Joshua Clottey is a Ghanaian professional boxer. Born in
AccraAccra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
,
GhanaGhana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, Clottey now lives in the Bronx,
New YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He is the former
IBFThe International Boxing Federation or IBF is one of four major organizations recognized by IBHOF which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the WBA, WBC and WBO.- History :...
welterweight champion. He's also the brother of veteran boxers Judas Clottey and
Emmanuel ClotteyEmmanuel Atukwei Clottey is a Ghanaian professional footballer, who currently plays for Ghana Premier League club Berekum Chelsea and the Ghana national team.- Career :...
.
Early life
As a child in his native Ghana, Clottey had a passion for football, a sport that was also played by his father. Clottey moved and spent a few years in the United Kingdom then later to the United States.
Welterweight
Clottey rose to prominence by winning his first twenty fights, including 14 by knockout. His performance set him up to fight Carlos Baldomir, in a title defense by Baldomir for the WBC international welterweight title. Clottey lost by disqualification in a controversial fight. Clottey was winning until the 10th round, where he was penalized two points for an intentional head butt. He was warned for this but did it again resulting in the referee stopping the fight and disqualifying Clottey.
Clottey rebounded from the loss by winning the African Boxing Union welterweight title in his next fight. He then rolled off a 10 fight winning streak highlighted by his first win on American soil and capture of several minor welterweight and middleweight titles. The streak culminated in an IBF intercontinental welterweight title. On December 2, 2006, Clottey earned his first shot at a world title but broke his hand in the fourth round of his fight against
World Boxing OrganizationThe World Boxing Organization is a sanctioning organization currently recognizing professional boxing world champions. The organization is recognized as one of the four major world championship groups by the IBHOF alongside the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Council and the...
champion
Antonio MargaritoAntonio Margarito Montiel is a Mexican professional boxer. He is a former WBA, WBO, & IBF welterweight champion...
. On April 7, 2007, Clottey earned a unanimous decision over
Diego CorralesDiego "Chico" Corrales was an American boxer.He was the WBC, WBO, & The Ring lightweight champion, and the WBO & IBF super featherweight champion....
, in what was Corrales's final fight before his death. In December 2007, Clottey positioned himself for another title shot with a win over prospect Shamone Alvarez. Clottey beat
Zab JudahZabdiel Judah is an American professional boxer. Judah has won five world titles between the junior welterweight and welterweight divisions, and is a former undisputed welterweight champion....
on August 2, 2008, for the IBF welterweight title vacated by Antonio Margarito.
Clottey vs Cotto
On June 13, 2009 Clottey faced
Miguel CottoMiguel Ángel Cotto Vázquez is a Puerto Rican professional boxer and the reigning WBA light middleweight champion. He is the younger brother of contender Jose Miguel Cotto and cousin of Abner Cotto...
in
New YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
at
Madison Square GardenMadison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
for the WBO welterweight title. Cotto dropped Clottey in the first with a jab. Cotto was cut in the third round by an accidental head butt. Clottey's combinations throughout the fight gave Cotto problems. Cotto emerged the winner with a split decision.
Clottey vs Pacquiao: The Event
Clottey fought
seven-division world championIn different sports when a sportsman wins seven crowns, titles, medals, belts or another distinctions is called a Septuple Champion.-Boxing:In boxing, a septuple champion is a boxer who has won world titles in seven different weight classes....
Manny PacquiaoEmmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao, PLH is a Filipino professional boxer and politician. He is the first eight-division world champion; having won six world titles, as well as the first to win the lineal championship in four different weight classes. He was named "Fighter of the Decade" for the...
on March 13, 2010 in
Arlington, TexasArlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas within the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. According to the 2010 census results, the city had a population of 365,438, making it the third largest municipality in the Metroplex...
, at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium following the disagreement on terms of a proposed boxing match between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. which would have been scheduled on the same date in
Las Vegas, NevadaLas Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. Clottey lost to Pacquiao by unanimous decision. Pacquiao threw a total of 1204 punches in the fight, while Clottey threw a total of 399 punches, 291 missed and 108 hit Manny.
Fighting style
A tough, orthodox fighter, Clottey has a balanced combination of size, speed, stamina, power, ring savvy, and a solid chin. In addition, he is an accurate, efficient puncher with effective countering ability. His defensive skills are top notch; he stands upright while holding his arms and gloves high to protect himself, which is similar to
Winky WrightRonald Lamont "Winky" Wright is an American boxer, the former undisputed world light middleweight champion and a current middleweight contender....
's defensive stance. As a result of his defensive prowess, has yet to lose via a knockout. His only four losses were a DQ loss to Carlos Baldomir, a unanimous decision loss to
Antonio MargaritoAntonio Margarito Montiel is a Mexican professional boxer. He is a former WBA, WBO, & IBF welterweight champion...
, a split decision loss to
Miguel CottoMiguel Ángel Cotto Vázquez is a Puerto Rican professional boxer and the reigning WBA light middleweight champion. He is the younger brother of contender Jose Miguel Cotto and cousin of Abner Cotto...
, and a unanimous decision loss to
Manny PacquiaoEmmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao, PLH is a Filipino professional boxer and politician. He is the first eight-division world champion; having won six world titles, as well as the first to win the lineal championship in four different weight classes. He was named "Fighter of the Decade" for the...
.
Professional boxing record
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="8"|
36 Wins (21 Knockouts),
4 Defeats,
0 Draws
|- style="text-align:center; background:#e3e3e3;"
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|
Res.
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|
Record
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|
Opponent
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|
Type
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|
Rd., Time
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|
Date
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|
Location
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|
Notes
|- align=center
|Win
|36-4
|align=left|
Calvin Green
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Loss
|35-4
|align=left|
Philippines Manny PacquiaoEmmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao, PLH is a Filipino professional boxer and politician. He is the first eight-division world champion; having won six world titles, as well as the first to win the lineal championship in four different weight classes. He was named "Fighter of the Decade" for the...
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Loss
|35-3
|align=left|
Puerto Rico Miguel CottoMiguel Ángel Cotto Vázquez is a Puerto Rican professional boxer and the reigning WBA light middleweight champion. He is the younger brother of contender Jose Miguel Cotto and cousin of Abner Cotto...
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|35-2
|align=left|
United States Zab JudahZabdiel Judah is an American professional boxer. Judah has won five world titles between the junior welterweight and welterweight divisions, and is a former undisputed welterweight champion....
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|34-2
|align=left|
Mexico José Luis Cruz
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|33-2
|align=left|
United States Shamone Alvarez
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|32-2
|align=left|
Puerto Rico Felix FloresFelix Flores is a professional boxer.Flores, who fights out of Puerto Rico, has been featured numerous times on Telemundo. In February 2005, Flores got his first loss on March 30, 1996 vs...
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|31-2
|align=left|
United States Diego CorralesDiego "Chico" Corrales was an American boxer.He was the WBC, WBO, & The Ring lightweight champion, and the WBO & IBF super featherweight champion....
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Loss
|30-2
|align=left|
Mexico Antonio MargaritoAntonio Margarito Montiel is a Mexican professional boxer. He is a former WBA, WBO, & IBF welterweight champion...
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|30-1
|align=left|
Colombia Richard GutierrezRichard Kristian Rama Gutierrez, popularly known as Richard Gutierrez , is a television actor and commercial model who works in Filipino productions.-Biography:Gutierrez is the son of Eduardo P...
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
External links