Agbeko, Clottey to rumble in Accra
At 38 years, most boxers will be contemplating retirement, but former IBF welterweight champion, Joshua Clottey has set for himself the target of reclaiming a world title before he calls it quits at age 41.
Advertisement
Clottey and his compatriot, Joseph Agbeko, also a former world champion, will begin the quest to reclaim world titles they lost when they return to the ring in grand style as headline acts for the bill slated for April 29 at the Accra Sports Stadium.
The bill tagged, "Legendary Night Boxing" is produced by Agbeko’s Fresh King Entertainment (FKE), Box Office Sports Promotions (BOSP) in partnership with pay TV channel, SuperSport, and will see Agbeko, 36, take on 24-year-old Filipino brawler Cris Alfante over 10 rounds in a bantamweight contest.
On the same bill Clottey, 38, will engage 37-year-old Brazilian, Anderson Clayton in a 10-round international middleweight bout.
The two Ghanaian former world champions faced the media at the launch in Accra yesterday of “Legendary Night Boxing” at which they made a strong case of their desire to be world champions again despite their advance in ages.
According to Clottey, who made his professional debut in 1995, he entertained thoughts of retiring following the death of his long-time trainer, Godwin Nii Dzanie, alias Alloway, but all such thoughts had been banished after deciding to devote the remaining of his career as a tribute to Alloway.
A delighted Clottey vowed to give fans a brilliant performance as he returns to the ring in Ghana after a 10-year sojourn which had seen him fight some of the best boxers across the globe
Conversely, Agbeko, who is 12 years older than his Filipino opponent, repeated a famous quote by the legendary Azumah Nelson, describing their fight as a "father and son" affair.
"Age matters a bit because you can't defeat nature. I am not as speedy and aggressive as I was 10 years ago but in my mind I am young; I work hard in the gym and I live a healthy lifestyle so I am very fit," said the former IBF bantamweight titlist.
The bill would also see Emmanuel "Game Boy" Tagoe make a mandatory defence of his WBA international lightweight title against South African Mzonke Fane, while world title prospect George "Red Tiger" Ashie fights Brazilian Cid Ribeiro.
Tickets for the big fights range between GH¢15 and GH¢150.