LOS ANGELES – MANNY Pacquiao arrived in Los Angeles from Manila early Sunday mobbed by fans and media waiting for a glimpse of the pound-4-pound champion.
At his Palazzo apartment in LA, members of Team Pacquiao, friends and relatives gave the welterweight champion a more subtle celebration.
He was greeted with warm food from the long trip.
After one day of rest in LA, Pacquiao flew to Las Vegas on Monday before proceeding to Dallas, where he and his opponent African title contender Joshua Clottey officially announced their welterweight championship match set for March 13 at the Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas.
The fight will be on HBO pay-per-view.
Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Sunday. Ringside seats are priced at $700 and upperdeck seats start at $50.
Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones also said fans will have a chance to watch the action from the 160-foot-long, 72-foot-high high-definition video screen 30 feet above the ring on fight night.
In an interview with the Asian Journal before he departed for Dallas, Pacquiao said he was excited about fighting Clottey and in front of a new fan base in Texas.
"Joshua Clottey is a good fighter," said Pacquiao. "He’s very strong. I’m [also] very excited to fight in Dallas. It’ll be my first time fighting there."
The fight against Clottey came about after the mega bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr. fell through because both fighters could not figure out the manner of pre-fight drug testing.
Pacquiao said he wasn’t disappointed over the cancelled bout that would have netted him at least $25 million.
According to reports, Pacquiao will earn $10 to $20 million in his bout against Clottey.
Members of Team Mayweather have accused Pacquiao of using performance-enhancing drugs. The Nevada Athletic State Commission issued a drug test last month for both fighters. Pacquiao’s test came out negative.
"I don’t know why they say all those things about me," said Pacquiao about Mayweather’s accusation of drug use. "I’ve never had a problem with drug testing. I’m clean."
Pacquiao said he’d begin training at the Wildcard Gym this week.
He added that his fight against Clottey is going to be a good match and fans should be excited.
Source: asianjournal.com
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