Soto, Diaz clash in Pacquiao undercard

MANILA, Philippines - Three big bouts serve as supporting matches for the Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey showdown dubbed “The Event” promoted by Top rank at the $1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas today.

Humberto Soto (50-7-2, 32 KOs) faces David Diaz (35-2-1, 17 KOs) in a 12-rounder for a vacant title in the lightweight division.

John Duddy (28-1-0, 18 KOs) goes up against Michael Medina (23-1-2, 18 KOs ) for 10 rounds in the middleweight class while Jose Luis Castillo (60-9-1, 52 KOs) takes on Alfonso Gomez (21-4-2, 10 KOs), in a 10-rounder.

HBO senior vice president Mark Taffet, who runs HBO PPV, said this is the first time they are holding a boxing event in a stadium, a departure from the usual practice of presenting it inside casinos and hotels.

“I’ve been involved in nearly 160 pay-per-view events since 1991 with HBO PPV. This is the first pay-per-view fight we are doing in a stadium, so it’s a totally unique experience for us. From a business perspective, as you know, Pacquiao-Clottey is called ‘The Event,’ so there was very specific recognition about the importance of Cowboys Stadium and what we believed that this stadium was bringing to the table,” said Taffet.

“I am really, really excited,” Arum said. “You get stale doing the same thing over and over again, going back to the casinos to put on these big events. With this event going to a fabulous, fabulous stadium like Cowboys Stadium, we’re bringing the fights to the people. I think boxing can once again establish its place among the major sports in this country as it is in so many places in the world.”

The Cowboys Stadium is expected to draw a crowd of 45,000. “He’s been promoting for 40-something years and this really gets his juices flowing,” Caplan said. “It recharges Bob’s battery. It’s huge in a business way and in a psychological way for Bob. The interest and the enthusiasm never ends if you do new things.”