Who is Steve Claggett?
Steve Claggett (38-7-2, 26 KOs) has the opportunity of a lifetime in his world title clash against Teofimo Lopez (20-1, 13 KOs).
The two men headline a Top Rank card – in association with Eye of the Tiger Management at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, FL. Viewers in the United States can catch the action live on ESPN, ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes. Sky Sports will broadcast the event in the United Kingdom and Ireland, while those in Canada can do so on TSN. Lopez will be making the second defence of his WBO super lightweight title.
In anticipation of this Saturday’s showdown, Big Fight Weekend takes a look at the life and career of Claggett.
Who is Steve Claggett?
Early Life and Career
Born on June 11, 1989, Claggett is a fighter from Calgary, Canada. He began boxing at the age of 13 and in a matter of years was winning amateur tournaments in Canada, including the Golden Gloves three times. At 19, he turned professional with a majority decision win against Brandon Carlick in September 2008 in Edmonton, Canada.
Claggett remained undefeated for the next two years of his career. However, his first foray outside of Canada led to a technical knockout loss at the hands of Romeo Jakosalem in the Philippines. Despite knocking down Jakosalem twice in the third round, Claggett lost the fight five rounds later.
Despite the defeat, the Canadian fighter continued to stay active. In the following years, he fought most of his bouts in Canada but occasionally ventured to the United States with mixed success. Win or lose, Claggett was consistently involved in entertaining clashes, making him a Canadian fan favourite.
Linking up with Eye of the Tiger Management
In January 2019, Claggett fought Mathieu Germain on an Eye of the Tiger Management (EOTTM) card. Scored a split draw, the fight itself was a classic that enthralled those who watched it. Three months later, Claggett was in another entertaining contest against Yves Ulysse Jr. in the United States, losing a unanimous decision. By September of that year, EOTTM decided to sign Claggett. Although he had fought on their shows previously, joining their stable now gave Claggett a promoter who could guide him to the top.
Since joining EOTTM, Claggett is 11-1 and continues to provide fans with memorable fights, mostly in the Canadian province of Quebec. He is unbeaten in his last nine fights and now returns to the United States to fight Lopez for a chance at becoming super lightweight champion. On June 29, fight fans will find out whether he has what it takes to snatch the title from Lopez. One thing is for certain, it will definitely be an entertaining scrap.
Currently writing out of Toronto, Canada, Saadeq first became a boxing fan while living in Doha, Qatar. Looking to become more involved in the sport, he began writing about boxing and has had work published in outlets such as Seconds Out and Boxing Social. He looks forward to continue covering boxing on Big Fight Weekend.
