Cowboys Stadium To Host March 13 Pacquiao-Clottey Fight

Jones Says Cowboys Stadium Will Start In 40,000-Seat Range For Pacquiao-Clottey Bout

Cowboys Stadium will host boxer Manny Pacquiao's March 13 "pay-per-view welterweight title defense against Joshua Clottey," according to Dan Rafael of ESPN.com. Top Rank Chair Bob Arum and President Todd duBoef were guests of Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones at Saturday's Cowboys-Eagles NFC Wild Card game, and the two parties "closed the deal for the bout on Sunday afternoon." The timing of a formal news conference "has not been determined," though duBoef said that it "probably won't be until after" Sunday's Cowboys-Vikings NFC Divisional game. Jones said that the stadium "won't be set for the full 100,000 seating capacity as was planned" for a Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. bout. Instead, "they'll start in the 40,000-seat range." But Jones added, "That's one of the great things about the stadium -- we can expand the seating capacity as it warrants" (ESPN.com, 1/10). SI.com's Chris Mannix reported ticket prices for the fight "will range from" $50-700, and a press conference to announce the fight is "scheduled for Jan. 18 in Texas and will be followed by a press event" January 19 in N.Y. (SI.com, 1/10). Jones: "From the time we began work on the stadium, I envisioned bringing boxing here. We have a very large Hispanic fan base surrounding us and they're very loyal boxing fans. I think they'll be thrilled with this event." Jones said Cowboys officials have "underestimated the attendance for every event we've done, whether it's been soccer or whatever." Jones added that there is "'absolutely no doubt in my mind that we can' draw at least 45,000" for the fight (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 1/10). Arum said that Pacquiao will "earn somewhere between" $10-20M for the Clottey fight (L.A. TIMES, 1/11).

GOING HEAD-TO-HEAD: ESPN.com's Rafael noted Mayweather is "making plans to fight on the same night" as Pacquiao. Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer said that Mayweather "will face an opponent to be determined at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas" on March 13. Schaefer: "It's a date Golden Boy has had for a long time and nothing has changed." Rafael noted HBO, "which has broadcast both fighters' biggest bouts on pay-per-view, is in a position where it will have to make a choice on whether it will support one fighter over the other or neither." The net "has been mum on its plans for March 13," though both Arum and Schaefer said that they have "spoken to the network about their fights" (ESPN.com, 1/10). Meanwhile, Arum said that he "doesn't plan to revisit" a fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather "until the fall, after Pacquiao runs for a congressional seat in the Philippines in May." In L.A., Lance Pugmire writes scrapping Pacquiao-Mayweather "deprives boxing of a major event many fight experts predicted would have received widespread attention in the mainstream sports world" (L.A. TIMES, 1/11).