For Steve Clagget a man who felt alone a long time ago is now the holder of both the NABF and NABO World Championship belts after beating Miguel Madueno Tuesday night at the Montreal Casino.
The judges awarding him a unanimous decision with two judges scoring 99-91 and the third judge scoring 98-92 all in favor of the Canadian to the delight of his home crowd.
" It was a tough fight but I am feeling great," Clagget told the media in the post-fight scrum. " He is a really strong guy and he had some power and it's a 10-round fight so we are going to feel it after".
In the first round, we saw the American come out swinging and for a moment it looked like the Canadian was in danger but he admitted he stuck to his gameplan.
" I knew he was going to come out swinging and hard and he has a great knockout percentage so he was hungry to try and get another one but I worked on my defense and I am getting better every fight".
From there Clagget took over and was in full control for the rest of the fight which was a long battle with lots of firey explosive punches as he predicted before the fight.
" I am not done growing yet and I am still getting better and I knew he was trying his hardest to win and I knew the caliber of fighter he was going to bring it and he was going to push to the end and not give up so I had to bring everything".
Clagget was asked if he was surprised the fight lasted the entire 10 rounds but he confirmed he wasn't and that his plan was ready to go for the whole fight.
" No, because he only lost once and it was a tough fight that he lost against a good opponent and I knew he was hungry and I hope the fans enjoyed it".
I asked Clagget what is next for him and he told me he has high ambitions of being ranked top 15, 10, 3, and potentially number one in the world.
" I want to break into the top 10 and even top 5 in the world and I keep going because the ultimate goal is a world title and I am getting better and I know with my coach and everyone behind me the sky is the limit".
Clagget has now been working with Eye of the Tiger Management for eight fights and he hasn't lost a fight yet and was extremely grateful to be in this position with a team behind him.
" It's a dream come true and I have the consistency and all I have to do is fight and I love being in the gym and I am a fighter for life and you haven't seen the best of me yet and I have so much more to show".
I had the chance to bring up a conversation I had with Clagget coach Mike Moffa about his chance at a world title being a Cinderella story and Clagget got emotional when answering the question.
" I think so because I had a lot of ups and downs and it hasn't been easy for me on a personal level it's been a rocky road but boxing is about pushing through and digging down so I know I can get there if I keep going".
Despite the win, Clagget was quick to analyze what he had done wrong in the fight and said there is always room to grow and improve.
" I know I can do better and I felt I still had holes in my movement and I let some shots sneak through that I shouldn't have and I should have been sharper and I am not done".