Photo: Vincent Ethier – The Chinese calendar indicates that 2024 is the Year of the Dragon. In boxing, could it also be the year of the boxer nicknamed as such?
**Update of May 20, 2024: The prophecy is coming true. Steve Claggett ultimately never fought on April 11, he was removed from the card after Top Rank offered him an IBF world super-lightweight world title shot. So it’s now official, he will face ‘The Takeover’ Teofimo Lopez (20-1, 13 KOs), on June 29, at the James L. Knight Center in Miami**
Steve Claggett (38-7-2, 26 KOs), also known as “The Dragon,” still doesn’t know who he’ll face on April 11, in the co-main event of the Bazinyan-Phinn card. However, he knows one thing; it could set the stage for a major opportunity.
“I have a feeling that something big is going to happen this year. For a long time, I’ve been running solo, but with Eye of the Tiger behind me, not only am I running with the ball, but I feel like I’m approaching the goal line,” says the 34-year-old athlete, reached by phone in Calgary where he began the first half of his training camp at the Olympus Boxing Club.
“I’ve been coming here for three years now. I’m kind of lucky, one of my friends is the owner. The sport isn’t as popular here yet, but we’re seeing more and more boxers coming,” says Claggett, who will still soon fly to Montreal for the final phase of his training camp.
“We really have everything we need to train here… except Mike!”
10/10?
The missing piece in Alberta boxing is Mike Moffa, the coach of Montreal’s Underdog Boxing Gym, with whom Steve Claggett (38-7-2, 26 KOs) will aim for a 10th victory in as many fights on April 11. The secret to their success?
“I love boxing. I’m a fighter and I know it’s the same for Mike. And so for me, it’s simple, if we’re able to create magic, it’s because no one loves boxing more than us,” says Claggett.
To date, the magic offered by his nine consecutive victories hasn’t just improved his record. In 2023, he went from unranked to the top 15 in three federations. The WBC, in particular, ranks him as the #7 contender for the belt recently acquired by Devin Haney.
Waiting for the harvest
His victory last November against world contender Miguel Madueno (30-2, 28 KOs) undoubtedly played a significant role in this ascent. However, the Dragon didn’t rest afterward, returning in January against brawler Marcos Barraza (23-4, 11 KOs), who, after 2 rounds, had lost all desire for violence.
The Dragon loves to fight. So much so that winning in two rounds was almost disappointing for him. Every victory counts, but every round does too. It’s these rounds that allow him to improve, to sow, and eventually, to harvest.
“A friend once told me: ‘as a fighter, you can train your whole life for one night’,” philosophizes the world contender, dreaming of that big night, perhaps in 2024, at least hoping to get a little closer on April 11.
Word on the street
Anyway, it’s only a matter of time. In boxing circles around the world, word is starting to spread, and Claggett’s name is coming up more and more. He was heard in the press conference for the Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall fight. Eddie Hearn even mentioned him as a possible opponent for Subriel Matias. It didn’t take long before BoxingNewsQC picked up the news and X (formerly Twitter) lit up.
Punching Grace’s favorite suggestion, however, goes to vlogger Boog Williams, who called for a fight between Teofimo Lopez and Steve Claggett in Honduras, native country of the ‘Takeover’.
Indeed, “Teo” would also be Claggett’s first choice: “It’s just because, stylistically, I think it would make for the best fight. For me, honestly, my focus is on the belt and not the champion, so I’d fight anyone who has one.”
The greatest hits
A big win? “The one against Junior Ulysse was pretty sweet at the time, but he’s my friend now, and really, for me, the greatest victory is always the next one.”
Good opponents? Junior Ulysse for technique and Petros Ananyan for raw power.
A complicated fight? “Against Konstantin Ponomarev, I was brought in as the ‘opponent,’ and even a guy from his team told me that before the fight. It was a big show, HBO was there, and before the end of the fight, I knew that he that knew he just needed to make it to the judges to win.”
A moment of pride? “When I beat Emanuel Robles, it was another big fight, the guy was 15-0, we were fighting in Vegas, and American television was there too. I wasn’t brought in to win, but this time, I got him. The fight was outdoors, and when I heard my name, I just remember looking at the sky and thinking, ‘I did it’.”
