Antonio Margarito vs Joshua Clottey

Antonio Margarito retained his WBO world welterweight championship by a unanimous decision over Joshua Clottey after twelve rounds at Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, on Saturday, December 2, 2006. The Ghanaian challenger’s speed and accurate combinations troubled Margarito through the opening four rounds, but an injury to Clottey’s left hand coincided with a marked reduction in his output. Margarito took control through sustained pressure and a much greater volume of punches, completing the seventh defence of his championship. Both men weighed 147 pounds, and Benjy Esteves Jr. refereed.

The contest formed part of Top Rank’s televised welterweight double bill, with Miguel Cotto meeting Carlos Quintana for the vacant WBA championship on the same programme. Margarito had not boxed since stopping Manuel Gomez in the first round in February. Clottey, making his first world title challenge, entered with ten victories and a no contest from his previous eleven appearances. Based in the Bronx after beginning his career in Ghana, he presented a compact target and possessed the hand speed to exploit openings in the taller champion’s defence. Showtime carried the contest, promoted in association with Northeast Promotions and Caesars Atlantic City.

Clottey established his effectiveness early. His jab and short left hooks reached Margarito before the champion could bring his own attack fully into play. Rather than retreat continuously under pressure, the challenger found opportunities to deliver several punches together and then defend against the reply. In the third, a right hand to the head shook Margarito, and Clottey repeatedly landed combinations of four and five punches. His quicker delivery exposed the champion’s defensive shortcomings. The second, third and fourth rounds went to Clottey on two of the three official cards, providing a sound foundation for his challenge.

The change came around the end of the fourth, when Clottey complained to his corner of pain in his left hand. In the fifth, his attacks became much less frequent, and Margarito began keeping him occupied almost entirely with defence. Clottey covered up while the champion worked repeatedly at the body and head. The challenger could still answer in occasional bursts, but those replies no longer matched his earlier activity. His hand was initially described as broken, a diagnosis he later acknowledged was incorrect; the injury itself, however, had an evident effect on the course of the contest.

Margarito maintained his advantage through the middle rounds. His conditioning allowed him to continue throwing while Clottey waited behind his guard for opportunities to counter. The challenger showed signs of renewed activity in the eighth, but could not sustain a recovery. In the ninth, Margarito held him near a corner for an extended attack, delivering repeated combinations and preventing him from obtaining the space needed to resume his earlier boxing. Clottey moved more in the tenth, trying to limit the exchanges, but his reduced offensive work continued to cost him rounds. Every judge awarded Margarito the seven rounds from the fifth through the eleventh.

Clottey remained standing and completed the distance, taking the final round on all three cards, but his early advantage had been lost. John Stewart and Paul Venti each scored 116-112 for Margarito, while Henry Eugene Grant returned 118-109. The two closer cards better reflected the challenger’s clear successes before the injury and the champion’s command of the subsequent rounds. The result extended Margarito’s record to 34 victories and 4 defeats, with one no contest. Clottey was left with thirty victories, two defeats and a no contest.

CompuBox recorded 1,675 punches thrown by Margarito, then its highest total for a twelve round contest across all divisions. That extraordinary output explained much of the champion’s recovery: Clottey remained capable of blocking or avoiding many punches, but could not produce enough sustained work in return. Afterwards, Margarito said the long interval since his previous appearance had hindered his early rhythm. He also reported a right wrist injury, while Clottey maintained that his damaged left hand had interrupted a contest he believed he was controlling. The opening rounds supported Clottey’s assessment of his early performance, but Margarito had responded to the changed circumstances by working continuously and securing the rounds required to retain his title.

I had Margarito winning, but Clottey exposed his defensive weaknesses early. Joshua’s short combinations got through cleanly, and his movement left Antonio reaching. Coming off the quick win over Manuel Gomez, Margarito needed this examination. Clottey gave him one until the damaged left hand curtailed his punching.

I won’t pretend the injury was irrelevant, but Margarito still had to win the remaining rounds. His engine and constant punching did that, the qualities that made him worth watching even when his boxing looked crude. Clottey’s occasional replies couldn’t match that sustained work. The two 116-112 cards were fair; 118-109 gave Joshua too little credit. A deserved defence, with clear limitations exposed.