There is an old saying by Mark Twain, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”
Isaac Dogboe is a prime example of that quote. At a small 5 feet 2 inches tall, the Ghanaian showed that despite his diminutive stature he has the heart and the fight of a lion.
He was outsized against the much bigger Mexican fighter Emanuel Navarrete and still refused to back down. It is amazing to see Dogboe fight the way he did with the physical disadvantages he was born with and to never show quit in the fight.
With his face swollen he kept trying to land vicious blows to the body, the distance was hard to cover and the reach advantage was too much.
To become a champion the way he did is inspiring. The first time he fought in the United States Dogboe was an unknown, but he defeated the undefeated American WBO junior featherweight champion Jessie Magdaleno by knockout. Nobody expected for him to win let alone by stoppage against a fearsome puncher like Magdaleno but he did.
As Isaac said it is by the Grace of God that he was able to be successful in life.
He was like David slaying the Goliath giant.
After the Navarette fight he took his first professional loss with dignity and true sportsmanship.
Barely recognizable in the post fight interview, Dogboe with swollen eyes congratulated the newly crowned Champion and said the better man won tonight, he made no excuses.
He won many fans that night. While lesser men would have quit, he still held hope that he could land that one punch to change the fight. His opponent was just too big and too strong.
I believe this is just a learning experience for him, and true champions bounce back from a loss. To bounce back from defeat and rise to the top again is what all the greats have done. I believe Dogboe will learn from this and once again climb to the top of the mountain.
He fought with the entire country of Ghana behind him and in defeat he is still their champion.
