Dogboe Takes One Step Closer To Another World Title With Win Over Gonzalez

 

There are times in the sport of Boxing where what appears to be a close fight on paper does not materialize once the fighters get in the ring. By the same token, there are also times when what appears on paper prior to an encounter seems to match up perfectly once the fight starts. The latter is precisely what occurred when former WBO Jr. Featherweight world champion Isaac Dogboe met former world title challenger Joet Gonzalez in a Featherweight bout on July 23rd at the Grand Casino in Hinckley, MN.

 

A fight that was billed as an elimination bout for the right to challenge recently crowned WBC Featherweight world champion Rey Vargas that this observer in the days prior to the bout referred to as a “Crossroads Fight” for both fighters. This was due to both Dogboe and Gonzalez suffering some setbacks in the recent past. While a loss for either fighter would not signal the end of the road at least in the eyes of yours truly, the fighter who would come out on the short end would at least appear to be out of contention for a period of time. 

 

In previewing this bout, I did my best to point out the similarities between the two fighters both in terms of style as well as the setbacks both Dogboe and Gonzalez had suffered prior to this fight. It would be those similarities in style between the two boxer/punchers that would manifest inside the ring. The first three rounds were largely dictated by Dogboe and his ability to attack Gonzalez in offensive spurts, which were focused on Gonzalez’ body. Despite having a height and reach advantage, Gonzalez was ineffective at this stage in the fight simply because he appeared reluctant to let his hands go. 

This allowed Dogboe to pick his spots to throw and land punches in short, compact combinations and evade Gonzalez’ reach by moving out at angles. In round four Gonzalez landed a flush overhand right to the head of Dogboe that had the former world champion stunned. Dogboe was able to survive, but it would be this moment that would somewhat change the dynamic of how the fight was fought during the second half of the bout. 

Gonzalez began to apply consistent pressure on Dogboe and did find success in being able to back him up against the ropes. While Dogboe ‘s activity did not seem to decrease significantly down the stretch, the pressure of Gonzalez as well as seeming to land the harder punches whenever he did throw resulted in an extremely close fight at the conclusion of the scheduled ten round bout. 

 

At the end of the fight, I was not surprised to see the appearance of what could be a closely scored fight that could go either way. As readers may recall in previewing this bout I eluded to the possibility of a close fight and perhaps even the possibility of the fight being scored a draw based largely on the styles of Dogboe and Gonzalez. 

Although I felt Isaac Dogboe did enough to win the fight largely based on the success he had in the first three rounds as well as being able to win a few close rounds down the stretch in my view, I felt the fight could go either way based on Gonzalez’ harder punches and how that element can leave an impression on three official judges scoring a fight. It was no surprise to see a split decision rendered with all three judges turning in scores of 96-94 or six rounds to four. Two of those three official scorecards were in favor of Isaac Dogboe giving him a hard fought split decision victory.  

 

While not necessarily the statement-making performance that he was likely looking for, it was still a hard fought victory for Dogboe. Even though the fight was close and competitive and that would give the impression that circumstances might warrant a rematch, it is more likely that Dogboe will try to secure the opportunity he has earned by trying to get a fight with WBC Featherweight world champion Rey Vargas. As to when that fight could take place will likely depend on how quickly a negotiation between the respective representatives can take place and how quickly they can come to an agreement on the terms to sign the bout. Of course, when there are different promoters and networks involved, unfortunately, things are not always as simple as getting respective sides to the negotiating table. Hopefully, for Isaac Dogboe, the politics that be in the sport of Boxing will not result in his waiting a long period of time for the opportunity he has earned to attempt to become a two-division world champion. 

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.” 

 

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved. 

 

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison  

An Intriguing Featherweight Crossroads Battle Headlines ESPN+ Card July 23rd

 

As the month of July begins to wind down much of the attention has begun to center on what is ahead in the month of August as well as what might be to follow for the remainder of 2022. A fight that is perhaps being overlooked by some before July concludes will take place in Hinckley, MN on Saturday, July 23rd that features two fighters that may be at the crossroads of their careers. This observer is referring to the Featherweight bout between former WBO Jr. Featherweight world champion Isaac Dogboe and former world title challenger Joet Gonzalez in a fight that will headline a card streamed in the United States by digital subscription sports steaming network ESPN+ from Hinckley’s Grand Casino.  

