Paul Dogboe, father and trainer of Isaac Dogboe, says he and his son parted ways with Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach because he “wasn’t the right fit.”
Dogboe joined forces with Roach after Isaac lost his WBO World Super Bantamweight title in successive defeats at the hands of Mexico’s Emanuel Navarrete.
Roach, who runs the world-famous Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, California, is Manny Pacquiao’s full-time trainer. He’s also trained Mike Tyson, James Toney and Tyson Fury, among others.
However, their relationship didn’t last long. Both parties decided to go their separate ways because, according to Dogboe, Roach simply did not have time for Dogboe—or couldn’t compromise his schedule to suit the Ghanaian fighter.
“We went to Hollywood, that’s where Freddy trains and when we went there,” Paul Dogboe said during an interview with Joy FM. “There were about eight serious boxers there and everything was nice and great but we will say it wasn’t the right fit for Isaac Dogboe.
“I am the right fit for my son as to how he made it because if you have to study and box, you need to have a coach that is dedicated to your time. It’s not about the coach’s time because now the kid is a world champion and the coaches have to adjust to the champion’s time.
“We cannot adjust to the coach’s time to favor the boxer. Freddie Roach had time but he has his own time and the time that he does his things, so we had to fit into it.”
Paul added that they kept searching for a new trainer who could fit into the boxer’s time and they settled on Patrice Harris and Barry Hunter.
The senior Dogboe believes Hunter, one of the most respected trainers in the sport, is the right fit for his son. Isaac was scheduled to return to the ring this month but that was postponed due to the current pandemic.
