Clottey to fight American Rosado in December

Hard-hitting Ghanaian boxer Joshua Clottey returns to the ring this December against American Gabriel Rosado after months of inactivity.

A win in the December 19 Light Middleweight bout in New York Verona, USA, will inch the Ghanaian closer to his cherished dream of a world title shot next year.

Already, Clottey, a former world champion, has upped his training program in Ghana and he was expected to put pen-to-paper for the fight in America tomorrow.

He told this writer in a telephone conversation that “should I come out victorious in this fight, it will put me in a better position to get a world title fight.

“It is the reason I have attached seriousness to the fight. I am not done yet as I keep saying. I want to rule the world again; in fact I want to retire a champion.

“Training has been good so far, but as it has been my regular practice, I am travelling to the US to put finishing touches ahead of the fight. It is one fight I promise to give my best shot though it is a non-title fight.

“I am in the best of shapes, well composed and mentally focused. I have watched Gabby a couple of times and plotting how to deal with him on the day.”

The former Welterweight titlist (39-4, 22 KOs) last fought in May where he knocked out Jorge Silva in a Junior Middleweight bout on the undercard of the Canelo Alvarez-James Kirkland fight.

Rasado, 29, and born in Philadephia, Pennsylvania, is a former interim NABA, USA Pennsylvania State and WBO Intercontinental Light Middleweight champion.

Nicknamed ‘King’, he is an orthodox boxer with a total fight of 31, 21 wins; 13 by way of knockout, 9 defeats no draw and one no contest.