In the eye of the tiger
MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao fought like a true warrior, invaded Dallas, and won the hearts of more people the world over when he dominated the bout against African Joshua Clottey last March 13 in Texas.
Pacquiao’s speed and agility proved too much for Clottey; all the man from Ghana could do the whole 12 rounds was shield himself from MP’s punches. In the end, it was a unanimous decision by the judges to declare the Filipino boxer as the winner.
The official residence of Manny and his team was the majestic Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center. Pacquiao was billeted at a grand two-bedroom suite with all the luxurious amenities fit for a boxing royalty. A pre-fight Mass was held at the Convention Center on the morning of the fight.
The fight was held at the newly built Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. This match is now etched in history as the first-ever boxing fight held in this mammoth arena. The event sold out almost 51,000 seats, the third biggest ticket sales in boxing history.
Pacquiao admitted that he was initially a bit skeptical of the attendance since it was the first time that his fight was going to be held in Dallas. But upon entering the arena, with his signature Eye of the Tiger theme song blaring off from the speakers, all fears were muted by the deafening cheers of the huge crowd.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones took pride in hosting the momentous event. Seen with him were Top Rank’s big boss Bob Arum and Dallas Cowboy great Troy Aikman.
Seen at ringside were First Gentleman Mike Arroyo, Ilocos Sur Gov Chavit Singson, Congressman Prospero Nograles, and showbiz personalities KC Montero and Journey’s Arnel Pineda. Pineda, incidentally, sang the Philippine National Anthem.
Also at ringside were boxing greats Miguel Cotto, Marco Antonio Barrera, Antonio Margarito and Julio Cesar Chavez. UFC’s main man Dana White and entertainment host Mario Lopez were also present.
After the fight and press conference, Pacquiao proceeded to the Rangers Ballpark just right across the stadium for his after-fight party concert. MP, Madonna Decena and Lito Camo rocked the house with the champ’s favorite hits.
The morning after, Pacquiao and his entourage proceeded to the Dallas hangar to take his chartered flight back to Los Angeles. He is set to fly back to the country in a few days to start his congressional campaign in Saranggani.
Now, if only Mayweather stops trash-talking and agrees to fight boxing’s pound for pound king…
