The rematch between Victor Ortiz and Andre Berto is being targeted for June 30.
Pacquiao weighs in heaviest of career
|
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Everything is bigger in Texas and that includes the star of Saturday’s welterweight showdown. The few thousand fans who congregated around the East Plaza of Cowboys Stadium, where the weigh-in for the Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey card took place on Friday, witnessed the Filipino icon weigh the heaviest of his hall-of-fame career. Pacquiao, who will attempt to defend the 147-pound title he won from Miguel Cotto last November against Clottey inside the megalithic stadium, weighed in at 145¾ pounds. It was only the third time in his career that he weighed over 140 pounds. Pacquiao weighed 142 pounds for Oscar De La Hoya; 144 for Cotto. He weighed in at 138 for his junior welterweight fight with Ricky Hatton. Clottey tipped the scales at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds. The Ghanaian contender, who looked a little dried out, is expected to replenish himself up to about 160 pounds by fight time. Pacquiao’s handlers want him to come in just under 150 pounds on fight night. Among the interested observers were Academy-award winner Robert Duval and former welterweight titleholder Antonio Margarito, who is still without a boxing license after having it revoked last year for attempting to load his hand wraps before the Shane Mosley fight. Bob Arum, who had hoped to add Margarito to the Pacquiao-Clottey undercard before backing off, announced the disgraced fighter to the crowd to mostly cheers but also some jeers of “Cheater!” and “Hands of stone!” Though he may be a pariah to English-speaking media, Margarito was positively received by the Spanish-language press and most of the on-site boxing establishment, including Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and announcer Michael Buffer, who MC’d the weigh-in. Before the main event fighters weighed in, the entire wall of the east side of Cowboys Stadium opened up like giant glass and steel curtains to reveal the spectacular interior of the billion-dollar venue. The peak may have enticed some of the crowd to buy “Party Passes” -- $35 standing room only tickets -- to Saturday’s fight. THE UNDERCARD Former titleholder David Diaz weighed in at 134 pounds for his lightweight title fight with former 130-pound beltholder Humberto Soto, who tipped the scales at 134¼ pounds. Two-time former lightweight champ Jose Luis Castillo came in at 144 pounds for his welterweight fight with Alfonzo Gomez, who weighed 145 pounds. John Duddy weighed 160 pounds for his middleweight fight with Michael Medina, who weighed 155½ pounds. Local junior featherweight prospect Roberto Marroquin weighed 122 pounds for his non-televised eight rounder against fellow Dallas native Samuel Sanchez, who also weighed 122 pounds. Sal Sanchez, the nephew of the late great featherweight of the same name, weighed in at 125¾ pounds for his non-televised tilt with Jaime Villa, who weighed 127 pounds. |
