Meet Joshua Clottey!

Ghanaian welterweight contender Joshua Clottey (24-1, 17 KO’s) will be in action in the co-feature main event of DiBella’s June 4th Broadway Boxing series. Clottey is making his second appearance in the United States when he takes on Lloyd Joseph (12-4-3, 5 KO’s) in a 10-round battle at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York.

The 27-year-old Clottey is a hard-hitting welterweight whose only loss was an 11th round disqualification to WBA #3, WBC #4, and IBF #6 Carlos Baldomir (40-9-6, 12 KO’s). Joshua will also try to follow in the footsteps of his former Ghanaian world champions Azumah Nelson and Ike Quartey. He acknowledges, "It has been a long time since Ghana has had a world champion, and I will be their next."

Joshua is the younger brother of jr. welterweight contender Emmanuel Clottey (21-6, 14 KO’s), who is best known for upsetting then undefeated 2000 Olympic gold medallist Mohamad Abdulaev (14-1, 11 KO’s) with a 10th round knockout.

Fightnews had the opportunity to speak with Joshua Clottey at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn New York:

Do you know anything about your opponent Lloyd Joseph?
I don’t know anything about him. All I know is that he is coming to fight.

How do you see the fight going? Do you see it going the distance or will you look for the knockout?
I normally look for the knockout because the knockout is my favorite. I look for the knockout in rounds one through four; if the knockout does not come, then I look for the decision.

You have been sparring with fellow Ghanaian Ben Tackie. How was the sparring?
I would say that it was normal.

Do you know if Ben Tackie is getting ready for a fight?
DiBella wants to sign him.

Do you live in Ghana?
Yes.

Where do you live when you come to New York?
I stay with my friends in the Bronx.

Is your brother Emmanuel up here?
No, he is in Ghana.

Is he going to come up to see your fight?
He told me that he was going to come up. I’m not sure, but he may come.

Do you have any other siblings besides Emmanuel?
Yes, there is another brother and two sisters.

Does that brother box?
Na, he plays amateur football (soccer).

What are your goals as a fighter?
I want to fight for a world championship. I believe that I never lost a fight, and that I have 25 wins and this fight will be my 26th win. My one loss was a disqualification, and before I was disqualified in the 11th round, I was winning the fight. They did me bad in England; I was winning the fight (the fight was against Carlos Baldomir for the WBC international, and IBC welterweight titles).

When do you see yourself fighting for a world title?
I have 9 years of experience as a professional, and when I began I did not have a good promoter. Now I have a good promoter (Lou DiBella), and after this fight I should not fight these kinds of fighters. I should be fighting top fighters like Corey Spinks.

So what do you think about undisputed welterweight champion Corey Spinks?
I’ll beat him. I’ll knock out Corey Spinks!

DiBella will be having monthly boxing shows. Will you be fighting on them regularly?
I want to fight more often; I want to fight every 2-3 months.

Is there anything that you would like to say to the boxing world or to your friends and family?
They don’t know me here in the U.S., but they know me in London, and people in the U.S. will soon know who I am. I want to be matched with the best. We’re two brothers, and if one does not make it then the other will. I love my 5-year-old daughter Zeenat Issabella Clottey. I like the way that my girlfriend Ruth Dunuh supports me. And I would like to thank my friends in the Bronx, and my Ghanaian people back home for their prayers.