Pacman press conference at Cowboys stadium.

As is with most things in boxing, there was a late start.  Then each fighter was escorted onto separate sides of the stage by “cowboys”.  Not Dallas Cowboys. Each fighter walked on the stage flanked by two Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders. On the left of the podium were Team Pacquiao and Jerry Jones; on the right were Team Clottey and Francisco Valcarcel, President of the WBO.

The press conference began with a warm welcome by Jerry Jones and was followed by the great boxing promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank.  In Arum’s speech, one of the things that stood out was that he was glad that there was not any trash talking between the fighters.  He said trash talking was bad for the sport of boxing, and as people have seen, both fighters have genuine respect for each other.

Then it was time to hear from the principals of this great “Event”.  First, Clottey gave special thanks to all the people who were involved in setting up the fight.  He went on to give special thanks to Pacquiao and especially to Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s head trainer.  The honesty of his speech was commendable and exactly what Bob Arum had talked about.

Next was Pacquiao wearing a cool looking, white, fedora style hat, and an earring in his left ear.  He was smiling throughout and cameras were going off like firecrackers.  His speech was very respectful to Clottey and to Jerry Jones for bringing the fight to the Cowboys Stadium.  One of the things that brought a smile to my face was at the end of his speech he said he especially wanted to thank his “master”, referring to his trainer, Freddie Roach. This is a term used mostly in the Asian world, which includes the Philippines.  It is a term which shows tremendous respect when told to someone, it means, “teacher”.

As soon as the speeches were over, the questions began. When asked about the difference in height, he said he is not worried about it.  He said he has trained to defend against it and the strength of Clottey.  He said he did not underestimate his opponent and that he will do his best to win.  To his Spanish speaking fans, he said in Spanish, “Yo estoy listo por la pelea con Manny Pacquiao y Clottey, muchas gracias”, and then said “estoy listo”, which meant, “I am ready for the fight between myself and Clottey, thank you, and “I am ready”.

When asked again about the height difference between him and Clottey, he said Clottey may have a height advantage, but the question is whether he knows how to use it.  He then said he has trained for the height issue and his coach, Freddie Roach said, Pacquiao will keep his distance and they have a strategy to counter it.

Pacquiao said he wants to put on a good fight for the fans because he wants the fans to be happy.  When asked about his trainer, as in his speech, he was very respectful and said he is lucky to have him as a trainer.  He then said, in his training, he studied his opponent and trained according to the boxing style of Clottey.

It was mentioned that Clottey was good at blocking punches, Roach said “Blocking doesn’t win fights”. Roach then said Pacquiao “is going to fight a perfect fight” and that he believes that Clottey would be stopped in the late rounds.  To those who think Pacquiao is small, he said you have seen before and after this fight you won’t be calling the Pacman small anymore.

Pacquiao concluded by saying he prays no one gets hurt in the fight and that he can give a good fight to his fans.