Future stars of boxing showcased on “The Event” undercard

Arlington, Texas–“I think we can stop him in eight rounds,” predicted superstar trainer Freddie Roach of his superstar student MANNY PACQUIAO’s performance against former welterweight champ JOSHUA CLOTTEY during their UPCOMING SHOWDOWN ON MARCH 13. Speaking to reporters at a press conference on March 10 at Cowboys Stadium, the site of the eagerly anticipated megafight, Roach exuded his usual Zen-like calm as he discussed Pacquiao’s prospects for victory.

Pacquiao took a more diplomatic position than the man whom he earlier referred to as his “master,” saying: “When we get to the ring, nothing personal. We’re just gonna do our job.”

The pound-for-pound king of boxing and the current welterweight champion of the world’s respectful demeanor marked a day of kind words between him and the Ghanaian-born Clottey. It stood in sharp contrast to other such events, which often erupt into heated exchanges.

Said Pacquiao, “I like no trash talk. You can be a great fighter…being a nice person.”

Top Rank Boxing’s CEO and founder, the legendary Bob Arum, expressed a similar sentiment earlier, when he said that “some people say it’s the trash-talking guy who carries the sport,” but, in his view, it’s those fighters who show tact that shine a better light on boxing. Adding of Pacquiao and Clottey, “They respect each other.”

Indeed, Clottey only had kind words and compliments for his opponent, even wishing Pacquiao good luck in the ring. Like Roach, Clottey’s manager, Vinny Scolpino, however, predicted that his guy would bring home the title. “He’s gonna show you some fight on Saturday night,” Scolpino said.

The desire to give the 40,000-plus fans watching the aptly titled “The Event” inside Cowboys Stadium and the millions watching at home on HBO pay-per-view their money’s worth was shared by all involved. “Our goal and our concern,” Pacquiao said, “is how we can give a good fight and a good show.”

Mark Taffet, president of HBO pay-per-view, wasn’t worried about the quality of the programming he was delivering fans. After all, he said, there have been more than 5 million buys total for all of Pacquiao’s fights. It’s a number that represents the profound impact the former street kid from the Philippines has had on boxing.

Said Taffet, “Manny has helped the sport of boxing expand. It’s really been revolutionary.”

As Pacquiao acknowledged, the awe-inspiring scale of the fight owes a lot to the efforts of the Dallas Cowboys’ iconoclastic owner Jerry Jones–the man whom Arum praised as the planet’s premiere promoter. (Arum also thanked UFC president Dana White for ENCOURAGING MMA FANS TO WATCH “THE EVENT.”) Jones, who’d earlier been given an award by WBO president Paco Valcarcel, pointed out the most jaw-dropping component of the impressive stadium he created: the massive video screen that hangs over the middle of the field, giving fans a crystal-clear, panoramic view of all the action.

“They’re gonna be 75 feet tall,” said Jones of Pacquiao and Clottey’s on-screen images.

Sticking with the size-matters theme, Texas licensing official Brian Francis offered perhaps the best summarization of “The Event” when he said it was about “big fighters in a big stadium in a big state.”