 

This is a fight that has two fighters that are at a similar point in their careers. While yours truly referenced the term “Crossroads,” the similarities do not end there. Both Dogboe and Gonzalez have similar records, and each have suffered two defeats. If that similarity is not enough to peak interest, both men were last defeated by the same fighter in former world champion Emmanuel Navarrete.  

 

As often happens in the sport of Boxing, there are times where fighters who share common opponents find themselves facing each other with the goal of advancing forward in their respective careers. Gonzalez will enter this fight coming off of a victory in his return to the ring following his loss to Navarrete in October of last year. In that win in March of this year, he scored a ninth round stoppage of Jeo Santisima. Meanwhile former world champion Isaac Dogboe will enter the bout off three straight wins since he lost to Navarrete in May 2019.  

 

While the similarities between the two both in that their last defeat came against the same opponent, that they have each suffered two defeats and similar in overall career bouts with Gonzelez having two more bouts at twenty-seven professional fights to Dogboe’s twenty-five, the question some might have is whether it may also translate into similar styles once the fighters are in the ring. Both fighters also have fifteen knockouts in their careers so this does have the appearance of a fight that could go the distance and is likely to be competitive throughout. 

 

In terms of the styles of the two fighters, what this will be is an encounter between two boxer/punchers that can do a little bit of everything inside the ring. What I often look for when two fighters with similarities between them face each other is who will be able to execute their fight plan better than the other. Although that may seem like a simple answer for some, it can be complex. This is because there are many things that can occur over the course of a fight and there are times where two fighters can each have periods of effectiveness throughout. As is often the case, this fight may be one that will come down to who can dictate the tempo of the combat and whether they will be able to maintain that pace for the duration of the fight.  

 

It is important to keep in mind that both fighters have been involved in fights that ended in close decisions that there were debates as to who won those fights. Even though obviously one can never know, much less predict what an official judge might see and base their scores on, the possibility exists that given the similarities between Dogboe and Gonzalez that this could end in a close decision if it does go the distance. Although anything can happen and the possibility of a knockout occurring in this fight should also not be dismissed, the styles of the two fighters, the similarities between the two, and the fact that both are used to going into the middle and late rounds of a fight would indicate at least on paper that this has the appearance of a fight that will be closely fought from start to finish.  

 

While this observer used the term “Crossroads” to describe where each fighter is in their respective careers, a loss for either fighter would not necessarily mean the end of the road. What it would mean however, is that the fighter who comes out of this fight on the short end, assuming that the bout does not end in a draw or some unforeseen controversial outcome, would likely be knocked down in terms of the rankings in the 126lb. Featherweight division for some time whereas the winner will likely move closer to another opportunity to fight for a world championship. 

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.” 

 

Dogboe vs. Gonzalez takes place on Saturday, July 23rd at the Grand Casino in Hinckley, MN. The card can be seen in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+ beginning at 6:45PM ET/3:45PM PT. ESPN+ is available through the ESPN app on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices/Smart TVs. For more information about ESPN+ including schedules, list of compatible devices, platforms, Smart TVs, and to subscribe please visit: www.ESPNPlus.com.  

 

*Check your local listings internationally. 

 

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved. 

 

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison  

 

 

Thoughts On Garcia-Fortuna

As the fight between undefeated top Lightweight contender Ryan Garcia and Javier Fortuna approached, this observer found himself not feeling the normal anticipation that I normally have prior to a fight where there is significant interest. For someone who covers Boxing on every level imaginable and does so full time, I would be lying to the reader if I said that every single fight had the same level of anticipation.

In the days prior to this fight, the anticipation level at least for me seemed to bottom out. Perhaps it in part had to do with the fatigue that one can experience during a calendar year covering the sport of Boxing, but I thought to myself that the question going into this fight was in a way too simple. Would Javier Fortuna be able to impose his will on Ryan Garcia and pose more of a challenge than Garcia’s previous opponent Emmanuel was able to do earlier this year.

