By Jake Donovan

Duke Micah was one of just four boxers to represent Ghana in the 2012 London Olympics, and just one of two to move on to the pro ranks.

The other is Isaac Dogboe, whom enjoyed a brief spell as a 122-pound title—a stage on which his old teammate is now poised to join him.

Micah (23-0, 19KOs) took an important next step in that journey, stopping Mexico’s Luis Roy Suarez in two rounds Saturday evening in Minneapolis, Minn. The bout took place on the non-televised undercard of a Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on Fox event, his first under the PBC banner.

Saturday’s performance was enough to turn heads—and with any luck, turn the cameras in his direction the next time the unbeaten bantamweight enters the ring.

“Dookie Duke—as he is affectionately termed by me—put on a spectacular performance, especially being that he hasn't boxed in almost 14 months,” Andre Rozier, Micah’s trainer told BoxingScene.com of his student’s latest win. “He did many of the things that we have been working on for some time now; but more impressive than that was his attitude and his fire to win his expression was priceless.

“He looked like he was a lion hunting his prey.”

Micah–who turns 28 later this month—had been out of the ring since a 10-round decision win over Thomas Snow last June, his second straight distance fight in as many ring appearances in the United States.

The lean-yet-potent boxer, who trains out of Brooklyn, New York, knew that a statement making performance was required for his first bout since joining the PBC circuit.

Even more is expected, including a potential run three pounds south in the super flyweight division where he plans to split his time along with more action at bantamweight.

“Duke looked sensational in his PBC debut this weekend,” noted Keith Connolly, a boxing power player who along with Michael Amoo-Bediako co-manages Micah. “The plan is for him to get another fight in before the end of 2019 then 2020 will be a year where he looks to stay active and he should be fighting for a world title, around 12 months from now."

It's not quite as quick as the mercurial rise enjoyed by Dogboe, whom exploded onto the super bantamweight scene in 2018 but now currently sitting on back-to-back losses to Emanuel Navarrete and stuck on which direction to next turn. Still, it's been worth the wait for Micah—whose 2012 Olympic journey ended with a loss to eventual Bronze medalist Michael Conlan but whom has now emerged as a prospect to watch and a contender in the making.

With the dream team behind him, the stars appear to be aligned for a bright future.

“(Micah)... has the Olympic pedigree to compete with anyone in the world between 115-118 pounds," insists Connolly. "I look for him to be one of the few stars to emerge from the lower weight classes in the years to come.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox