ARLINGTON, Texas — World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao did something different in thrashing Ghanaian challenger Joshua Clottey before 50,944 fans at the mammoth Cowboys Stadium here last weekend.
Pacquiao punched both Clottey’s ears simultaneously in the fourth round — like banging a pair of cymbals, like Fernando Poe, Jr. doing the “pompyang” double in his action flicks. It’s not allowed in the rules and Puerto Rican referee Rafael Ramos reminded Pacquiao just in case he forgot. Trainer Freddie Roach told Pacquiao once is enough because Ramos might slap him with a point deduction if he did it again.
To be sure, Pacquiao toyed with Clottey. He would never have done the “pompyang” trick against Oscar de la Hoya or Ricky Hatton or Miguel Cotto. But Clottey was different from Pacquiao’s previous opponents. He didn’t show up to fight. He showed up to survive 12 rounds on his feet.
Curled into a turtle-shell defense, Clottey covered up most of the way as Pacquiao banged his arms, shoulders and the sides of his body, trying to lower his guard. Occasionally, Clottey let go with his hands and tagged Pacquiao with left uppers and right straights. Pacquiao invited Clottey to hit back because it was the only way he could find the openings to land. The experiment left Pacquiao with a welt under the right eye and Roach shaking his head, later saying there was a lot more work to be done in the gym to improve his defense.
There was no question as to who deserved to win. Judge Duane Ford scored it a shutout for Pacquiao, 120-108. The two other judges, Levi Martinez and Nelson Vasquez, saw it 119-109, giving Clottey just the third round.
Because the fight wasn’t in Las Vegas, the showbiz crowd was absent except for actor Robert Duvall who came as Roach’s guest. The only celebrities who graced the ringside section were football luminaries — no doubt, guests of stadium and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. The usual Filipino politicians were missing, too — they were busy courting votes back home for the May elections. The First Gentleman Mike Arroyo, Rep. Prospero Nograles and former Gov. Luis (Chavit) Singson, however, made it at ringside.
Mommy Dionisia skipped the trip as did regular watchers Bacolod City Mayor Bing Leonardia, former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza, Eddie Gutierrez, Annabelle Rama, Hermie Esguerra, Jose Mari Ojeda, Martin Nievera and Nonito Donaire.
The $1.2 billion building hosted the event after the MGM Grand opted to reserve the date for Floyd Mayweather, Jr. instead. Jones bid $7 million for the right to stage the fight and Top Rank chairman Bob Arum took the offer for the chance to make history. It was the first boxing show held at the stadium and attendance was the third highest ever for an indoor facility.
More than half of the fans had to be Filipino. Outside the arena, makeshift kitchens were set up near parking lots as enterprising cooks sold food in tents marked by a Philippine flag. Thousands wore Pacquiao shirts, jackets and shoes. Nike, which Pacquiao endorses, was the brand of choice. The Filipino fans turned the affair into a fiesta with Pacquiao as the main attraction.
Pacquiao trained for two months with Roach at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles then flew to Dallas on a 180-seat, 737 chartered jet plane a week before the fight. He was accompanied on the flight by over 100 relatives, friends, fans, media reporters and his Jack Russell terrier Pacman. The same plane brought back Pacquiao and his entourage to Los Angeles the morning after the bout. The round-trip tab was $102,000, which Arum picked up.
For Pacquiao’s in-land transportation, Arum contracted a Las Vegas company for a 56-seat 2007 Mercedes Setra coach. It took driver Mitch Carter 24 hours to travel the 1,800-mile distance from Las Vegas to the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center where the fight party was billeted in Grapevine, near this north Texas city. Carter broke the trip in Albuquerque where he spent the night.
The mid-afternoon weigh-in on the eve of the fight was held right outside the Cowboys Stadium in an open-air stage. Over 2,500 fans stood behind a cordon fence to witness the rites hosted by ring announcer Michael Buffer. Pacquiao tipped the scales at 145.75 pounds while Clottey made it at 147 flat.
That night, Pacquiao led in praying the rosary in the bedroom of his suite No. 4397 at the 150-acre Gaylord Texan. With him were wife Jinkee, her twin sister Janet, Solar chairman Wilson Tieng, Solar president William Tieng, close friends Rey Golingan and Clem Asencio of General Santos City and San Francisco-based real estate broker Boots Aniel with sons Jason and Alex.
On the morning of the fight, Fr. Marlon Beof celebrated Mass with Pacquiao attending at the Gaylord Texan convention hall. Among those who came were Pacquiao’s business manager Eric Pineda and wife Macy, Nike Philippines’ Tony Atayde, world light flyweight champion Rodel Mayol, Games and Amusements Board boxing chief Dr. Nasser Cruz and commissioners Angel Bautista and Ramon Guanzon, lawyer Franklin (Jeng ) Gacal, Pacquiao’s brothers Bobby and Rogel, former two-time world titlist Gerry Peñalosa and wife Goody, composer Lito Camo, “In This Corner” TV producers Rommel Nazario, Lito Mondejar and Gerry Garcia, Cebu promoter Rex (Wakee) Salud, adviser Michael Koncz, Dr. Allan Recto, Dr. Ed de la Vega, Joaquin Hagedorn, Hermie Rivera, Chris Aquino, Jayke Joson, assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez and key members of Team Pacquiao, including Roger Fernandez, Nonoy Neri, Juvy Halog, Edward Lura, Joe Ramos and Alex Oreto.
The atmosphere was electric on fight night. Journey lead vocalist Arnel Pineda sang the Lupang Hinirang while three Cowboys cheerdancers, dressed in skimpy outfits, did the Star Spangled Banner. Clottey entered the ring ahead as the champion is given the courtesy of the final introduction.
At ringside were RPN-9 network chairman Tonypet Albano, Solar chief operating officer Peter Chanliong and Erika Navarro whose fiancé Brian Viloria was on the broadcasting panel with Chino Trinidad and this writer.
The building reverberated as the sound system blasted a thunder-and-lightning effect with the crowd going wild.
Then the action began. Pacquiao dominated from start to finish in retaining the WBO title he wrested from Cotto last November. Clottey was a poor excuse for a fighter, opting to protect himself and sacrificing his offense in the process.
In the dressing room after the fight, a jubilant Pacquiao was greeted by his wife whom he bussed on the lips. He spoke with President Arroyo on the phone and assured her he was fine. Jones made a surprise appearance and paid tribute to the world’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter by saying it was an honor to host the Filipino in the boxing inaugurals. Writer Thomas Hauser was in the room, taking down notes for a story.
From the stadium, Pacquiao went to a nearby venue for his after-fight concert and sang to an adoring audience. When he returns home, Pacquiao will face a bigger battle — his bid to represent Sarangani in Congress in a mano-a-mano duel with Roy Chiongbian whose brother Edwin is finishing his third term in the Lower House.
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is likely to be next for Pacquiao in the ring but Pretty Boy has to hurdle Sugar Shane Mosley on May 1 to seal the deal — that is, if he finally realizes it’s not his call to dictate to state supervising sports commissions how to conduct drug tests.
No matter what happens in the May polls, Pacquiao will remain a national hero as a fighter, an inspiration and an example of a poor kid who made good through hard work, discipline and sacrifice in a remarkable rags-to-riches story.