Photo: Vincent Ethier – As soon as he returned, Steve Claggett pulled off a double feat by getting both the KO and the performance of the night.
I’d love to have Steve Claggett’s lungs. The Dragon could run a marathon backward, then climb Mount Saint-Hilaire two or three times, just to pass the time on a Sunday morning.
Steve recently defeated Eduardo Estela (16-3) at the Gatineau gala on October 17th. An average opponent, nothing more, but that’s the norm after a loss in a world title fight.
Boxing is a pretty simple sport with its particular codes. After narrowly losing to Teofimo Lopez by the judges’ decision, Steve Claggett has become a potential stepping stone for a young contender or a major prospect. Soon, a promoter will offer a purse worthy of a four-bedroom condo and a brand-new car just to add Steve Claggett’s name to the résumé of their star boxer.
Boxing is full of surprises and upsets. It will be up to Claggett and his team to derail the train and the plans of the other promoter.
Since Noé Cloutier is my boss and he asked me to write about Steve Claggett’s future, here are five plausible scenarios for the rest of his career, for the gigantic reptile.
5. A big upset against a top prospect
‘The Business Man’ Keyshawn Davis (11-0) is sweeping through the 135-pound division, but as his nickname suggests, he knows the real deal is at 140 pounds. It’s widely known that he will eventually move up in weight. Moreover, he has just faced a former opponent of Claggett, Miguel Madueno. Davis is signed with Top Rank, and we all know about the natural affection between Bob Arum and the folks at EOTTM, so this fight would be easy to set up.
Let’s never forget one thing: Claggett has opened many fans’ eyes on American TV screens. He loves a good brawl, never backs down, throws thousands of punches, and can take them, too. It’s always a show when he’s on a card.
Other options: Abdullah Mason (15-0), Floyd Schofield (17-0), Andy Cruz (4-0), or Adam Aziz (12-0).
4. Getting a second title shot right away
The 140-pound category is constantly evolving, with champions we barely know or hardly know at all. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Jose Valenzuela (14-2) propose an optional defense against Steve Claggett. ‘Rayo’ recently beat Pitbull Cruz and Chris Colbert, and his team might see it as a good idea to put him up against an aggressive, pressure-fighting boxer. At 25, Valenzuela might think that his fresh lungs will eventually overpower Claggett’s.
I genuinely believe this could be a fight for the WBA title.
3. Noé Cloutier’s pick: Lindolfo Delgado
In addition to choosing the topic, my boss Noé Cloutier asked me to include Lindolfo Delgado (21-0) in my options.
Top Rank has a lot of faith in him but isn’t rushing his career. His next fight will be against Jackson Marinez (22-3) in December.
The 29-year-old Mexican boxer hits with real bad intentions. With so many young, promising talents in the 140-pound division, it’s going to get harder and harder to stand out. Beating Steve Claggett would help Delgado make a name for himself and become a credible contender for a world title.
2. Collecting yen in Japan
Did you know? Steve Claggett has Chinese roots. His maternal grandmother left China to settle in Calgary. It’s a bit of a stretch, but his Asian heritage and the fact that Camille Estephan made a good impression during his trip to Japan for the Ryota Murata vs. Steven Butler fight makes me think Steve Claggett could fight in Japan.
But against whom? Andy Hiraoka (24-0), the WBA’s number one contender for Jose Valenzuela, just knocked out Ismael Barroso in the 9th round.
It’s not impossible that the hard-hitting Japanese prospect Jin Sasaki (18-1), only 22 years old, could call out Steve Claggett. Sasaki has been taking out all his opponents since 2022, but he needs to be tested, and going rounds against Claggett would be the perfect test.
1. A big local fight
Top Rank scared me when they signed Manny Pacquiao, Juan Manuel Marquez, and Tim Bradley; I thought we’d never see those three fight each other again. But in the end, we got a total of eight fights between them.
Believe it or not, Steve Claggett has already faced many Canadian boxers: I counted 18 local fights for the Dragon. Among his opponents are Frank Cotroni, Stuart McLellan, Yves Ulysse, Petros Ananyan, Mathieu Germain, Yves Ulysse (again), David Théroux, and Tony Luis… I’m out of breath.
We might be able to convince him to fight Arthur Biyarslanov, ranked 20th in the world and undefeated (17-0). I wouldn’t mind seeing a heated press conference between Samuel Décarie-Drolet and Mike Moffa.
Other options: Batyr Jukembayev (23-1), Mazlum Akdeniz (20-0), or Mathieu Germain (25-2-1). Just pick a name.
All talk aside: I don’t really know what’s next for Steve Claggett, but I know it will be lucrative and incredibly interesting. With his energy and stamina, Claggett could surprise an overconfident young fighter or a champion who doesn’t take him seriously because of his record.
