DALLAS, Texas, CMC – Joshua Clottey, who stopped Barbadian Christopher “Shaka” Henry back in 2004, faces the toughest test of his career in March when he meets reigning pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium. The 12-round showdown is slated for March 13 at the new US$1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium that seats 40,000.
Clottey stopped Henry in the first round of their North American Boxing Council (NABC) welterweight title bout back in July 2004 at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Nevada and has since gone on to build an illustrious record at 35 wins, with 20 knockouts, against just three defeats. He now meets the hottest fighter in boxing, who is coming off the biggest wins of his career; over legend Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto
Pacquiao was originally slated to fight unbeaten American Floyd Mayweather Jr. before a row over drug and urine sampling put an end to the negotiations between the prized fighters. Pacquiao, from the Philippines, now shifts his attention to the hard hitting Ghanaian, who suffered a close loss to Puerto Rican Cotto in his last fight.
Pacquiao stopped Cotto in a 12-round war in Las Vegas last November and now wants to test his abilities against Clottey who is known as a brutal puncher.
His win over Cotto for the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) record boosted his record to 50 wins (38 knockouts) against three losses and two draws and Pacquiao is widely regarded – alongside Mayweather — as the world’s best, pound for pound.
Clottey claimed the International Boxing Federation (IBF) welterweight title in 2008 by defeating American Zab Judah but lost a split decision to Cotto last June.