Exclusive Boxing Interview: Joshua Clottey

Click for larger image © Tom Casino Showtime Boxing

Saddoboxing had the opportunity to have an exclusive phone interview with Joshua Clottey 29-1 (18) who will face Antonio Margarito 33-4 (24) in his first major championship bout for the WBO Welterweight title this weekend at Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ. Clottey seemed relaxed during the interview and not at all nervous about his co-main event feature to be broadcast on Showtime before the Miguel Cotto v Carlos Quintana fight.

Clottey’s one loss of his career was by disqualification against Carlos Baldomir (yes, the same modern day Cinderella Man that defeated Zab Judah, Arturo Gatti and faced Floyd Mayweather this year) back in 1999 when the referee stopped the bout in the eleventh round for repeatedly leading with his head. During the stoppage Clottey was ahead on all score cards and would have clearly won the fight. He has moved past that disqualification and is determined to keep his career on track and become the WBO Welterweight Champion on Saturday night.

SaddoBoxing: Joshua, how are you? Thank you for taking the time to speak with me. Do you feel you are ready for this weekend?

Joshua Clottey: I’m fine. No problem. Yeah, yeah I’m ready.

SB: What type of things have you been doing in training camp to prepare?

JC: I have been in training camp for a long time and I have done so many things that I have never done before. So, I think this fight is going to be decided by and I’m gonna win.

SB: Have you been doing anything specific to train for Margarito?

JC: Well I’m coming in there to do battle. Right now I don’t know what he is coming to do in the ring. It’s gonna be war so if it’s gonna be war I’ll be able to fight that style fight. But if he’s gonna change than I will have to change my style too.

SB: I believe Margarito is your first Welterweight bout against a top 20 ranked fighter. What are you expecting from the significant step up in competition?

JC: Yeah you know I am expecting a lot because he is the champion. If you are the champion you always fight hard. I respect him but I am going to beat him.

SB: Why did you and your camp decide to take the Margarito fight instead of perhaps gradually increasing the competition fighting a top 20 then maybe a top 10 ranked fighter?

JC: We wanted to fight for a championship.

SB: If you don’t mind I would like to let your fans know what thoughts a fighter thinks about going into their first major championship bout. What have your thoughts been as the championship fight approaches?

JC: This is my first championship fight. If you are my mother, my brother, my father or my friend you are definitely going to tell me that this is the first opportunity for you so don’t miss it. I don’t want to miss it. I want to do everything to win it because it’s my first opportunity. It’s good for me if I win it because it’s good for my nation, Ghana.

SB: Do you consider both possibilities of winning and loosing and how that will affect your career?

JC: No, no, I respect the tradition of American (boxing) people. What they do, they are always going to support you even if you lose. But trust me this fight I am going to fight on Saturday is going to be something, trust me I will fight everything that I know and I will win, that is a promise.

SB: Speaking of you career you seem to have been a very busy fighter early on and then took some time off after your DQ loss to Carlos Baldomir. Why did you take off so much time before facing your next opponent?

JC: It’s like no matter who you are, whoever you are, you don’t know what can happen in your career. My first concern was to think about what happened and take some time off.

SB: You were ahead on all the scorecards before the DQ during the Baldomir fight, do you ever think of what he has accomplished in the past year and that you were able to beat him on points up until the DQ?

JC: I thought about it all the time because you know I was winning and I don’t think that the referee supposed to do that. He never warned me and he disqualified me while I was ahead on the scorecards. I think about it and that is why I stayed in Ghana for a long time before fighting in England again. Now it’s in the past and everything is going to be alright.

SB: I am not an advocate of ever looking past your next opponent but are there other fights you would look forward to beyond Margarito?

JC: I am not looking past Margarito. I am going to beat him. I am not looking past him and I am not calling on anybody to fight if I beat Margarito, if I beat him that’s it.

SB: What can we expect to see when you face Margarito?

JC: They know Margarito is a tough fighter. Everybody knows. He is not that extraordinary he is just a tough fighter, a guy who has a heart to fight. No matter who you are if you haven’t got the heart you are not going to go too far. He had the heart to become champion and I respect that. It is not going to be an easy fight, as well as me it is like determination. I am going to do everything it takes for me to win.

SB: Would you like to offer any predictions on how you will win the fight?

JC: No I am not going to predict. You know everybody has got problems in boxing, some people that don’t got a jaw, some people don’t have a body, if you go to their body they can’t do anything so if I fight him and I found out his weakness in the ring I am going to use that and knock him out, but if that is not gonna happen I will win on decision.

SB: It has been a pleasure speaking with you and I wish you the best of luck on Saturday and in your career.

JC: Thank you very much.