Isaac Dogboe is expected to return to his Florida base on Tuesday to commence training camp ahead of his July 23 fight with Joet Gonzalez.
On Monday, Dogboe, the former WBO 122-pound champion, held a press conference at the Africn Regency Hotel in Accra to announce he’ll be taken on Gonzalez (25-2, 15 KOs) in a WBO featherweight title eliminator, likely to take place in Minnesota.
The winner of the Top Rank-promoted card could face WBO World Featherweight World Champion Emanuel Navarrete next although Navarrete is likely to move up. The Mexican is also currently in a promotional dispute that has kept him sidelined since October 2021.
Nevertheless, the winner of Dogboe-Gonzalez is in line for a shot at the strap.
“We were in a position to challenge for the title but it didn’t happen and I have to get the mandatory shot so we decided to take on Gonzalez,” said Dogboe.
“We will know where we’re going after this fight but I must go past this hurdle first on July 23.”
Dogboe (23-2, 15 KOs) has been campaigning at featherweight since losing his 122-pound belt to Navarrete in successive bouts beginning in December 2018. “Royal Storm” has reeled off three in a row, most recently edging out Christopher Diaz via majority decision in November 2021.
“We are weighing the options and if it means fighting [Navarrete] then we have to try and win in our third attempt,” Dogboe told BoxingAfrica.com.
For now, the focus is to get past Gonzalez, who lost a unanimous decision to Navarrete in October 2021 before bouncing back with a TKO victory over Joe Santisima.
“Joet Gonzalez is a very tall opponent just like Navarrete. I want to prove something with this fight and at the same time test myself,” said Dogboe.
“I believe I have to fight someone of the same stature as Navarrete and then prepare for him. I will see if I can knock him out in seven rounds or win convincingly on the night.”
Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) president Abraham Kotei Neequaye described Dogboe as Ghana’s only hope of winning a world title in 2022. Neequaye said the GBA would continue supporting Dogboe and thanked him for signing an undertaking to remit part of his fight percentage for boxing development.
“This is a boxer who didn’t start his career in Ghana but is ready to give back to Ghana boxing when he fights.
