MANILA, Philippines - Even Malacañang Palace is giving its two cents' worth on Filipino boxing champ Manny Pacquiao's upcoming fight against Ghanaian fighter Joshua Clottey this weekend.

In a press conference, Deputy Presidential Spokesman Gary Olivar said the pound-for-pound king should watch out for the "dirty tactics" of Clottey in the March 13 bout.

"We fully expect mananalo ulit si Manny, wag lang sana siya masasaktan sa mga dirty tricks ni Clottey," Olivar told reporters.

Olivar urged the Filipino public to set aside politics this weekend and root for the Philippines' very own Pambansang Kamao. "Manny is a Filipino we can proud off. He is a national treasure. Secondary lang pulitika dito," he said.

The 31-year-old Pacquiao is staking his WBO world welterweight title against Clottey, a former International Boxing Federation (IBF) welterweight champion, in the March 13 bout in Dallas, Texas.

A crowd of 45,000 is expected for Saturday's fight which will showcase Pacquiao's blazing hand speed and quick footwork against Clottey's strength and ring savvy. It is the first time that a boxing card has been held in the new home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys. With Agence France-Presse