Former IBF welterweight champion Joshua Clottey has called out newly crowned WBO Light heavyweight champion Saul Canelo Alvarez almost three years after the latter reportedly chickened out of a bout with him.
Clottey who made the revelation on the Joy Sports Link show on Joy 99.7 FM, clearly stated he would defeat the Mexican legend if he should get the opportunity, due to the latter’s fight style.
According to the 42-year-old ex-champion, fighting Canelo would spark a great deal of satisfaction in his comeback journey which is now in full motion.
“I really wanted to rebuild myself and get my image back, so when I got the opportunity to fight Canelo, his camp watched my tapes noticed in the fight against Anthony Mundine (for the WBA Super welterweight title), that my defence could pose a problem for him.
Canelo (53-1-2, 36kos) throws a punch at a go while my defence is very good so on noticing this potential problem, his camp chickened out of the fight,” he revealed to the Joy Sports Link.
According to Clottey, a contract was signed in 2015, after which a training allowance of 40,000 USD was advanced to him. “We were supposed to go for a news conference on a scheduled date but unfortunately at the last minute, someone from Canelo’s camp informed us that he had an injury because of which the fight had been called off.”
“There was nothing I could do about it because they run the show. I’d really love to fight him at middleweight. It will be a good fight,” he added.
Clottey (40-5, 23kos), who now fights in the middleweight division has won one fight since announcing his return following a surprise retirement in March this year, beating Mfaume Mfaume of Tanzania. He had gone four years without a bout but kept regular training in the gym in his homeland Ghana.
“Training has always been fun for me. I know what it does for me health and form-wise so I have always made it a part of my everyday business,” he told Joy Sports.
Saul Canelo Alvarez, 29, on the other hand, has opened a new chapter in his career after the KO win against Sergei Kovalev to annex the WBO light heavyweight title. This feat according to experts will fast track his entry to the International Boxing Hall of Fame which will solidify his place as a legend of the sport.