Boxing: Isaac Dogboe’s Night of Destiny

Young Ghanaian boxer, Isaac Dogboe, stands on the cusp of greatness as he challenges Mexican Jessie Magdaleno for his World Boxing Organisation (WBO) junior featherweight title at the at the Liacouras Centre in Philadelphia, USA, tomorrow evening.

It is a night of destiny for the 23-year-old challenger, nicknamed Royal Storm, as he faces a career-defining moment against a very formidable champion who makes only his second title defence since winning the crown in 2016 but has been inactive due to injury.

Since defeating Mexican Cesar Juarez to win the WBO Interim junior featherweight crown at the Bukom Boxing Arena on January 6 to become the mandatory challenger to Magdaleno title, Dogboe has worked his way into his best shape ever preparing both in Accra and London under the supervision of his father and trainer, Paul, who is confident his son will emerge as Ghana’s youngest ever world champion tomorrow night.

Since January, the Dogboes have spared no occasion to tell the world about their readiness to dethrone Magdaleno, a boxer whom they are familiar with, having previously sparred in Las Vegas a few years ago when the challenger was on his way to the top.

This week, the Dogboe camp dropped a hint about their intentions, saying the Ghanaian would cut the ring to size and win the fight by knockout. “We are going for a knockout because Isaac is going there to fight toe to toe and he [Magdaleno] is going to run for cover,” said Paul from his Philadelphia base.

Both boxers go into the fight undefeated, with Magdaleno boasting an impressive ring record of 25 wins (10 KOs) without a draw, while Dogboe enters the fight with a record of 18 wins (12 KOs) without a draw.

Dogboe displayed in January that he could be a tough customer as he stood toe to toe with Juarez, dropping him twice before American referee Tony Weeks stepped in to save the Mexican from further trouble. Since that 6th round TKO victory in Accra, the Ghanaian has been talking tough as he aims to follow the path walked by illustrious compatriots such as boxing David ‘Poison’ Kotei, Azumah Nelson, Ike Quartey, Alfred Kotey, Nana Yaw Konadu, Joshua Clottey and Joseph Agbeko.

“Everything that (Magdaleno) throws at me, I’ll absorb it but when I give back, he’s not gonna be able to withstand the power and aggression that I’m bringing to the table. I know that his camp, everyone is shivering; they are scared,” boasts Dogboe.

“Everybody’s thinking Jessie’s just gonna walk through me because he’s been there; he’s a world champion. He’s this; he’s that but, at the end of the day, people are going to be surprised because the underdog always surprises people.”

Magdaleno, who has height and reach advantage, is not taking the fight lightly, having previously sparred with the Ghanaian.

“I’m mentally ready. I’m physically ready,” Magdaleno said. “Being here with {trainer} Manny Robles keeps me ready. The sparring has been great, but I get impatient sometimes and just want to get in the ring for real. I have to stay calm and wait until the fight comes.”

When Magdaleno steps into the ring against Dogboe, it will have been 371 days since the champion’s last fight, his title defence against Adeilson Dos Santos.