Pacquiao is confident vs. Clottey

Associated Press

ARLINGTON, Texas

Manny Pacquiao arrived at Cowboys Stadium on Wednesday in a bus skinned with his likeness, the seats filled with members of his entourage.

He walked into the formal part of his appearance wearing a snazzy straw hat and a dark blazer. He quickly swapped the sports coat for a red jacket featuring his MP logo in golden thread.

He talked about his upcoming election for Congress in his homeland, the Philippines.

He talked about singing — rehearsing with his band the night before, with another session later Wednesday night, all in preparation for a performance at the after-party following his fight Saturday night.

Oh, yeah. The fight.

Billed as “The Event,” Pacquiao is facing Joshua Clottey on Saturday night in boxing’s debut at the $1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium.

It’s an intriguing matchup perfect for a football stadium — Pacquiao’s furious offense against Clottey’s dedication to defense — and it’ll look amazing on the 72-foot-high, 160-foot-wide video boards towering over the ring.

A sellout crowd of 45,000 is expected, with the attendance possibly soaring if Cowboys owner Jerry Jones decides to sell standing-room-only tickets. And, of course, there’s the pay-per-view audience that promoter Bob Arum said is likely to top the hoped-for total of 700,000.

“I’m inspired to give a good show, to do my best,” Pacquiao said. “To impress the people, you have to make your best [effort].”

Then trainer Freddie Roach jumped in, cranking up the hype.

“There’s no stage big enough for Manny Pacquiao,” Roach said. “He loves it, and I love it. He’s going to perform for the crowd.”