by Steve Kim
On April 28th, Isaac Dogboe showed Jessie Magdaleno no brotherly love in taking his WBO super bantamweight title with an 11th round stoppage in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
After a trip to the canvas in the first round, Dogboe (19-0, 13 KOs) turned things around by knocking down Magdaleno in the fifth and then twice more in the 11th before the fight was waved off.
So what's next for Ghana's newest champion?
His adviser, Mike Altamura explained to BoxingScene.com - "We're looking to stay active, so he's had a nice little break after winning the world championship on April 28th. He's been able to enjoy some of the sights, the sounds of being back home in Brixton, South London and he's been back in training camp the last month or so, just gradually picking it up."
It looks like Dogboe will be back on the ESPN airwaves in the late summer.
"We're pegged next to fight on the Top Rank show August 25th," said Altamura. "So I'm just waiting for the finalization of the date and also our opponent but at present it looks like he'll be fighting someone in the top five of the WBO. It'll be a decent first up challenge.
"And then we're firm on wanting to unify by the end of the year."
It's clear who they could be facing down the line.
"Danny Roman appears to be the only guy legitimately interested in unifying at this point in time," said Altamura, of the reigning WBA belt-holder.
"There's Ryosuke Iwasa from Japan, he's the IBF champion. He's defending against another fighter I manage, TJ Doheny, in August. But I actually think the Roman fight is the most makeable fight. I know Top Rank has had some discussions with Alex Camponovo at Thompson Boxing, as I have as well.
"I think it's very makeable, I think it's very make-able it's just a matter of working out the right kind of a deal structure and ensuring the money is right. I think it's a fantastic fight and it might be one of the best fights that can be put together for fans in boxing, right now."
Overall, the 122-pound division is deep with talented champions and solid contenders from top to bottom.
Altamura says - "It's a wide open division, there's not one fighter that you would perceive to be the huge standout in terms of say marketability, sell-ability, etc. Obviously, I believe that I work with the best fighter in the weight class which is Isaac Dogboe but we also understand that part of backing that up is going out there and proving yourself and it's an exciting time in the division because not only do I see the opening for the unification with Roman but the winner of that fight would be right in line to face the other champions."
Steve Kim is the news editor for BoxingScene.com.
