Isaac “Royal Storm” Dogboe, has within a short time written his name in letters of gold, so far as the history of Ghana boxing and sports is concerned.
Dogboe, who won the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) Super Bantamweight title, after beating Jesse Magdaleno and successfully defended it against Hidenori Otake of Japan, immediately called out other champions in the World Boxing Council (WBC), International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Association (WBA), to fight him, in his quest to unify the Super Bantamweight division.
The young champion, is definitely hungry for success and has a strong desire to be the greatest in the division and the only way to actualise that, is to defeat other champions in other divisions.
His call sounds ambitious, as he would be battling other equally quality boxers, like Ray Vargas (WBC), Danny Roman (WBA) and Ryosuke Iwasa (IBF).
One may wonder, why Dogboe is keen on unifying the weight in all division and the GNA Sports, conducts an analysis of the possible reasons behind his undying desire to be the unified champion in the Super Bantamweight division.
Self-belief: At 23, Dogboe undoubtedly possesses a lot of strength, energy, power and durability to overcome any opponent in the ring. He has demonstrated these qualities in many fights, ahead of becoming the champion of the division. His comeback against Jesse Magdaleno to win the title and the rapid destruction of Hidenori Otake, are practical demonstration of his qualities.
These qualities, have definitely manifested into absolute belief in himself and that is what is driving him to seek for more glories. It takes only brave boxers to call out equally quality champions in other divisions for a show down. And of course to be the best, you must beat the best.
Economic factors; despite his amazing exploits, Dogboe is yet to hit the financial jackpot. His last fight against Otake according to reports, earned him a paltry $65,000. It is clear that despite the two demolition exercises, over Magdaleno and Otake, he is yet to attract what would grant fat pay cheques from promoters and match makers.
In boxing, one would have to fight and win over other big boys to attract high ticket sales, per-per-view and other broadcast deals. One would have to fight more high profiles boxers to boost your reputation, increase your market value, to finally land on the promise land, where you are guaranteed fat pay cheques, after fight from different revenue streams.
Dogboe, is yet to become the toast of fans in the ring. He is yet to attract huge per-per-view fights and mouth-watering bouts, that would place him on the pedestal to recoup, the huge investments made into him by his father.
His walk to the world title, has not been a rosy one, as his team has over the years spent an unquantified amount of money to organise fights and promotions to reach this level.
Senior Dogboe, has indeed made huge investments in the career of the champion and one of the surest ways to recoup is to fight the big boys and get the attention of other sources of revenue in the profession.
It is clear that, his call out to other champions, is as a result of a desire to be great in the sport, but also a calculated marketing strategy to attract a fat pay cheques to recoup his investments.
Similarly, the call out to the other big boys is to attract the attention of the corporate world as well. With his steady progress, he stands a chance of attracting huge sponsorship from kit manufacturers, television stations, and other corporate organisations.
However, that is yet to materialise, though the young champion, believes he has done enough to attract the attention of the corporate world. He voiced out his frustrations after his last fight against Otake in an interview with the media.
But a dominance in the division, where three other belts, would be unified, would further enhance his reputation, increase his market value and put him in the status of a global boxing icons.
Unifying the weight category, would definitely increase his global appeal, position him as a product for high profile advertising and definitely, whet the appetite of the both local and international companies to sponsor him.
History beckons: His exploits bring out fond memories of the legendary Azumah Nelson and the young champion, has indicated his undying desire to walk the path of the legendary boxer, who dominated the super featherweight division for over a decade.
To further motivate him, he has been endorsed by the legend himself. He possesses the drive, passion and determination that made Azumah great
Azumah was a strong, with killer punches and that endeared him to the hearts of many and made him great. Dogboe has similar qualities and ready to be great.
Dogboe, from all indications is on the path to greatness, but must remained focus, work hard and would definitely find himself in the category of fat pay cheque boxers in the world.
