LAST Saturday was, indeed a black day in our boxing history and a big blow to the Royal Storm, Isaac Dogboe, as Ghanaians watched their buddy boxer badly battered in an ill-fated World Boxing Organisation contest at the Madison Square Garden in New York.
Dogboe fell from grace as he was defeated, through unanimous decision by Emmanuel Navarette, denying him of the opportunity to stay longer as champion and also move on to much more money and fame zones.
At tender age of 24 years and having come this far, so fast, Ghanaians expected him not to take chances, but remain focused and work harder to stay at the top longer because Ghanaians did not expect the prestigious title to slip through the arms of their warrior so quickly. But the unexpected has happened and we do not need to cry over spilled milk. He has to move on.
However, the Ghanaian Times is of the opinion that the excuses given by his father, who happens to be his trainer that Dogboe was not physically conditioned for the fight as he was pre-occupied with some programmes, such as schooling, the royal visit by the Prince of Wales and Dutchess of Cornwall and the Hogbetsotso festival, as untenable.
This is not what Ghanaians bargained for and the world champion ought to know that at that level focus is critical. He certainly has to remain focused and strategise ahead and avoid the fun fair. We believe in the Royal Storm, and he still remains our warrior with the potential of bouncing back quickly. Hopefully, he has learnt his lesson as he tries to pick up the pieces and walk his way back to the top, which we feel, though herculean a task, is not insurmountable.
We thought that the legendary Azumah Nelson’s success in the boxing ring must offer Team Dogboe lot of lessons to draw from to remain at the top and to move on, unfortunately the team has been taken by events.
A lot of reasons have been assigned for the defeat and suggestions proffered, as the team tries to reclaim the title. We believe the team will take varying views in good faith and prepare well for the task ahead.
Dogboe is a great fighter, the future still remains bright, this temporal setback is normal in the game of sports. The defeat to Navarette is not the end of life; it is temporal and offers food for thought for the task ahead.
We dare say that it is not going to be easy. However, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going”. We believe in the resilience of Dogboe to rise again! But that will not be without change in strategy and remaining focused and not being disrupted by leisure.
We say never again! We doff our hats off for his meteoric rise in the game of boxing and confident that with the right attitude, he will bounce back in the shortest possible time.
As President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo advised, he should keep his head up. For, he that fights and runs away, live to fight another day!
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