Isaac Dogboe vs Emanuel Navarrete Preview Dec. 8th
Undefeated WBO Super Bantamweight Champion Isaac Dogboe of Ghana will be defending his crown this Saturday, December 8th when he battles it out with Emanuel Navarrete of Mexico at the theater in Madison Square Garden in New York City. The 12-round bout can be seen live in the U.S. on ESPN and ESPN Deportes while fans in the UK and Ireland can catch it on BoxNation and those in Canada can see it live on TSN 4. Dogboe last fought in August when he stopped 37-year-old veteran Hidenori Otake of Japan in the first round. Navarrete last saw action in June when he stopped Jose Sanmartin in the 12th and final round.
Dogboe vs Navarrete Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Emanuel Navarrete +798
- Isaac Dogboe -1173
My Pick
Dogboe recently turned 24 years old and hails from Accra, but fights out of London, England. He’ll climb into the ring with a perfect mark of 20-0 along with 13 Kos. He enjoyed a fine amateur career and boxed at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. He turned pro a year later and has boxed 110 rounds since then. He’s won several regional and minor titles since turning pro including the West African Boxing Union, WBO Africa, WBC Youth Silver and WBO Oriental Featherweight Titles as well as the WBO International and WBO World Super Bantamweight Titles.
Dogboe won the belt in April when he stopped former champion Jessie Magdaleno in the 11th round of a thriller. He may have been dropped in the first round by Magdaleno, but proved he owns a solid chin as well as pretty good power with a current knockout ratio of 70 per cent. He’s 5-feet-2-inches tall with a 66-inch reach and has also beaten the likes of Cesar Juarez, Javier Nicolas Chacon and Julian Aristule.
Other than Magdaleno and Otake and perhaps Juarez, most of Dogboe’s opponents won’t be recognized by the average boxing fan, but that doesn’t really matter since he’s now a world champion after his very impressive performances against Magdaleno and Otake. Fans who are anxious to see Dogboe in action again are probably disappointed in his opponents for his first two title defences, but he wants to stay busy. They’d rather see him take on WBC boss Rey Vargas, WBA champ Daniel roman or top contenders such as Diego De La Hoya.
Navarrete shouldn’t be overlooked tough as he’s just 23 years old and ranked second by the WBO. He’s also a heavy hitter with a record of 25-1 along with 22 big Kos. This gives him a current knockout ratio of 85 per cent. He stands 5-feet-7-inches tall so has a big five-inch height advantage on Dogboe. He turned pro back in 2012 when he was just 17 and has boxed 101 rounds since then. Navarrete’s lone defeat came in his sixth pro bout when he came out on the wrong end of a four-round unanimous decision to Daniel Argueta.
The average fan won’t really recognize any of Navarrete’s opponents up to now other than perhaps Dennis Contreras, Luis Orozco and Glenn Porras. But on the bright side, most of his foes have entered the ring with winning records. Navarrete has the size to give Dogboe some problems as well as the power. We’ve seen Dogboe on the canvas before so this fight definitely shouldn’t be a walk in the park for the champion.
Prediction…
This could be a very tough fight for Dogboe. He’s in against a hard-hitting Mexican who’s just a year younger and one who’s five inches taller. There could be a knockdown or two along the way and don’t be surprised if Navarrete pulls off an upset. That being said, I think Dogboe will leave the ring with the title belt still around his waist after a hard battle.
I think Dogboe wins, but it won’t be easy.
Play: Dogboe -1173 @ BetOnline.ag
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Emanuel Navarrete betting • Isaac Dogboe betting