Boxing
I couldn’t walk, my girlfriend and trainer had to lift me up – Joshua Clottey opens up on Gutierrez bout
Former Ghanaian boxer Joshua Clottey has opened up about the toughest fight he had during his title-laden professional career.
Joshua Clottey is widely celebrated as one of Ghana’s most successful pugilists, having earned a world title at the summit of his career.
Discussing his professional boxing career in an interview with The Game TV, Clottey mentioned that his bout against Mexican boxer Richard Gutierrez left a lasting impression on him.
Joshua Clottey labeled the fight as the toughest in his career, noting that it took him more than two weeks to recover from the bout.
Describing the experience of coming up against Gutierrez, who was the world champion then, Clottey said that he had difficulty breathing after the bout.
“My toughest fight was against Richard Gutierrez. I struggled to cough and breathe properly after the bout. I won the fight by majority decision, and it was my first fight on HBO. He had an unbeaten record of 28 fights, and I had seven wins and one loss.
“Heading into that fight, I knew beating him would be a tall order because he was very strong. I couldn’t walk after the fight and had to be held by my trainer and girlfriend. It took me two weeks to start feeling my body,” he said.
On June 29, 2006, Joshua Clottey announced his arrival on the world boxing scene with a victory over Gutierrez at the Chumash Casino Resort in California, United States of America.
Joshua Clottey also offered advice to young boxers and sportsmen, urging them to stay away from women.
Clottey explained that staying disciplined is integral to achieving success in boxing and that womanizing could cripple one’s career.
Clottey’s record stands at 47 fights – with five losses and 41 wins, 24 of which came by way of knockout.
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
