Clottey's Crowd Focus {article}

Clottey's Crowd Focus-Skysports June 11, 2009 Joshua Clottey insists he will not fear a hostile crowd when he takes on Miguel Cotto for the WBO welterweight title in New York on Saturday. Ghanaian fighter Clottey now lives in the Bronx, but he will not be the home favourite at Madison Square Garden come Saturday night. On the eve of the Puerto Rican Day parade, Cotto will have a vociferous backing in the Big Apple, but Clottey says any jeers aimed his way will fall on deaf ears. "Trust me, when I come to the ring I'm a very, very deaf guy," Clottey said. "The only thing I do is I see people, but I don't hear what they're talking about. This is business, we're in the ring. He's hitting my body, he's hitting my head - I don't have time for that." Unification The fight could have been a unification bout, but Clottey vacated his IBF title to take on Cotto instead of a string of unknown mandatory challengers. Clottey, with just two defeats against his name from 35 fights, promised to be more than just a sideshow for the Puerto Rican fans who will turn up to cheer on Cotto. "Even if I lose, I'll make a good account of myself, and they'll ask for me. The people that are picking me to win the fight, they're making a very good decision," Clottey said. "I don't know how tough he's going to be, but anybody who chooses me to be the winner, they'll win, because that's what I'm going to do. I'll win the fight." A full house and huge television audience is guaranteed as fans again flock to see their beloved Cotto, who has just one controversial defeat, against Antonio Margarito last year, on his record. Preparation "Joshua Clottey? I've prepared myself for anything he can bring that night," Cotto said at the final pre-fight news conference. "The question is, is he prepared for the kind of Miguel Cotto that's going to climb into the ring?" Cotto has already dispatched Paul Malignaggi and Zab Judah in front of delirious crowds at Madison Square Garden, and the fever surrounding the fight is helping keep boxing in the headlines. "I keep hearing boxing is dead, boxing is dying - I've always been incredulous, because I don't know what anybody is talking about," Top Rank boss Bob Arum said. "Just look at this."