Although nothing is official, former champion Joshua Clottey (38-4, 22KOs) is apparently a leading candidate to face Mexican superstar Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (44-1-1, 31KOs).
According to BoxingScene, Team Canelo has confirmed the Ghana native as a strong choice for Alvarez’s next opponent for late November or early December.
Moreover, the bout will not be on pay-per-view (PPV). And of equal or greater consequence, Canelo’s return to HBO is not out of the question and it’s liklihood is seemingly getting stronger by day.
Alvarez’s last five fights were aired on Showtime and he has fought in the main event in each of his last three bouts which were all PPV broadcasts.
So who is joshua Clottey?
If you’re a new fan you may not be familiar with him.
A native of Ghana, who now makes his home in the Bronx, Clottey has faced some of the very best over the years.
Clottey, who will be 37 if Canelo vs Clottey materializes, burst into prominence in 2008, defeating a somewhat still-youthful Zab Judah. The fight was stopped in Round 9 as a result of an accidental clash of heads. Two judges scored the fight 86?85 and the other judge scored it 87?84, all in favor of Clottey. A 3 to 1 underdog, Clottey dropped a somewhat controversial split decision to Miguel Cotto the following year. In that bout, Clottey rose from the canvas in the opening round to outland Cotto 222 to 179, according to PunchStats, over twelve hard-fought stanzas.
In 2010, Joshua dropped a wide unanimous decision to Manny Pacquiao but was able to rough-up PacMan a bit with hard right hands.
Known as the “Grand Master,” the resurgent Joshua Clottey took over a year off and then proceeded to win three in a row.
Earlier this year, Clottey defeated Anthony Mundine in the latter’s homeland of Australia, winning a wide decision. The 36 year old Clottey knocked down Mundine, who was ranked No. 3 in the light middleweight division by the World Boxing Association, once in round 3, twice in round six, once in round eight, and once in round 10.
A former IBF Welterweight Champion, Clottey has never been KO’d.
