Dogboe targets top 3 fighters
Isaac "Royal Storm" Dogboe, Ghana's WBO super bantamweight champion, has targeted the top three ranked boxers in his division as he prepares for his second title defence at the Madison Square Gardens in New York on December 8.
The undefeated Dogboe (20-0, 14 KOs) destroyed Japan's Hidenori Otake with a first round TKO in August in his last fight, but said he was ready for any tough challenge at this stage of his career.
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Speaking at a press conference in Accra yesterday, the 24-year-old pugilist admitted that it would be difficult to fight any of the champions in a unification after December 8, due to circumstances beyond his control.
"We are yet to confirm the opponent for December 8 but we are hopeful to fight a top three opponent in the division, in our upcoming bout.
"At this stage of my career, I am ready to fight any opponent in the division but I have to admit that I won't have the opportunity to battle with a champion in the upcoming bout," Dogboe said.
The father and trainer of the champion, Paul Dogboe, explained that hard work was the reason for getting this far and cautioned his son against complacency which could end his bright start.
He noted that just as Dogboe kept knocking out opponents in the ring, he must be wary not to suffer a similar fate because as a champion, he was also the target of other boxers aiming to knock him off his perch.
For his part, the matchmaker of Dogboe, Mike Altamura, called on the boxer to take the opportunity of fighting at one of the biggest stages in the sport by ensuring an emphatic victory against his opponent.
Dogboe will be chasing his fourth straight win this year when he makes his second title defence, having already despatched the likes of Cesar Juarez, Jessie Magdaleno and Otake.
The hard-hitting Ghanaian will be hoping to end the year on a high note by successfully defending his belt in order to earn him his preferred unification next year.