Ghana maltreated my son in 2012 - Isaac Dogboe's father

Six years after the London Olympic Games, the family of current WBO Super Bantamweight champion, Isaac Dogboe is still bitter over the treatment meted out to the then 17-year-old amateur boxer.

Dogboe joined Ghana’s amateur boxing team, the Black Bombers ahead of 2012 Olympic Games held in London and his father and trainer, Paul Dogboe has lifted the lid on the poor treatment his son received whiles in camp.

“From the 2012, I left my son that had everything in the world, brought him from England, brought him to Ghana to fight for his nation, Ghana. England was telling me, why don’t I let him wait and fight in Rio. We refused and he came to fight for Ghana when he was 17 years old. Brothers and sister, this kid came alone. He didn’t come with me because I knew he had what it takes to be an Olympian. He went there and you all saw what happened”.

“When we went to Olympics and they were in Cardiff, my son called and said daddy I’m gaining weight. They said “asem na ede asemba” so I’m telling you now what happened. My son was telling me daddy I’m gaining weight. They are not treating us well here in this camp. Why are we here. I was in camp then so I had to tell my handlers, my son is preparing for the Olympics so I need to train him so they released me for six months and I went to stay with him”.

“I stayed with him and the Ghana team, helping my son to lose weight. It was difficult. There was no strength and conditioning expert there, there was no dietician there so I had to buy food to put in that kitchen for even some of the Ghana athletes to eat. Even the gear that he fought in, I bought it. Do I make myself clear, he asked the journalists and boxing patrons gathered at the Kempinski hotel”.

Dogboe made history by becoming one of the youngest boxers ever to have fought on the Olympic platform.

He was controversially declared loser in his bantamweight bout with Japan's Shimizu Satoshi despite winning the first two rounds of the three-round contest.

Dogboe since then has grown to become one of Ghana’s best boxers and is currently the only world title holder in the country.

He will be making a defence of his WBO Super Bantamweight title against another Japanese, Hidenori Otake on August 25 at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona in the United States.