Heroes & Villains

It's fight night, Texas style! Seven-time champion Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines, the man considered as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, takes on Joshua Clottey (35-3, 21 KOs) of Ghana tonight in the first major boxing event held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The tale of the tape:
-- Age: Pacquiao 31; Clottey 32
-- Weight: Pacquiao 145 3/4; Clottey 147
-- Height: Pacquiao 5-6 1/2; Clottey 5-8
-- Reach: Pacquiao 67"; Clottey 70"
-- Stance: Pacquiao (southpaw); Clottey (orthodox)
-- Pro Record: Pacquiao 50-3-2, 38 KOs; Clottey 35-3, 21 KOs)

The preliminary bouts will start at 6 p.m. PST. The live round-by-round coverage, with my scores for each round, will begin at approximately 8 p.m. PST. on this site: SportsFanLive.com/heroesvillains

-- 6:50 p.m. PST: John Buddy scores a split decision over Michael Medina in the first prelim bout of the night. Pacquiao and Clottey are in their respective dressing rooms getting their hands wrapped.

-- 6:58 p.m. PST: Second prelim bout between Jose Luis Castillo, a former two-time lightweight champion, and Alfonso Gomez is about to start.

-- 7:10 p.m. PST: Middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik in the house!

-- 7:22 p.m. PST: Castillo didn't answer the bell in fourth round, awarding the fight to Gomez. Up next, Humberto Soto takes on David Diaz.

-- 7:54 p.m. PST: Two former Cowboys coaches, Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer, sitting ringside. Deion Sanders is also among the growing crowd that could exceed well over 50,000.

-- 8:22 p.m. PST: Soto scores unanimous decision over Diaz. Up next, the main event!

-- 8:25 p.m. PST: Soraya Simons singing the national anthem for Ghana.

-- 8:27 p.m. PST: Arnel Pineda singing the national anthem for the Philippines.

-- 8:29 p.m. PST: Three Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders singing the Star Spangled Banner.

-- 8:33 p.m. PST: The announced crowd of 50,994 is the third-largest crowd to ever attend a boxing match in history. Ali-Spinks in 1978 at the Louisiana Superdome holds the record at 63,000-plus.

-- 8:36 p.m. PST: Clottey enters the ring first. He looks relaxed and skipping to the beat of his chosen music.

-- 8:38 p.m. PST: Pacquiao enters the ring with AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" blasting in the background. The crowd is predominantly pro-Pacquiao.

-- 8:41 p.m. PST: Micheal Buffer with the official introduction.

-- 8:44 p.m. PST: Let's get ready to rumble!

ROUND 1: Both fighters start out very cautious. Pacquiao goes to the body early with some left hooks. Clottey using the left jab but hasn't connected a significant punch. A very safe opening round for both fighters. Pacquiao did enough to win the round. Round goes to Pacquiao, 10-9

ROUND 2: Clottey is fighting a very conservative fight so far. Clottey connects with the jab, but Pacquiao counters with a straight left. Pacquiao is trying to engage Clottey into a punch-for-punch battle, but Clottey continues to play it safe. Pacquiao staggers Clottey with a combination. Pacquiao finishes the round with a flurry of punches. Round goes to Pacquiao, 10-9.

ROUND 3: Pacquiao lands a straight left that grazes Clottey's gloves. Clottey lands a straight right, his first significant punch of the fight. Pacquiao is the busier fighter, but Clottey blocks the punches with his gloves. Clottey is giving Pacquiao way too much respect. Clottey lands a hard right hand. Best punch of the fight for the man from Ghana. Pacquiao pushes Clottey into the corner with a right-left combination, but Clottey recovers. Round goes to Clottey, 10-9.

ROUND 4: It's obvious that Clottey is going to outbox Pacquiao and is not going to get caught in a slugfest. Pacquiao's best punch is a straight left to the body. Pacquiao moves Clottey into the ropes with a barrage of punches, including a unique simultaneous right-left punch that both land on Clottey's cheek. Pacquiao peppers Clottey with two hard body shots. Round goes to Pacquiao, 10-9.

ROUND 5: Clottey lands a straight right. Pacquiao goes to the body again and back up top with a right uppercut. Pacquiao continues to pound Clottey's body, and the fight is beginning to look one-sided in favor of the Filipino champ. Pacquiao forces Clottey into the ropes with consecutive punches. Another round to Pacquiao, 10-9.

ROUND 6: Pacquiao has won four of the first five rounds so far. Clottey scores a left-right combo and forces Pacquiao into the ropes, a rare sight in this fight. Pacquiao moves the action back into the center of the ring where he continues to dominate. Pacquiao scores with a right hook to the body and a straight left to the face. Pacquiao is landing more power shots, most of them to the body, and his speed is clearly bothering Clottey. Round goes to Pacquiao, 10-9.

ROUND 7: Clottey refuses to open up and remains very conservative. Pacquiao continues to pound the body with right hooks, trying to get Clottey to drop his hands. Pacquiao's quick combo punches moves Clottey into the ropes, but Clottey manages to move the right back into the center of the ring. Pacquiao pushes Clottey into the corner again, but none of the punches did any damage. Pacquiao did enough to win the round. Round goes to Pacquiao, 10-9.

ROUND 8: Pacquiao has a minor swelling below his right eye. Pacquiao tries to pound the body, but Clottey blocks each one of them. Pacquiao connects on two uppercuts and two straight lefts. Clottey lands a straight right at the end of the round, but Pacquiao doesn't flinch. Round goes to Pacquiao, 10-9.

ROUND 9: At this point of the fight, Clottey needs a knockout to win. Clottey connects with a straight right to begin the round. Pacquiao lands four consecutive shots and moves Clottey into the ropes. The fight looks like a sparring session for the seven-time world champ and it doesn't appear that Clottey will come out of his defensive shell. Round goes to Pacquiao, 10-9.

ROUND 10: Pacquiao lands a right hook and a straight left to the head. Clottey remains very careful and is economical with his punches. Clottey lands two shots to the head. Pacquiao tries to blitz Clottey with a right-left combo, but Clottey was able to fend off the attack. Very close round. Round goes to Pacquiao, the more aggressive fighter, 10-9.

ROUND 11: Clottey lands a left hook to the head and a straight right that stopped Pacquiao from moving in. Clottey's best round since Round 3. Clottey lands an uppercut, but Pacquiao counters with a right hook and a left cross to the head. Another close round, and could have gone either way. Round goes to Clottey, 10-9, but I'm being generous.

ROUND 12: Accidental headbutt stops the action momentarily. Clottey lands a left hook, but Pacquiao doesn't budge. Pacquiao is clearly the more superior fighter and Clottey is no match for his speed and movement. Pacquiao finishes the fight with a barrage of punches that gets the crowd going. Round goes to Pacquiao, 10-9.

-- 9:37 p.m. PST: It's official. Pacquiao scores a unanimous decision over Clottey.

Pacquiao tells Max Kellerman that it wasn't an easy fight. "He's a very tough opponent. He's very strong," Pacquiao says of Clottey. "He was looking for the big shot. He's a counter-puncher."

Clottey says about Pacquiao: "He has speed. He's fast. He's waiting for me to open, but he's just too fast."

Pacquiao on fighting Floyd Mayweather Jr.: "I don't think he's ready to fight. If not, maybe Mosley and I will fight."

Pacquiao improves to 51-3-2 and Clottey drops to 35-4. As expected, both Pacquiao and Freddie Roach call out Mayweather.