ARLINGTON, Texas — Bob Arum called it the biggest news conference he’s ever seen. Manny Pacquiao said he felt like a football player.
In Texas, they do things big. And a boxing match will take place in the biggest NFL stadium on March 13.
Pacquiao, considered the best fighter in the world, will defend the WBO welterweight title against Joshua Clottey at Cowboys Stadium. It’s the first boxing match in the $1.2 billion facility.
The main event will be held in front of a seating capacity of 40,000 on HBO pay-per-view.
Eight bouts will take place on the fight card, including four on television.
“I feel really good about this,” Pacquiao said. “The fans will like what we do in the ring come March 13.”
Before the fighters broke out into groups and talked to reporters, the Cowboys had used the famed Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders to dance for a crowd of about 500, introduced several retired Cowboys and retired Fort Worth boxers.
Smoke surrounded the fighters when they came out of the same tunnel the football players use.
Each boxer, along with Arum, received a Cowboys jersey. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones even let Pacquiao wear one of his Super Bowl rings.
Late last year, Arum tried to bring a Floyd Mayweather-Pacquiao fight to the stadium, but that fight fell through because of concerns over when blood testing would take place. Jones and Arum then went to Plan B.
“We want to have big fights here,” Jones said. “This is the first step to doing that, and I’m excited we could get a fight like this here.”
Arum said he hopes more than 40,000 fans can attend the bout because the stadium can expand its seating capacity to as much as 80,000.
