Joshua Clottey ready to seal his career with victory over Prince Patel

Former IBF welterweight champion Joshua Clottey says he has agreed to fight Prince Patel in what could be his final ring outing in March next year.

Ghana’s Clottey, 47, who last fought against Azizi Mponda in 2019, said he decided to face 31-year-old Blackburn-born Patel who continues to call him out. The fight is on course to be promoted by Box Office Sports Promotions.

According to Clottey, 41-5 (24 KOs), he took the challenge to face Patel, 32-1-2 (26 KOs), to prove a point to the British fighter despite his age.

“I’m not retired and I’m not in boxing either,” Clottey told BoxingScene. “I want to fight him if only he’s ready to challenge me like he’s been doing anytime he has a fight in Ghana.”

Patel has had five fights in Ghana since making his debut in the West African nation in March 2021, where he stopped Tanzania’s Julias Thomas Kisarawe in nine rounds. Since then, Patel has fought and beaten the likes of Goodluck Mrema of Tanzania, Nigeria’s Aliu Bamidele Lasisi, and Ghana’s Benjamin Ashley and Maxwell Awuku.

Meanwhile, Clottey has been in and out of the ring since 2015, fighting just four times. Clottey became a world champion in August 2008, when he beat Zab Judah to win the IBF 147-pound title. Clottey went on to fight the likes of Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao.

When asked if his decision to fight Patel was as a result of missing boxing, Clottey said “This might be my last fight but I don’t miss boxing. Nothing will ever make me miss boxing.”

Bernard Neequaye is a sports journalist with a specialty in boxing coverage. He wrote a boxing column titled “From The Ringside” in his native Ghana for years. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at @BernardNeequaye, LinkedIn at Bernard Neequaye and through email at [email protected].