Big Fight at the Big Stadium

By Robbie Pangilinan
Manila Times, Official Press Representative
Manny Paquiao vs Joshua Clotty
MARCH 10, 2010



What could be the biggest boxing event of the year will be held on March 13 at the Cowboys Stadium in Texas.


Boxing icon Manny Pacquiao will defend his WBO welterweight title against Joshua Clottey in the stadium where Pacquiao was supposed to face the undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. in an unofficial bout to decide who is the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world. The fight was aborted when the two camps failed to agree on pre-fight blood-testing protocols.


The Cowboys Stadium is all set to host the Pacquiao-Clottey match. Around 40,000 boxing fans from all around the world are expected to fill the stadium which has a full 100,000 seating capacity. The domed stadium with a retractable roof in Arlington, Texas is the home of the National Football League's (NFL) Dallas Cowboys. Designed by the Dallas-based architectural firm HKS, the $1.15 billion stadium is one of the most expensive sports venues in history.


Completed and opened to the public on May 27, 2009, it is considered the largest domed stadium in the world with the world's largest column-free interior. Its main attraction is a 160 feet wide and 72 feet tall Mitsubishi Electric HDTV, the world’s largest high-definition television screen. This video screen is larger than a basketball court. The stadium also has more than 3,000 Sony LCD screens all around—in the luxury suites, concourses, and concession areas so that fans can enjoy the action wherever they are in the stadium.


The Cowboys Stadium is the newest favorite venue for professional sports events, concerts, and others. Just this month, it hosted the 2010 NBA All-Star Game with a crowd of more than 100,000, the highest-attended basketball game in history. It hosts the annual AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic and won the bid to host Super Bowl XLV in 2011 as well as the WWE WrestleMania XXVIII in 2012 and the NCAA Men's Final Four in 2014.

The Jonas Brothers, Paul McCartney, and U2 are just some world-famous artists who held their concerts at the Cowboys Stadium.


And of course, Manny Pacquiao fights Joshua Clottey on March 13 at the big stadium. Dallas Cowboys and the stadium owner Jerry Jones is reported to have said, “I have wanted to bring a major boxing event to north Texas for many years, so why not bring in the biggest and the best? Manny Pacquiao defending his title against Joshua Clottey is not just a great fight, it's a great event, and one we can showcase to the fullest in Cowboys Stadium.”


Top Rank chairman and Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum also thinks that the stadium is the perfect venue for the fight. He said, “This is the most incredible stadium setting I have ever seen. It is absolutely unbelievable. This is going to be much, much more than just a boxing match. When people see this event and how it will be presented, nothing in the past will ever compare to it.”