05.04.07 – By Phillip Pastrano/John Martinez, Boxingrealm.com: This Saturday night, April 7th, SHOWTIME NETWORK will broadcast live from The Shrine Mosque in Springfield, MO beginning at 9PM ET/PT to showcase Diego “ Chico” Corrales’ welterweight debut against top contender, Joshua “Hitter” Clottey in a scheduled ten round clash.
This afternoon I spoke with Clottey as he was preparing to board his flight from New York to Missouri for Saturday night’s face-off. He touched briefly on his past hand problems, the looming battle with Corrales, and more.
Thank you very much for taking the time to speak to me on your busy week for your fight Saturday night. What are your thoughts going into your fight?
Well right now I have not been thinking too much because I don’t know. He’s been telling people that he’s coming to fight and this and that and that he’s going to jab me and just (inaudible) I just don’t know what he’s coming to do. So I’m waiting for the day just to see what he’s going to do and that’s it.
How was training camp? Was it any different as when you prepared for Margarito? Tell us a little bit about training for Diego.
Even if I get a fight, a fight where it’s an unknown boxer or a nobody, my training is my training. It’s normal. I wake up in the morning and go jogging (inaudible) miles. Then I go to the gym and spar. And that’s how I train. So every time that I am in a fight I am in good condition.
The last time you were in training camp preparing for Margarito, you hurt your hand two weeks before the fight. What have you done this time to avoid a repeat of this type of injury?
I was surprised that when I went to Africa. I was (inaudible) African medicine. When I came back hear I was hitting pads and sparing and I never hurt the hand. I never feel the pain before. The hand is 100% sure. But you know, you don’t know what might happen in boxing. I never feel pain now to tell you the truth. I don’t know until I get into the ring what is going to happen. But I’m very sure that’s its not going to happen because right now its 100% good.
Well you were saying earlier how you like to get up and do roadwork. I’ve read you like to run 10+ miles per day. We’ve interviewed other fighters and their trainers who say they don’t do roadwork as much anymore they do the indoor running. Do you think there is an advantage to all this roadwork as opposed to doing it in the gym?
I think that running on a treadmill is different. When you are running on the road it’s very hard. You know the road is very hard. When you run on that you feel good. When your running all of your body is feeling strong. That’s why I like running outside. I don’t like running in treadmill. I always liked going to the road and run. Because if I run far, when I am coming back I will run two blocks each and then walk like one block and then sprint another like that. That’s why I like running outside.
Where do you train now and who is your trainer?
I train where I live in the Bronx at John’s Gym. My trainer is Kwame Asante. He’s from my country but he lives here now. He’s been my trainer for four years.
Lets talk about Diego Corrales. What do you think are Diego’s weaknesses going into the ring with you?
Well we all know that he can’t take a punch. That’s all that I know about him that is bad is that he can’t take a punch. Also his head is straight. He never puts his head down. So if he is really coming to fight with me like that then he’s going to have a problem. And he never took a body shot. So I don’t know the exact thing that is going to happen in the ring. I don’t know what he is coming to do.
Do you think now that he has a new trainer it’s going to be different for him?
You know that is not my problem. I like Joe Goosen very well when Diego fought Castillo. But what he did for Diego was fantastic because if not for him Diego was going to loose that fight. Changing trainer to a different trainer is not my problem. But I know his trainer. When I was going to fight with Margarito and I was in the camp I saw his trainer and he always (told) me that I am very good. I don’t think that trainers fight for a boxer. I don’t think that when a trainer tells you do this and this and that but when you go into the ring you have to use your own head. I don’t believe that trainers can do all that. They can do a lot of things but not that much.
What advantage(s) do you feel Corrales carries with him coming into this fight?
Everybody knows that when you hit and he goes down, that he will come back up. When he goes down you know he is going to get back up and that means he is a warrior. He’s a very good fighter. But this is a different thing all together. He is coming to 147 lbs. and maybe he can’t take the punches because he’s putting on weight. Maybe it will affect him. So we will see what is going to happen.
With three days to go and the media starting to pay attention to this fight. How are you keeping your focus on Diego?
Well I am very, very focused because I need to win badly whether it’s by knockout or decision I need to win very, very much.
I know you don’t want to look past Corrales. But if you were to win against him what do you see happening after this fight?
I am always going to fight with the best. So if I win this fight I hope definitely that I will get a title fight. But if I don’t I will still be in there fighting with the best guys.
If you could name a fighter you would want to fight next who would that be?
If Margarito is going to give me a rematch then that is the fight I am going to choose. Because I know that I can beat him. With Cotto and other guys I’ll fight them anytime (inaudible) but right now I need a title. So anybody who gets one of the titles I want to fight him.
One last question. Do you have anything you would like to say to the public before Saturday night’s fight with Diego Corrales?
I just want to say to the boxing world to watch me fight this Saturday night and to watch and see what I can do because I have a lot. Thanks very much.
Thanks again Joshua and good luck to you on Saturday night. On behalf of Boxingrealm.com, I would like to thank Joshua Clottey’s manager, Vinny Scolpino for arranging this interview and also to Boxingrealm’s Michael Demmie for his assistance with this discussion.