Even before the opening bell, Isaac Dogboe was already envisioning a future beyond the super bantamweight limit.
The former 122-pound titlist from Ghana was determined to prove his ESPN-aired loss to Emanuel Navarrete last December in New York City had more to do with what went wrong during training camp than what happened.
The opposite transpired, as Navarrete was far more dominant in Saturday’s rematch, once again on ESPN this time live from Tucson, Ariz.
Dogboe absorbed a horrific beating along with two knockdowns en route to a 12th round stoppage defeat, his second straight after having won his first 20 starts.
“All the credit to Navarrete,” noted Dogboe (20-2, 14KOs) afterward. “I thank him for giving me the opportunity to regain my title. It just didn’t go my way tonight.”
Whatever way it will go on his next night in the ring, it won’t come in the 122-pound division. Dogboe admitted in a pre-fight interview with BoxingScene.com that he didn’t to stick around at this weight much longer, although hoping to have regained his title and collected at least one more before moving onward and upward.
Saturday’s loss helped accelerate those plans.
“Right now, I’d like to let everyone be aware that the super bantamweight division is very challenging for me to weight,” admitted Dogboe, although a bit of a surprising statement at just 5’2”, relatively smaller for the division. “My next fight will be at featherweight, I believe I will be much stronger at that weight. It’s a struggle to make 122.”
Dogboe won the title in a thrilling 11th round knockout of Jessie Magdaleno last April, climbing off the deck to drop and stop the previously unbeaten Las Vegas native. Just one successful defense followed, a 1st round knockout of Hidenori Otake last August.
