18.06.09 – Interview by Vivek Wallace: Despite the questionable decision rendered last Saturday at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, it appears that Ghana’s favorite son has found reason to stand firm amidst a world that often shakes around him. The unfortunate mishaps in his career continue to multiply as his disgruntled fan base steadily divides from the mainstream, but ironically, the lesson to be learned is that in life, one can experience addition by subtraction. In the words of the Ghanaian native, he “never knew that he had such support around the world until he noticed the passion of fans who felt his pain” after this recent loss. That statement contained great depth, but in the grand scheme of things, it served as little more than the tip of the ‘iceberg’, as the next 20 minutes I spent chatting with this warrior would be far more intricate. Those who wonder what’s on his mind have to look no further. Unparalleled, unequivocal, and unambiguous, here are the words directly from the horses mouth…..unedited:
VW: Joshua, now that the fight is over and you’ve had some time to reflect and analyze, what exactly are your thoughts about how things unfolded last Saturday night?
JC: My thoughts is that I won the fight. There was no question in my mind that the fight would be good for the people, and it was. The judges did what they had to do, it can’t be changed, so now I’ve just stopped thinking about it and moved on.
VW: You did a great job silencing the Cotto Puerto Rican supporters and taking them out of the fight. Maybe too great because in the minds of some, it may have given you a false sense of security that you were ahead on the scorecards when apparently you weren’t. Was there any point during the fight where you thought you needed to do more to get the win?
JC: From the beginning, throughout the entire fight, I knew that I was hurting him and I knew when he was trying to hit me, I was blocking and absorbing his punches. Throughout the fight I knew what he was doing. When I came with the combinations, he tried to counter with the left and with the uppercut, so I told myself, uh oh, you better be careful! From there I landed my punches and did what I had to do. I knew from the start that I was landing the cleaner punches.
VW: Now that the fight is past, looking ahead to the future, Bob Arum has stated that he plans to put a fight together between Pacquiao and Cotto. Rumor has it that Pacquiao will take Cotto, but would still rather face Mayweather. Now that Mayweather is off the hook in the Marquez fight, if he somehow gets that fight with Pacquiao first, are there any plans on behalf of your camp to demand a Cotto rematch?
JC: That would be good for me and the fans because Cotto would have to help me give the fans another fight they want to see, which is a rematch between me and him. We must settle the score. I don’t understand how they gave him the decision, so I think we should have a rematch to show the fans who is really the best.
VW: If for some reason you can’t get Cotto, and neither Williams or Mosley step up, is there any possibility that your camp will pursue a fight with young and highly talented WBC Champ Andre Berto?
JC: Exaclty. I would prefer Mosley or Williams, but if they don’t want to face me, I would love to face Berto. I don’t duck anyone and I’m not afraid of anyone. I respect Berto greatly, but he has a title, so I would love to face him too.
VW: Antonio Margarito is currently suspended, as you know for the loaded glove scandal. Many suspect that he probably used loaded gloves for quite some time. When you look back, do you think Margarito was using anything illegal in the fight that you had with him?
JC: Everyone ask me that. (laughs). The truth is, nobody knows how long Margarito was doing that. I don’t know if he was using it for a long time, but I know he wasn’t using them on me, because when he fought me, he never hurt me. So he wasn’t using it on me, I know.
VW: Ok. Pardon me for letting the fan side come out here, but I speak to fans around the globe on many levels and I want to put a fan respective argument to rest by getting your opinion on two things. First question – You’ve been in the ring with both Margarito and Cotto now. Despite the results of their fight, who do you think is the better fighter, and who would you say packs the most punch….who was stronger?
JC: Cotto is the better fighter. Far, far, far, far, far better. Margarito is tall, so when he hits you, depending on his distance, you feel it or you may not; But Cotto is short and low, so his angles are more precise, more compact. Cotto I think was much stronger, to me. When they fought, Cotto was beating Margarito until he lost.
VW: Ok. Second question – If Mayweather was to fight Manny Pacquiao, who do you like in that fight and why?
JC: (Laughs). This is a fight I would love to watch. I love and respect these two guys more than anyone. To be honest, Pacquiao is the best right now. And also, we’ve never seen Floyd Mayweather face a great southpaw like this one. Pacquiao would give Mayweather a helluva fight. He’s not gonna allow Mayweather to do what he wants to do, he will force him to fight. Mayweather is just such a smart fighter. He is the best, and I love to watch him, but Pacquiao is my favorite to watch right now. I can’t tell you who would win that one.
VW: Final question champ. What would you like to say to all of your supporters around the globe?
JC: I did not like the decision in this fight, but I am happy because I never knew that I had so many beautiful supporters around the world like this until now. I fight for every last one of them and will be back soon. I want to take the time to thank them all. From you for being a great and very fair journalist, to HBO, to the staff at Madison Square Garden and the local commission for allowing me to display my talent to the world. I loss the fight, but I won the support. I love you all.
So there you have it. Less than a week after the latest bump in his road, Clottey confirms no regrets for the present, no resentment from the past. And why should he? With an attitude like that and a ton of supporters like this, why look down when the road ahead is indeed looking up? Stand by ladies and gents….I don’t think we’ve seen the last of the ‘Grand Master’!!
(Vivek Wallace can be contacted at: vivexemail@yahoo.com, 954-292-7346, Facebook, and Myspace).