Opportunity Knocks Twice for Ghana’s Joshua Clottey
By Don Palacas
After the first four rounds of his December 12, 2006 fight with Antonio Margarito who was at that time known as ‘The most feared man in boxing’, unheralded Joshua Clottey from Accra, Ghana was making easy work of the rugged Margarito. Effectively counter-punching, ripping vicious left hooks and jabs, landing four and five punch combinations to the body and head of his opponent and flustering Margarito with his excellent defense. It appeared it would be an easy night.
The tide changed in the fifth round however as Clottey came out in a shell defense. Commentator Al Bernstein suggested that Clottey might have been playing possum but it turned out the hand injury he suffered in training two weeks prior to the fight flared up again causing him to be unable to effectively use his left hand. Clottey went on to lose the fight in a unanimous decision.
Since the disappointing defeat Clottey has won five bouts in a row and in his most recent fight he defeated Brooklyn Veteran Zab Judah to become the IBF Welterweight champion of the World. Clottey has earned himself a second chance to arrive on the world’s stage. On June 13 at the famous Madison Square Garden in New York City on the eve of the Puerto Rican day parade, his opponent will be the highly skilled WBO champion Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico on HBO. Cotto is coming off his first defeat in which he was stopped by the now suspended Antonio Margarito. Clottey feels the trauma from that defeat still lingers in Cotto’s mind and he plans to take full advantage of it by pressing the action early and often as Cotto ultimately wilted from the pressure Margarito applied in their fight.
Ghana has produced past boxing greats in Ike Quartey and Azumah Nelson and can add another champion to the list if Clottey is successful on June 13. This is likely his last chance at superstardom, lose and he will like go back being to a fringe contender, a win will mean millions of dollars and mega fights against the likes of Shane Mosley, Manny Pacquiao and even Floyd Mayweather.
The challenge will be daunting; Clottey will face an environment the likes of which he has never seen. 18,000 raucous fans rooting for Cotto, intimidating most but not Clottey. The Ghanaian has been through so much in his boxing career and won’t let this opportunity pass him by. He won’t be intimidated as he carries the hopes and dreams of a nation with him and Ghanaians will be rooting for him loudly an ocean away.
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