Emanuel Navarrete and Isaac Dogboe to rematch in May
On December 8, 2018, Emanuel Navarrete (26-1, 22KOs) benefited from one of the biggest surprises in boxing. He defeated Isaac Dogboe to win the WBO Super-Bantamweight title. Additionally, it wasn’t that he won; it was the way in which he won, as he over-powered and punished Dogboe throughout the night.
Leading into that fight, the 23 year-old Navarrete was an unknown kid from Mexico who most fans have never seen fight. On the other hand, Dogboe was the fighter who captivated the attention of the public with his exciting style as well as engaging personality with his repeated chants of “Ne-Ho”.
Afterwards, the conversation changed. “Where did Navarrete come from? What in the world happened to the 24 year-old fighter they call the ‘Royal Storm’?!” Dogboe (20-1, 14KOs), for his part, said he was ill-prepared coming into the bout. His camp was loaded with distractions, though he vowed that things will be different in future fights.
Looking Ahead
Well, Isaac Dogboe will get the opportunity to prove that his loss to Navarrete was essentially a bad night, as 3KingsBoxing has learned that Navarette will square off in a rematch in May at a site and date TBD.
Is this rematch coming too soon for Dogboe? Can he recover mentally after having his sense of invincibility knocked off? What adjustments can Dogboe make because if he brings a similar strategy to a Navarrete rematch? Well, he loses again! Or, is this a case of Navarrete being an underestimated fighter. Worse yet, is Emanuel Navarrete just a bad style and physical match-up for Isaac Dogboe?
During their first fight, it became blatantly obvious that Navarrete was the bigger and physically stronger fighter who was able to move Dogboe every time he landed with a power shot. Is Navarette just too big and strong for Isaac Dogboe to deal with? We will see when these two power-punchers square-off in May.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
