Isaac Dogboe wants nothing more than to regain his WBO title
Former WBO super bantamweight champion Isaac “Royal Storm” Dogboe knows the highs and lows of boxing all too well. He was on his way to having a phenomenal 2018 that began in January with a knockout of veteran Cesar Juarez in his native Ghana.
That win earned him an interim title and the chance at the full championship against fellow unbeaten fighter Jesse Magdelano. In a fight of the year candidate, the London-based fighter rose from a first round knockdown to get a sensational knockout victory.
He followed that up with a brutal first round knockout of veteran Hidenori Otake of Japan.
A Promising Start
Both, the Magdelano and Otake fights aired on ESPN. Reports, at the time, claimed of a possible long term deal with Bob Arum’s Top Rank promotions coming, pending an impressive first title defense.
The young puncher incredibly impressed Arum with his charisma and fighting ability. Arum even compared him to legendary countrymen Azumah Nelson. Needless to say, after a first round knockout victory, Top Rank made the offer.
Then, in October, we learned that the 24 year-old slugger signed a multi-year deal; guaranteeing three fights per year, all to showcase on ESPN.
Had things ended there, we would probably be talking about which champion we want to see Dogboe unite titles with. Unfortunately, however, he was dealt a brutal upset loss in December by Mexican fighter Emanuel Navarrete.
Navarrete was relatively unknown heading into the title fight at the Madison Square Garden Theatre. Over twelve rounds, the challenger they call “Vaquero” used his height and reach advantages to batter the champion; all done while staying out of range of the power punches Dogboe had become so well known for.
After the final bell rang, it was clear who the winner was. The once meteoric rise had come to a screeching halt.
Moving Forward
That isn’t the end of the Isaac Dogboe story though. Reportedly, the terms for an immediate rematch are virtually met with a tentative month of May set as the expected time the rematch will take place.
The former champ is very close at getting his opportunity at redemption. By most accounts, the fight is likely to end up on ESPN in early to mid summer. When speaking with industry sources this week, Dogboe detailed injuries and issues within his training camp that also resulted in struggling to make weight for the first Navarrete fight.
To combat that, the 2012 Olympian intends to move his camp to the boxing hot bed of California and hire a nutritionist.
With these plans in place, he fully intends on regaining his championship and is looking towards potential unification fights. Further, he eventually wants a future title fight in his native Ghana, which was part of Top Rank’s plans prior to the upset loss.
As for now, we wait for the finalization of all the details. When that happens, 3kingsboxing will be there to bring the news to you!
By: Tanner Gill
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