Clottey: I was too big a risk for Canelo

By Boxing News - 10/07/2014 - Comments

clottey3423By Dan Ambrose: Former IBF 147lb champ Joshua Clottey (38-4, 22 KOs) is not too pleased that the red-headed boxing superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (44-1-1, 31 KOs) pulled out of their scheduled December 6th fight because of a lingering ankle injury that he’s had since before he fought Erislandy Lara several months ago.

Clottey, 36, isn’t buying Canelo’s injury excuse and he sees it as a straight up case of him being afraid of the risk that he presented to him. Clottey says he was surprised that Canelo agreed to fight him in the first place.

I guess he felt that Canelo wouldn’t take a risky fight against him, especially after the way he performed in his last fight against Lara. Clottey thinks Lara should have been given the decision against Canelo.

“Okay Now I understand I am too big of risk. These guys always find excuse not to fight with me,” Clottey said on his twitter. “They offer me less money than I wish. I say okay lets fight. They say Texas. Whatever lets go. My manager tell me ‘Joshua something big happening. We get a big name.’ When I hear ‘Canelo,’ I was shocked and we tried to fight before but he took other option. I said if he fight with guy like me he is a man I respect him. Now I not respect him he not want me like I expect.”

Clottey probably would have made it a really tough for Canelo because of his speed, power and combination punching. Canelo has mostly fought slow guys during his career, and in the two fights where he had to deal with guys with fast hands in bouts against Floyd Mayweather Jr and Lara, Canelo looked terrible. He was awful in both of those fights. Mayweather schooled him, and Lara out-boxed him, leaving him punching at air for 12 rounds. Win or lose, Clottey would have likely given Canelo a lot of problems.

“I am a lion from Ghana and if they give him to me I would beat him,” Clottey said. “I want to fight with Lara who beat you too…Every time I fight I fight for Africa so whoever my opponent be its all for you Africa I love my people. They can’t blacklist me I am coming.”

Lara is a pretty brave fighter. I can’t see him avoiding a fight against Clottey. The two of them would make for an interesting fight, and we could see how much Clottey has left in the tank.



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