreed terms with Tim Bradley for a fight to take place over here and Showtime were going to show it in the States, so he had choices already.

I took Ricky Hatton to America and I also tried to do the same with Joe Calzaghe, but he wouldn't get on a plane. So it's a complete nonsense to say Amir had no option but to leave. People are just trying to distort the truth. The fact of the matter is they'd made up their minds even before the Salita fight.

I know that now because I've spoken to people and that's what I've found out. I'm just disappointed because he has still not picked the phone up to me.

So you've not even had as much as a text message from him?

No, I've not had a text, there's been nothing. I find that strange and really sad because I haven't had an argument with him. The last time I saw Amir we were mates and everything was fine.

It is sad but that's how life is and we all move on. He'll go on to do his thing and I'll do mine, which is bringing British fighters through and hopefully turning them into stars — both here and in America! All I know is I'm pretty good at what I do and I deliver.

You've already said 2010 will be a big year for British boxing. But is the future as bright on a global level, especially with the rise in popularity of mixed martial arts?

I don't think boxing is dying, like some people have suggested, far from it. Nobody thought Floyd Mayweather v Juan Manuel Marquez was a match as Mayweather was the overwhelming favourite, but it went directly against UFC. Mayweather got a million pay-per-view buys while it was reported the UFC got less than 200,000.

You'd think UFC was going on every week, but it's not. In the meantime, we promote lots of shows, we're getting more bums on seats at live events than ever and every national newspaper has got a boxing column, so I think it's really on a high.

All we need now is a bit more TV coverage. ITV have dropped out but hopefully we can get them back in. I also think it's a national disgrace the BBC don't step up to the plate. They seem to be more concerned with putting boxing on the radio so you can hear it but can't watch it.

Is the Beeb's reluctance down to the disastrous deal they signed with Audley Harrison?

Absolutely, it ruined it. But boxing should not be blamed for somebody doing a a c**p deal. They essentially said you can fight who you like, there's no quality control and not only that your four-round fights are going to be main event.

When Amir turned pro, he had four-rounders — but they were on the undercard of title fights. I find it really galling that the BBC tried to wriggle out of the sport by using the Harrison deal as an excuse. Hopefully, after the next election, the new Minister for Sport will jump in there and kick some a***.

Just finally, you've got high hopes for Cleverly, who faces Antonio Brancalion for the vacant European light-heavyweight title on February 13. How far do you think he can go?

I think Nathan can go all the way. He's 18 and 0, he's balancing his career with his studies — which finish in May — and hopefully he'll get his degree. Provided he beats Brancalion, we can then really step things up and get him ready for world title fights.

The Night of the Champions takes place at Wembley Arena on February 13. For more information visit frankwarren.tv or call 0871 220 0260/0844 815 0815 for tickets.

Source: thesun.co.uk

European Champ Macklin links up with Freddie Roach -- Eastside Boxing

Eastside Boxing

European Middleweight Champion Matthew Macklin will link up with new trainer Freddie Roach in Los Angeles next week as he begins preparations for the first defence of his title. Macklin defends his belt against the highly touted Dmitry Pirog in April and he will prepare for the unbeaten Russian at Roach's legendary Wildcard Gym.

Roach is generally regarded as boxing's best trainer and has been the guiding force behind Manny Pacquiao's rise to become the best pound for pound fighter in the World. Macklin believes linking up with Roach could prove crucial as he looks to make an assault on a World title in 2010..

“I spent some time training at the Wildcard at the start of my career and it's always been on my mind to go back there at some point,” said Macklin. “When you see the improvements that Freddie has made with fighters like Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan it shows you just how good a trainer he is. The next few years in my career are going to be massive and to have Freddie in my corner will be a huge bonus.

“It's a huge opportunity for me because not only is it a chance to work with the most successful trainer in the world but the sparring over there is unbelievable. The Wildcard Gym is full of champions so everyday you're testing yourself against the very best.”

Roach says he's delighted to have the opportunity to work with Macklin. “I like Matt, he's a good kid with a lot of ability and plenty of ambition,” said Roach. “I've had some good times working with Irish fighters like Steve Collins, Bernard Dunne and Wayne McCullough in the past so hopefully I can have some success with Matt too.

“The middleweight division is wide open right now so I think there could be some big fights out there for Matt. We've got to get past Pirog first though and that's a tough fight so we're just thinking about that right now.”

Following an excellent 2009 that saw him win the British and European titles with a pair of sensational knockouts and an impressive win over Uruguayan Champ Rafa Sosa Pintos in Dublin Macklin is on the cusp of a World title fight with only Pirog standing in his way.

“I've been ticking over and I'll travel to LA next week to start working with Freddie and preparing for the Pirog fight. It's a big fight because as well as being a mandatory defence of my European title we're both ranked in the top ten in the World so it's effectively a World title eliminator as well.”

Macklin had been based in Manchester with trainer Joe Gallagher and admits he will be leaving Gallagher's gym with a heavy heart having enjoyed so much success with him.

“It's bitter sweet to be honest because I'm sorry to be leaving Joe but o his credit he understood that this was an opportunity I had to take. I've enjoyed the most successful spell of my career with him and Joe's been a huge part of that success. He's brought out levels of fitness in me that I didn't even know existed and he's always had the tactics spot on. He's an excellent trainer and I know he's going to go on to become one of the best trainers out there.”

Source: eastsideboxing.com