Isaac Dogboe
This Saturday at the Bukom Boxing Arena, Isaac ‘Royal Storm’ Dogboe (16-0, 10 KO’s) will take on Argentinian Javier Nicholas Chacon (25-3-1, 7 KO’s).
Dogboe will be making his first defense of his WBO international super bantamweight belt against the Argentine. The 22 year-old hard puncher claimed the belt last December when he stopped Julian Evaristo Aristule in round seven.
Ahead of the upcoming clash, Dogboe held court with Ghanacrusader.com, and he spoke plenty regarding the upcoming fight and his future plans.
Below is the transcript of the Dogboe’s interview
On his preparations ahead of Saturday’s fight
At this moment we can only give glory to God for giving me an opportunity again to step up in the ring to show the world what Team Dogboe is all about. Training has been great, we don’t have to get ready, we are always in tip top shape and July 22nd it is going to be another explosive night, i have got a date with my fans, we are all meeting at the Bukom Boxing Arena to get closer to bringing the world title home.
How is the feeling like fighting at the newly built Bukom Boxing Arena for the first time?
It will be great because first time fighting in there and i can’t wait to meeting my fans at the Bukom Boxing Arena, it is a great place, we went there to see how the place is. I’m sure the whole place will be packed because every time that we fight we see a lot of crowd. It is great to finally have a Boxing Arena of our own that we can be proud of and host boxing shows there. Ghana boxing is back to its glorious days and we just have to do our best to make sure that we sustain that fire that is already burning in the whole of Ghana.
You were initially scheduled to fight Claudio Echeguarry but Javier Chacon was rather named as your opponent, what was the reason for the change?
Like i have said in my previous interviews, i’m a career-ender, everyone that stand infront of me, to their promoters and managers i’m a very dangerous person so he (Claudio Echeguarry) not signing the contract to fight me is a big relief for him, because i would have finish his career. Everyone that i fought no one has been the same, no one has fought the same because we train very hard, we pray to God in everything we do and we backed it up in training so once we are in the ring we are ready for the worse. Echeguarry backed out of the fight, he is scared, and that is all i can say. His management too is scared because he is a prospect, he is 20-0, undefeated, so you can understand with the calibre that i’m in right now, a lot people will approach me with caution.
How well do you know Javier Chacon?
He is two-time world title challenger and he is bringing something to the table, it shows that he knows something about boxing because he is someone that has been to the world level before. Being a two-time world title challenger is not joke and that is what motivate us to fight this guy, because he coming to fight me i love it, because it shows that once again against a determined opponent, someone that will solidify my status. So everything is a preparation towards a world title fight and i think this is a great way to solidify my status in the boxing world. The WBO World super bantamweight champion Jesse Magdaleno will be fighting Caezar Juares and the winner of that fight is going to fight me, so the whole of the boxing world eyes are on me, everybody is interested in this fight, they will be thinking of, who is going to win this fight, the winner is fighting the champion. It is a great platform for us all and we are doing our very best to make sure that we bring a world title fight here in Ghana. Because it has been about 30 to 40 years since a world title fight has been held here so Rising Star Africa Promotions are doing their very best to ensure that once i win this fight, by God grace which i’m positive i’m going to knock out Javier Chacon to retain my title, we will definitely do our very best to bring the world title here.
Have you had the opportunity to watch Javier Chacon’s video clips?
I have seen some of his clips, he is a knock out specialist, for his weaknesses that is for me and my team to capitalize on because we have seen a few things. Like i said we have to pray to God for wisdom and just train for fitness and in the end it is just me and him in the ring, and i believe that God is going to give me the victory. Come July 22nd everyone has to be at the Bukom Boxing Arena to support us and i know that it is going to be a great night of boxing.
You started as a featherweight boxer but now you have dropped to super bantamweight, looking at the two weights which division will you say you are comfortable with?
