By Michael Marley - God may have rested on the seventh day but Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones doesn’t.I just got off the phone, after a handoff by Manny Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum to the Head Cowboy, and Jones confirmed enthusiastically what Arum had just said, that they have concluded everything except writing up the contracts for Pacman to defend his WBO and WBC welterweight titles on March 13 in Arlington, TX., against rugged Ghanaian Joshua Clottey.
Jones could hardly contain his excitement after a whirlwind 48 hour period in which his ‘Boys crushed the Philadelphia Eagles with former President George W. Bush, conservative radio superstar Rush Limbaugh and Arum as his personal guests in the owner’s suites at the sparkling new stadium.
If that Saturday night success wasn’t enough for one weekend, Jones then brunched with Arum and his stepson, Top Rank president Todd duBoef, to put the finishing touches on the deal for the Pinoy Idol’s next fight.
All this was going on while, meanwhile back in Los Angeles, disappointed Floyd Mayweather Jr., rep Richard Schaefer was telling the LA Times that “At 147 pounds, the man to beat is Sugar Shane Mosley. Floyd will take that fight and shut up all those who are saying he is a coward."
“I can confirm to you,” Jones told Examiner.con and Boxingconfidential, “that we have a deal. Bob and I just shook hands on it. We are moving foreward on this right now.
“I’ve always had great respect for Bob, he is a peer of mine. He’s been one of the greatest promoters in the sport of boxing. And I think it’s excellent that we’re now teaming up with him on this great promotion.”
Jones heaped praise on Pacquiao and said he is just as impressed with Megamanny’s character as he is his ring skills.
“He’s an outstanding fighter, no make that a once in a lifetime fighter,” Jones said. “You know we have so many great athletes in the NFL but he’s like some of our athletes who do so much away from the field.
“He’s more than a credit to his sport. I am just so impressed by him and by what he means, what he represents to his country and by what he has accomplished. There is something very special about Manny Pacquiao, that’s for sure. Manny uses his (athletic) gifts in a very admirable way and that is so important.”
Years ago, before he purchased the Dallas franchise, Jones promoted a boxing show in his native Arkansas. He’s certainly taken a quantum leap with this show which will probably include a second Top Rank card the night before the Pacman card and may feature returning Mexican superstar Antonio Margarito in a co-featured bout in the huge stadium.
Obviously, having a Mexican lure will bolster the live gate and Jones said he’s quite aware of that.
“I will tell you something,” Jones said, “because of all our great Hispanic fans, especially the Mexican fans for our football team, I almost named the stadium Vaqueros de Dallas to honor their heritage.
“The bottom line is we will do all we can to have a boxing show which will excite and invite our Mexican fan base.”
Jones told me they plan a Dallas press conference January 18 and will probably add a presser in New York “as well” to properly trumpet the big show.
Source: examiner.com
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