In mid-2013, Clottey announced his return to boxing, saying he had been inactive because of managerial problems. Clottey returned to the ring on September 14, 2013, when he faced Dashon Johnson. Clottey made easy work of Johnson, showing no ring rust whatsoever en route to winning a dominant and wide unanimous decision. On April 9, 2014, Clottey went on to beat former middleweight champion Anthony Mundine, dropping Mundine five times. Clottey was in line to fight Canelo Alvarez later that year, but the fight never materialized, partially to do with an injury to Canelo's ankle. In late 2015, Clottey faced fringe contender Gabriel Rosado at a 158 lb catchweight, despite having success and leading early in the fight, Clottey was outworked over ten rounds. He lost a unanimous decision and has not fought since.