There were times after all when Garcia’s fight with Tagoe, his first since returning from a hiatus to focus on his mental health, resembled a sparring session due largely to Tagoe’s inability to make things difficult for Garcia in a fight where Garcia was able to control the combat from start to finish. While that can be attributed to both Garcia’s overall skillset as well as perhaps a bad style matchup for Tagoe once the fight was underway and he was unable to adjust, I did wonder whether or not this would be a different scenario and if Fortuna could make things more difficult for Garcia.

The slight wrinkle of the bout between the two Lightweights taking place one weight class above the 135lb. Lightweight division, in the 140lb Jr. Welterweight division did also make me wonder if this was a one-off way for Garcia to test the waters of the Jr. Welterweight weight limit before going back down to 135lbs. to seek a potential world title shot against the winner of the contracted rematch between undefeated Undisputed Lightweight world champion Devin Haney and former champion George Kambosos. Unfortunately for Fortuna, the decision for this fight to take place above the Lightweight division would prove to be not to his benefit.

In previewing this bout, I stated that it would boil down to whether or not Fortuna would be able to keep Garcia from getting into a rhythm. I elaborated furthest that one of the ways he could accomplish that would have been to make it a rough fight particularly if he were able to get close and force the fight on the inside. From the opening bell, Garcia seemed to systematically walk Fortuna down. The combination of the pressure as well as Garcia’s longer reach kept Fortuna from being able to find consistent success beyond occasionally landing hard counter punches.

While Fortuna’s punches did have power and seemed to get Garcia’s attention when they landed, he was not able to keep Garcia from coming forward and could not break his rhythm. It would be a matter of time before Garcia’s own power punches began to break Fortuna down. First it would be a left hook to the body that caused a delayed reaction from Fortuna prior to going down to the canvas. Quite frankly, having covered countless fights that ended via similar body shots, I thought the fight would be over as it is rare to see a fighter get up from a punch that not only takes their legs away from them, but also for lack of a better term paralyzes their ability to move for a period of time. To his credit, Fortuna was able to get up, but it would be the first of what became three knockdowns as he would be flooded in rounds five and six. The second knockdown coming from a flush right hook to the jaw in round five before Garcia closed the show by dropping Fortuna with a flush left hook to the head in round six before the fight was stopped.

Although much like his last bout against Emmanuel Tagoe, he did not face much of a test, Ryan Garcia was impressive in getting a knockout victory in his second fight since his return to the ring. Despite much of the discussion regarding Garcia both before and after his hiatus has centered on his being a potential challengers for the World Lightweight championship, following his knockout win over Javier Fortuna, Garcia stated his intention to stay in the Jr. Welterweight division going forward and called out former Jr. Lightweight world champion Gervonta Davis, who has spent the past few years collecting interim/regular champion designations in the World Boxing Association (WBA) rankings in multiple divisions including the Jr. Welterweight division.

Of course, yours truly does not have to tell those who follow the sport that there are significant obstacles that stand in the way of a potential fight between Davis and Garcia. Mainly rival promoters and rival networks, one of which continues to insist on using a pay-per-view model while the other is primarily subscription-based, but has been open to using pay-per-view on what they insist will be an occasional basis. I speak obviously of Showtime and DAZN as far as the network players involved and Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) and Golden Boy Promotions, the promoters.

While I can spend days talking about the flaws of the pay-per-view model, as well as the grandstanding and verbal back and forth between promoters and network executives, the latter of which indicates that they are more interested in talking about their competition and attempting to dismiss them rather than focusing on their own product, one can hope that for once all the above will put their egos aside and do right by the fighters and hopefully, right by the sport and the fans that support it. It may indeed be “Wishful Thinking” on the part of this observer, who only has the best interest of Boxing at heart, but imagine what could be done if all involved checked their egos at the door.

That dear reader can only be described in one word. "Progress.”

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison