Isaac Dogboe and Adam Lopez Give the Las Vegas Crowd a Show
An interesting matchup happens at the Virgins Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, as former WBO World Super Bantamweight champion Isaac Dogboe takes on former world title challenger Adam Lopez.
Dogboe is on the comeback trail. He sprung on the scene when he stopped Jesse Magdaleno in eleven rounds to win the WBO 122 pound title in April of 2018. Following one successful world title defense, he lost the title to Emanuel Navarrete in December of 2018. They fought an immediate rematch in May of 2019 with Dogboe once again on the losing end.
The 26-year-old from Accra, Ghana has since moved up to the featherweight division. He hopes to recapture past glory with eyes on winning another world title at 126 pounds.
He is facing a Lopez looking for a breakthrough performance. The 25-year-old from Glendale, California is skilled and can box. However, insiders question whether he has the qualities to take his game to the next level. He hopes to silence the critics and prove the doubters wrong against Dogboe in this ten-round featherweight contest.
ON FIRE EARLY
Following his defeats to Navarrete, Dogboe (22-2, 15 KOs) switched trainers from his father Peter to the Washington DC-based Barry Hunter. You could see the improvements in this fight as the Ghanaian was composed and sharp early on.
Despite being the shorter man, he was able to box Lopez (15-3, 6 KOs) from the outside. Landing with sharp jabs and left-right combinations in close, the fighter known as “Royal Storm” was stepping back at an angle to avoid any possible counter shots.
However, the Ghanaian has one major defensive flaw. He has a bad habit of leaning over his front foot, which leaves him open for uppercuts. Lopez used that punch to stun Dogboe in the third round. Sensing he was at an early deficit, the Californian began to pour on the pressure and increase his punch rate. This was turning into a skillful yet high-impact battle.
MOMENTUM SHIFT
After being on his heels early, Lopez found his groove in the middle rounds. He began to find a home for his jab and power shots. Meanwhile, Dogboe started to switch tactics. One moment, he was aggressive. Then just like that, he fought at a distance connecting with left hooks as well as his own uppercut.
However, in round nine, Lopez once again caught Dogboe with the uppercut. Along with getting stunned, the former world champ was also beginning to show signs of fatigue. The tenth and final round was three minutes of war as both men traded vicious shots that had the crowd on their feet.
In the end, the judges scored the fight for Dogboe by majority decision (95-95, 97-93, 96-94) in a very entertaining scrap. His march towards redemption continues.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
