Pacquiao primed for title clash

Manny Pacquiao, who is making his first defence of his WBO title, says he is confident he can maintain his speed and power as he moves up in class to fight bigger and stronger opponents.

This will be the second consecutive true welterweight fight for the Filipino superstar who goes into Saturday's bout as the heavy favourite despite giving away a height and an eight centimetre (three inch) reach advantage to Ghana's Joshua Clottey.

Speaking at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday at the new 1.2 billion dollar Cowboys Stadium, Pacquiao insists he is not taking Clottey lightly. DALLAS, Texas, AFP