Filed under: WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, HBO, Showtime, IBO

ARLINGTON, TEX. -- On the evening of May 5, 2009, Manny Pacquiao was sitting in the dressing room following his ferocious, second-round knockout of England's Ricky Hatton at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas.

Suddenly, Pacquiao's cell phone rang.

The call was from David Diaz (pictured above, at right, with Humberto Soto), the man whom Pacquiao had dethroned with a ninth-round in June of 2008 to earn the WBC lightweight (135 pounds) title.

Diaz was phoning to thank Pacquiao for the new, highlight-reel stoppage of Hatton -- the one he figured would be used in future bouts promoting the Filipino superstar.

In between the stoppages of Diaz and Hatton, Pacquiao had, similarly, made Oscar De La Hoya remain on his stool between the eighth and ninth rounds.

But De La Hoya quit. He wasn't devastatingly dismantled and dropped like Diaz or Hatton.

And the way Hatton went out, Diaz was confident that Pacquiao's senasational blowout of the Englishman would supplant his own demise Pacquiao's hands as the replay of record for future HBO highlights.

Diaz was correct.

"I sure did call him, and I told him to stop using my highlight and to start using Ricky Hatton's," said the 33-year-old Diaz, a southpaw who resides in Chicago.

 

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Filed under: WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, HBO, Showtime, FanHouse Exclusive, IBO

ARLINGTON, TEX. -- For Manny Pacquiao, the secret to beating Joshua Clottey is no longer that.

The Filipino superstar's trainer, Freddie Roach, revealed a source of his supreme confidence that has resulted in what what they consider to be a perfect strategy during a press conference at The Dallas Cowboys' Stadium on Wednesday, where Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 knockouts) will defend his WBO welterweight (147 pounds) title against Clottey (35-3, 20 KOs) on Saturday night on HBO pay per view.

His name, said Roach, is Abdullai Amidu.

"[Amidu] was our best sparring partner because he fights a lot like his teammate at one time, Joshua Clottey," said Roach. "They know each other very well. And they have the same style."

 

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Filed under: HBO, Media Watch

In the United States, Saturday night's Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey fight is viewed by many as a mismatch, with Clottey playing a role of part sacrificial lamb, part placeholder for Floyd Mayweather Jr. The betting odds list Pacquiao as an enormous -800 favorite. Pacquiao winning, it seems, is a sure thing.

But the folks in Pacquiao's native Philippines don't seem to feel so confident.

 

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Filed under: WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, HBO, Showtime, IBO

ARLINGTON, TEX -- It seems farfetched, but the lure of stardom could yet abort -- if not slightly delay -- Manny Pacquiao's entrance into the ring against Joshua Clottey on Saturday night -- that is, if the Filipino superstar who moonlights as a nightclub singer sees his large, face on the monstrous vide screen that will be over the ring at The Dallas Cowboys' Stadium.

Known for his penchant for holding post-fight concernts with his band -- not to mention most recently on Jimmy Kimmel Live -- Pacquiao hinted that he might just be tempted to break into song during his ring walk.

 

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Filed under: Boxing Video, FanHouse Exclusive

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

Effi Schneider once sparred with a newly-turned-pro, Oscar De La Hoya, and he has the video to prove it. A former professional fighter, Schneider left his family and friends in Israel in the early 1990's to pursue his career. He wound up in East Los Angeles, where he trained with young fighters such as De La Hoya and Sugar Shane Mosley.

 

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