By Anthony Cocks
Former WBO super bantamweight champion Isaac Dogboe 20-1 (14) has been advised to move up in weight immediately after his rematch with Emanuel Navarrete 26-1 (22).
Mexico’s Navarrete wrested the world championship from Dogboe by unanimous decision at New York’s Madison Square Garden last December.
Boxing promoter and solicitor Ellis Quashigah of E&J Boxing Promotions says that Dogboe, 24, would be better served competing at featherweight.
“He struggled to make the weight and in the end we had to resort to unorthodox means, including taking some medication to make the weight, which hurt him in the ring,” Quashigah said in an interview with Graphic Sports.
Quashigah insisted that the loss to Navarrete won’t derail the popular Ghanaian’s career and predicted more world championship honours in Dogboe’s future.
“Dogboe’s career is not over with the loss of his title. The young Ghanaian boxer will win the world title again,” he said.
Dogboe burst onto the world stage last year with a five-round battering of the normally durable Cesar Juarez for the interim WBO title in January. Three months later he climbed off the canvas in the opening round to knockout the highly-regarded Jessie Magdaleno in the 11th round after sending him to the deck three times in the fight.
In August Dogboe became the first person to stop Japanese veteran Hidenori Otake, knocking him out in a single round.