As if preparing for the aggressive onslaught of Manny Pacquiao is not enough of a mental and physical burden, challenger Joshua Clottey has been battling bureaucrats in his native country who have made it difficult for him to get proper travel papers for his chief trainer.
But New Jersey barrister Patrick English informed Examiner.com and Boxingconfidential Tuesday that the the snafu is being cleared up in Accra, the capital city of Ghana and that lead trainer Godwin Dzanie Kotey has an appointment soon with the United States Embassy in that West African metrpolis to smooth his travel path so that he can join Clottey at training camp in Hollywood, Florida, and accompany the team to Dallas for the March 13 PPV main event at the sparkling, new Cowboys stadium.
"Joshua's lead trainer is coming," English said, "but not on a very timely basis. I do know that he's got permission from the government of Ghana and that he will go to the Anmerican embassy to obtain his proper visa to come here."
English is the lawyer for Clottey manager Vinny Scolpino.
It is not exactly breaking news but, on his recent trip back home when Clottey grew frustrated with local bureaucrats and their maze of red tape, Clottey was given a mental boost by his homeland's most famous athlete, the great Hall Of Fame member and conssumate businessman and gentleman Azumah "Zoom Zoom" Nelson.
that his homeland, Ghana, will rejoice come March 13 as he destroys Pinoy Idol Pacman (Top Rank/Chris Farina Photo)
Here's the recent report from GhanaWeb.Com:
"But like the true warrior that he is, Joshua Clottey, 35-3 (20K0s), remains unruffled and has vowed to give off his best, even with the odds heavily stuck against him. No matter the problems surrounding his preparations, expect Clottey to be ready when he steps into the ring against Pacquiao for the WBO Welterweight title.
“The only thing I can tell you is everything is fine with me and I’m ready to fight if the government can’t help because it’s my life on the line,” Joshua stated.
“My fear is that Manny Pacquiao is a southpaw because they are hard to fight but Joshua has given us an assurance that he knows how to fight southpaws so I am relieved. I will advise Joshua to train hard but I know him and I know that he will not rest. We will be there to support him physically and mentally,” stated Hall of Famer Azumah Nelson at the press conference organized by the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) in Accra this morning to show support for Joshua Clottey.
Azumah, now Technical Director of GBA, was surrounded by the bigwigs of Ghanaian boxing as well as top government officials on the high table at the press conference as the nation formally threw support behind the boxer. Clottey who like many of the country’s top boxers have endlessly criticized the GBA for a lack of support, confessed that he goes into the fight against Pacquiao feeling like he is fighting for Ghana for the very first time.
“I am encouraged by what I am seeing and hearing today and for the first time I am thinking about the nation which will make things harder for Manny Pacquiao. The nation didn’t support us much in the past but if now they are ready to get behind us, that is the best motivation I can get. And I promise to win the title for Ghana,” Clottey told the press conference at the Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra."
Source:
Examiner.com
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