bhorn@dallasnews.com
Apparently Manny Pacquiao hopes to make it back-to-back bouts at Cowboys Stadium. And if promoter Bob Arum is correct, the crowd for a Nov. 13 fight against Antonio Margarito would dwarf the 50,994 that watched Pacquiao easily handle Joshua Clottey in March.
"I think we could look to do 70,000 people," Arum said from Los Angeles on Monday. "Clottey had no fan base. Margarito has a huge fan base of Mexican-Americans."
Margarito was born in California but lives in Tijuana.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he is looking forward to opening his stadium's upper deck for the fight. It was closed for the March 13 fight.
Clottey, from Ghana, was a solitary figure as he moved around the Dallas area in the days leading up to his loss by unanimous decision. The Philippines' Pacquiao may or may not be the world's best pound-for-pound fighter, but he's definitely the most popular.
Arum is set to be in Dallas on Wednesday night to discuss details of the promotion with Jones. Arum and Jones agreed that earlier reports that the fight would not take place at Cowboys Stadium were a result of a misunderstanding.
There is, however, a hurdle in the way of Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs) meeting Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs) for the vacant WBC 154-pound title. The boxing license of Margarito, a former WBA 147-pound champion, was suspended by the California State Athletic Commission because his hands were illegally wrapped in a January 2009 bout. He lost that fight and a chance to win the WBA 154-pound title with a lackluster effort to Shane Mosley.
Margarito has fought once since. He won a unanimous decision over Roberto Garcia in Mexico. Margarito has a California licensing hearing scheduled for Aug. 18.
Jones said he is hopeful that California will approve Margarito but noted that the Texas licensing body could approve Margarito even if California turns him down.
"We think we can satisfy any of Texas' questions," Jones said. "We know there is real enthusiasm for this fight."
A gentleman's agreement between boxing regulatory agencies usually requires the state where a fighter was suspended to license him before he fights elsewhere in the U.S..
Arum said the fight would be televised on pay-per-view by HBO, which will promote Pacquiao-Margarito with its popular prefight 24/7 series that follows the boxers in the weeks leading up to the bout. Arum said on the Sunday before the fight CBS' 60 Minutes is planning to profile Pacquiao, who has won titles in seven weight classes and was elected to the Filipino House of Representatives in May.
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