Joshua Clottey primed for one more run but Gabriel Rosado stands in his way
VERONA, N.Y. - Joshua Clottey was squarely sitting on the upper echelon of the sport.
The Ghana native won his first world title with a stoppage of Zab Judah, and then followed up with a split-decision loss to Miguel Cotto in 2009 in a bout many felt he won. Clottey earned the biggest fight of his career with the performance, a big-money matchup with Manny Pacquiao.
But Clottey (39-4, 22 KOs) gave a dreadful effort in the bout, lost every round and threw nary a punch. He instead covered up in a shell and made for a boring fight in front of a massive crowd at Cowboys Stadium on HBO PPV.
It was just one bad showing, but Clottey never recovered from it. More than five years latter, Clottey, now 38, has fought just four times, all low-profile bouts off American television. But he has a chance to return to the spotlight. He faces Gabriel Rosado on Saturday at Turning Stone Resort & Casino on HBO Latino at a catchweight of 158 pounds, and a victory could put him back in the mix for meaningful bouts.
"This is another fight and I approach it like all my other fights: I train hard, eat correctly, get my rest properly and win," Clottey said. "I know Gabe is very tough and always comes to fight so I expect a hard fight from him. I just will need to stay focused and I do what I need to in order to win.
"I want to be a world champion again, and I believe my experience will help me be one again and know I can do that by winning this fight."
Clottey is something of a question mark after long periods of inactivity. But he showed he has something left last year with a six-knockdown decision win over Anthony Mundine. He'll be the much smaller man Saturday, but at his best, is a different level of fighter than Rosado.
Rosado (21-9, 13 KOs) has lost four bouts in a row (a fifth loss was changed to a no contest after J'Leon Love tested positive for PEDs). Three of those defeats came by knockout, bouts against Gennady Golovkin, David Lemieux and Peter Quillin. He was forced to turn to BKB (a fight league with small gloves and no ring), and fought to a draw with Curtis Stevens there.
The Philadelphia hasn't won a fight since a knockout of journeyman Charles Whittaker in 2012. However, he believes he'll look like a new fighter in his first fight training with former champ Fernando Vargas.
"This fight means a new beginning; it's the second chapter of my career, and I believe it's truly my time to shine," Rosado, 29, said. "I know that Clottey is a defensive-minded fighter and will be looking to counter. But, I believe that I have the advantage. I'm younger, faster, stronger, and I believe my ring IQ is better."
If Rosado can finally get a win, he could figure for action fights in 2016 with James Kirkland and Curtis Stevens. In fact, he was slated to face Kirkland on this show until the Texan demanded more money. But if Clottey comes out on top, he could be headed for far bigger bouts.
"He certainly has the name, he's a former world champion, he's coming off some nice victories and tonight could put him in position for a fight with Canelo (Alvarez), maybe Gennady Golovkin," said Clottey's promoter, Joe DeGuardia of Star Boxing. "Canelo and Clottey were scheduled to fight last year and Canelo got hurt. The fight was postponed. Now would be a beautiful thing if he comes through and wins this fight, to land a huge fight like that."
(Alex Menendez-HoganPhotos/Golden Boy Promotions)