By Lem Satterfield - Top Rank Promoter Bob Arum and his stepson, Top Rank president Todd duBoef, were in Arlington, Texas, where they were in the box suite of Dallas Cowboys' Stadium owner Jerry Jones alongside former president George Walker Bush, and his wife Laura, watching Jones' Cowboys play Saturday night's NFL playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles.The Cowboys won their first playoff game since 1996, 34-14.
Arum and duBoef flew in on Saturday morning "to close the deal" for a March 13 bout between seven-division champion and WBO welterweight (147 pounds) king Manny Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 knockouts) and challenger Joshua Clottey (35-3, 20 KOs), of the Bronx by way of Accra Ghana that Jones hopes to hold at his $1.2 billion stadium.
The Pacquiao-Clottey deal "is 98 percent done," Pacquiao's adviser, Michael Koncz, told FanHouse on Friday, adding, "for all intent and purposes, it's a done deal."
Arum said that both fighters have agreed in principle to the terms, even as neither has signed a formal contract. Arum expects that he and duBoef will meet privately with Jones on Sunday and finalize the site details.
"This is the most unbelievable facility in the world, and I'm sure that tomorrow, we'll have a formal meeting to get all of the terms done. This will be the biggest statement for the sport of boxing, ever," said Arum, who plans to hold a press conference to announce the fight on Jan. 18 at the Dallas Stadium, followed by another on Jan. 19 in New York.
Pacquiao is expected to be in Los Angeles to begin preparing for the fight at the nearby Wild Card Boxing Club of his trainer, Freddie Roach, in Hollywood by Jan. 17.
"I'm definitely going to sign for it tomorrow and finalize the deal tomorrow," said Arum. "And on Jan. 18, all of the Dallas Cowboys' cheerleaders are going to be there. This is going to be absolutely huge."
Arum said that he was invited to go down onto the field prior to the game, and that he and duBoef spent the entire evening partying alongside George and Laura Bush.
"I think that he's [Bush] going to come to the fight. He said that he 'loves Pacquiao.' He 'loves Pacquiao.' I was talking to him for like a long time, me and Todd. He was sitting with us in Jerry Jones' box," said Arum, a Democrat who said that he also spent some time with controversial, conservative radio talk-show host, Rush Limbaugh, who, like Bush, is a Republican.
"This has nothing to do with politics. We were talking like old buddies at halftime. As long as you've got fight fans who are enthusiastic, I don't care what their politics are," said Arum. "They introduced Bush to the crowd, and he got a standing ovation from the fans. I'm so enthused with what I've seen, that I know that this is going to be something really, really special."
Arum first called FanHouse about 30 minutes before game time.
"I'm in the box right now, sitting here with Jerry Jones. It's a great atmosphere," said Arum, 78. "And Jerry says that if it's a blowout for the Cowboys, he'll promise to put me in the game -- so make sure you're watching."
Arum wasn't too disappointed that he never got to play.
Pacquiao-Clottey will replace a previously scheduled blockbuster fight between the 31-year-old Pacquiao and 32-year-old Floyd Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) that was proposed for March 13 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, which reached a negotiations impasse over how the fighters would be drug-tested. Jones had bid $25 million to host Mayweather-Pacquiao, but lost out to the MGM.
The domed stadium seats 80,000, but is expandable enough so that it can hold up to 111,000. Its highlight is a monstrous high-definition screen known as "Jerry-Tron," and believed to be the largest in the world. The stadium also has a retractable ceiling that protects against rain, which Arum said was pulled over to cover last night's contest.
In addition, the stadium boasts over 3,000 Sony LCD displays throughout the luxury suites, concourses, concession areas and more, allowing fans the ability to watch the action beyond just the field. It is unclear whether any or all of the displays will be operating on fight night.
"We'll set it up for 50,000 people, because it really sets up brilliantly for 50,000 people," said Arum. "It's going to be absolutely spectacular. It's like an indoor arena."
Arum called back again after the Cowboys lead, 7-0, at 14:09 of the second quarter thanks to Tony Romo's 3-yard scoring pass to Shaun Phillips that ended a four-play, 55-yard drive.
"This place is absolutely awesome, I mean you should see it," said Arum, screaming above the boisterous Cowboys' fans in the background, not long before Dallas went ahead, 14-7, with 9:14 left before halftime on a 1-yard run by Tashard Choice.
"The crowd is unbelievable. This is going to be incredible," said Arum. "This stadium, I'm telling you, with this fight, we're going to pack this place."
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
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