I’m comfortable everywhere, if you are warrior you have to be able to adapt to any situation and any environment. Which ever weight i feel very powerful in it. Recently i was speaking with Dr. Emmanuel Owusu Ansah, he is a sports scientist, a very renowned Professor here in Ghana, and he ran and few test and analysis on me and he told me for my weight and my age i’m more powerful than Azumah Nelson the legend himself. Something like that coming from a renowned sports scientist it has to give me some sort of confidence that we are doing the right thing and i believe that with God we are going to go all the way. We have to keep focus, keep motivated and do what we do best and that is train hard, pray to the almighty, go in the ring and destroy anyone that steps up to the plate,
Do you feel you are under pressure to win the world title for Ghana?
I don’t feel any pressure, God is leading me in my career and my journey. The boxing that we are doing is just fighting sake, everything i do, we put God first and everything else come after. I believe God has a plan for me and i know that all these is God’s doing. Everything that i have achieved is not by my own strength is by the power of God and the great team God has put in place for me to guide me. I’m very appreciative and all i have to do is to stay focus, train hard listen to my coach and in the end is always one voice. I have always said that in every era God sends somebody to deliver his people, the same way when you look in the Bible, the Israelites were in slavery for a long time and God sent Moses to come and deliver them. So i believe that this is our time Ghana has been a barren mother for a very long time and God has sent his son and that is me to come and deliver his people through sports. So i feel that it is a step and what i have to do is to keep training and praying.
So in simple phrase you are the Moses in Ghana sports?
I can’t say i’m Moses in Ghana sports but something on those lines, maybe i have to put it properly because i can’t compare myself to Moses. But metaphorically speaking what i’m trying to say is that in every era God sent someone at a particular moment to do a particular job and i believe that i’m the chosen one and i can only give glory to God for these blessings.
Are you going for a KO against Chacon?
Earlier on i said, Dr. Owusu Ansah told me for my weight and age i hit harder than the legend Azumah Nelson, so you have to understand that the punch i carry and the power behind it and the ferociousness behind the punches, when i touch someone is not by my own strength is by the strength that God has given me, is like the strength that God gave Sampson, and going in the ring i’m not going there to chase for a knock out but when the knock out present itself i will take it no doubt about that. We have to solidify our status and to do that we have to go for the knock out. Every time i step in the ring, i always go there to punish my opponent and knock him out, so with that being said when the bell is ranged we are going for him. I learned something that when you feel the opposition is stronger, you make your mind that you are stronger than him. When you feel weaker you have to let him think that you are stronger, and when he thinks that you are too strong you have appear weaker so that he comes in. This fight is going to be a technical fight, but i have full confidence that by the grace of God i’m going to knock him out. I will be giving between round one and round seven.
How was the feeling like moving to the 4th position on the WBO super bantamweight ranking?
After the fight in New Zealand in December, when the ratings came up in January they put me in number 4 but because i haven’t been active they moved me down and brought someone else, and this last month’s ratings they saw that all these people above me none of them have a title and i’m the person with the WBO international title so they put me up there. People that have won the WBO international became world champions, the likes of Juan Manuel Marquez, Andre Ward and Tyson Fury, so it is a prestigious belt it is not one of those titles that is why the WBO matchmakers have been struggling to find me opponent. Once you win this title people in the boxing knows the kind of person you are, so that is why there have been a delay in opponent finding. Like i said, as smallish as i’m i put a lot of shivers in people’s spine when they hear of my name. So i can only give glory to God for that.
Your final words to your fans?
I would love everybody to know that Team Dogboe, we always pray for wisdom but we train for fitness. I want to encourage each and everyone that they should not miss this date July 22nd at the Bukom Boxing Arena, everybody have to get to the Bukom Boxing Arena and they will enjoy a great night of boxing, because boxing in Ghana is back in its glorious days. Since from 2015 after my fight with George Krampah that is where all these things started happening, so i feel privilege to also do my part in Ghana boxing. I can’t take all the credit a lone because is by my team, the hard work of the people that are around me and also encouraging me making sure that things are done in the right way and we all moving up to the ladle and i feel very happy that July 22nd it is going to be another knock out.
