Super lightweight veteran Steve Claggett has a lot to be proud of during his storied career that ecompasses fifty proffesional bouts. However, his one shot at a world title against Teofimo Lopez nearly two years ago has Claggett asking questions of his performance.
“I feel like I got stuck in one gear,” Claggett told Boxing Social on a video call. “I didn’t change the game plan. I wish I would’ve switched up the game plan. I got the fight because Lopez had fought Jermaine Ortiz in the fight before, and Ortiz boxed and moved and he didn’t engage with him. After the fight everybody booed and they said it was a boring fight. So Lopez needed someone who was going to come forward and make it an all action fight. That’s why I got the fight. I was ranked in the top ten and I’m known to be a come forward push the pace kind of fighter.
“If you watch that fight, I’m pushing the whole time and he boxes and moves the whole time. The ability to adapt in the middle of the fight, that was the thing that I learned from that one because I should have been smart enough to realize in the middle of it that he was not fighting coming forwards. I’m chasing him, but I know how the game works. When you are the champion and you are boxing and moving and scoring a punch or two in each round, he also scored a good little up-jab in the seventh round. It cleans the fight and gives you a clear win for the champion.”
Claggett (40-8-2, 28 KOs) has put two straight victories together since losing a wide unanimous decision for Lopez’s WBO belt in Miami. The 36-year-old from Calgary will come to London to square-off with promising contender Adam Azim on May 30 in the main event at Wembley Arena.
“What you can do is spar with different types of opponents within the same session so that you have to adapt and you have to change the game plan,” Claggett continued on how he is working on the mistakes he made against Lopez. “Then also the mind. To be able to consciously think, ‘okay, let’s try and work on our speed’ and ‘now we are working on our defense and we are boxing and moving.’ Just the practice of switching game plans within sparring sessions was a big one that I added to my game. Consciously making changes while working in the middle of it is what I have been working on.”
Azim (14-0, 11 KOs) was due to fight Argentine Gustavo Lemos earlier this year, but injuries to both men scuppered the contest to be broadcast on the BBC. The 24-year-old tabbed The Assassin has seen his opposition step up considerably over the past two years, with him being expected to win a world title in the coming years.
“I feel like I’m putting things together better than ever right now,” Claggett added.
