
Audio By Carbonatix
Emanuel Navarrete defeated Isaac Dogboe by TKO in Round 12 to retain his WBO junior featherweight world title -- the same belt he won in his first fight against Dogboe in December -- at the Tucson Convention Center on Saturday.While Dogboe was better prepared for the rematch with Navarrete, he simply could not deal with Navarrete's length, reach and work rate.From the beginning, Dogboe (20-2, 14 KOs), put up a more spirited effort by crowding Navarrete (27-1, 23 KOs), who at 5-foot-7 enjoyed a 5-inch advantage in height over Dogboe. But Navarrete was more than comfortable on the inside and met the oncoming charges of Dogboe with an array of whipping uppercuts and straight right hands.
Navarrete hurt Dogboe in the second round and just steadily outworked him the rest of the fight. While Dogboe had pockets of success, landing several hard right hands on Navarrete, he was never truly able to hurt him.Dogboe showed plenty of heart in fighting into the late rounds, but it was obvious that this simply would not be his night against Navarrete, who was able to neutralize the attack of Dogboe.After going to the canvas in the sixth round from the steady onslaught of Navarrete, Dogboe was staggered again in the ninth round, and in the 11th his knees buckled from a left uppercut as he was in a neutral corner. In the 12th, a final barrage of punches sent Dogboe to the canvas again. His spirit had been willing throughout, but his body had given out by this point and his corner decided to stop the fight."It really surprised me that he took so many hard shots, but at the same time, he continued to throw strong punches," Navarrete said after the fight. "I want to thank Dogboe because he gave me the opportunity to become a world champion, and now in this second fight, he gave me the opportunity to demonstrate that my first triumph wasn't by accident and that there is a reason why I have the title."And to all the fighters at 122 pounds, I tell them that if they want my title, then they can come and try and take it."Dogboe expects to continue fighting, just not as a junior featherweight."Making super bantamweight is getting too difficult," Dogboe said. "My next fight, I will be moving up to [featherweight]. I will be much more comfortable there."All the credit to Navarrete. I thank him for giving me the opportunity to regain my title. It just didn't go my way tonight. I will be back at featherweight in a big way."
Final Punch Stats
| FIGHTER | TOTAL | JABS | POWER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Navarrete | 314 of 884 (36%) | 79 of 264 (30%) | 235 of 620 (38%) |
| Dogboe | 121 of 523 (23%) | 16 of 134 (12%) | 105 of 389 (27%) |
| -- Courtesy of CompuBox | |||
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Latest Stories
-
Key Indian state polls begin in test for Modi’s party
32 seconds -
Gomoa Easter Carnival in photos
7 minutes -
Gov’t orders removal of fuel taxes to ease pump price hikes
13 minutes -
“Whatever the decision of CAS, we will respect it” – CAF President Motsepe after AFCON final meetings in Morocco
29 minutes -
Emma Ankrah: When waiting becomes part of treatment – Reflections on hospital care
33 minutes -
Ghana urges travellers to prepare for new EU border system roll-out
42 minutes -
Mahama enforces fuel coupon ban for ministers as cabinet moves to slash fuel taxes
46 minutes -
Task force probes strange fish deaths in Tema
50 minutes -
Neglected traffic lights turn Awoshie–Anyaa highway into deadly hotspot
1 hour -
EOCO declares Dr Gabriel Tanko Kwamigah-Atokple a fugitive over alleged gold fraud
1 hour -
GSE records GH¢1.09bn trade in equity market; 10 stocks register gains
2 hours -
Fuel prices: Ghana places 15th in Africa
2 hours -
Africa must look inward: Reframing resilience in a shifting global economy
2 hours -
9 dead, 2 missing after boat capsizes on Volta Lake
2 hours -
Miss Diaspora Ghana 2026 launched to deepen diaspora ties and drive development
2 hours