Joshua Clottey facts for kids

Joshua Clottey (born October 6, 1977) is a former professional boxer from Ghana. He competed in boxing from 1995 to 2019. Joshua Clottey was the IBF welterweight champion from 2008 to 2009. He was known for his incredibly strong "chin," meaning he was very tough and was never knocked out in any of his five losses.

Early Life and Beginnings

As a child in his home country of Ghana, Joshua Clottey loved playing football, just like his father. Later, he moved and lived for a few years in the United Kingdom before moving to the United States.

Professional Boxing Journey

Rising Through the Ranks

Joshua Clottey became well-known by winning his first twenty fights. He won 14 of these fights by knockout, which is when a boxer wins by making their opponent unable to continue. This strong start led him to a fight against Carlos Baldomir for a boxing title. Clottey was ahead in the fight until the 10th round. He was then disqualified because he accidentally hit Baldomir with his head multiple times.

After this difficult loss, Clottey bounced back quickly. In his very next fight, he won the African Boxing Union welterweight title. He then went on a winning streak of 10 fights. During this time, he won his first fight in America and also won several smaller boxing titles. This winning streak led him to win the IBF Inter-Continental welterweight title.

On December 2, 2006, Clottey got his first chance to fight for a world title against World Boxing Organization champion Antonio Margarito. However, Clottey broke his hand in the fourth round of this fight. Later, there were some questions about Margarito's hand wraps in that fight. In April 2007, Clottey won a big fight against Diego Corrales. This was Corrales's last fight before he passed away. In December 2007, Clottey won another fight, which helped him get ready for another shot at a title. On August 2, 2008, Joshua Clottey defeated Zab Judah to win the IBF welterweight title. This title had become available after Antonio Margarito left it.

Big Fights: Cotto and Pacquiao

On June 13, 2009, Clottey fought Miguel Cotto in New York City at Madison Square Garden. This fight was for the WBO welterweight title. Cotto knocked Clottey down in the first round with a quick punch. Cotto got a cut in the third round from an accidental head clash. Clottey used many different punch combinations throughout the fight, which caused problems for Cotto. In the end, Cotto won the fight by a close decision from the judges.

Clottey's next major fight was against the famous Manny Pacquiao on March 13, 2010. This big event took place in Arlington, Texas, at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium. Clottey lost to Pacquiao by a unanimous decision, meaning all the judges agreed that Pacquiao won. In this fight, Pacquiao threw many more punches than Clottey.

Comeback and Later Career

After taking a break from boxing for over a year, Clottey returned to the ring on November 19, 2011. He defeated Calvin Green by TKO (Technical Knockout) in the second round. Later, Clottey said he had retired from boxing to take care of a sick family member.

However, on August 23, 2013, it was announced that Clottey would return to boxing. He fought Dashon Johnson on September 14, 2013, and won by a unanimous decision. On April 9, 2014, Clottey had another impressive win against former middleweight champion Anthony Mundine. Clottey knocked Mundine down five times during the fight. He was then scheduled to fight Canelo Alvarez in December 2014, but Canelo had to withdraw due to an ankle injury.

On December 19, 2015, Clottey faced Gabriel Rosado. Clottey started strong and had success early in the fight. However, Rosado worked harder over the ten rounds, and Clottey lost by a unanimous decision. In February 2018, Clottey confirmed that he had not yet retired from boxing. His most recent win was against Azziz Mponda from Tanzania, where Clottey won by TKO in round 8.

Joshua Clottey's Fighting Style

Joshua Clottey was known as a tough and skilled boxer. He had a good mix of size, speed, strength, and endurance. He was also very smart in the ring and had a strong "chin," meaning he could take a lot of punches without being hurt. Clottey was good at landing his punches accurately and was effective at countering his opponents' attacks.

His defensive skills were also excellent. He would stand upright and keep his arms and gloves high to protect himself, similar to how another boxer named Winky Wright defended himself. Because of his strong defense and ability to absorb punches, he was never knocked out in any of his professional fights.

Personal Life

Joshua Clottey was born in Accra, Ghana. He now lives in The Bronx, New York, in the United States.

Boxing Record Summary

See also

In Spanish: Joshua Clottey para niños