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Isaac Dogboe Edges Joet Gonzalez
In Featherweight Battle
Photos: Mikey Williams - Top Rank
Isaac "Royal Storm" Dogboe's future was cloudy following
back-to-back junior featherweight title fight losses to
Emanuel Navarrete. Now, his future is brighter than
ever.
Ghana's Dogboe defeated two-time title challenger Joet
Gonzalez by a 10-round split decision in the
featherweight main event Saturday evening at the Grand
Casino in Hinckley, Minnesota. The bout was a WBC title
eliminator, and Dogboe won the WBO International title,
putting him in a prime position to challenge for a world
title.
Dogboe (24-2, 15 KOs), who won the first three rounds on
two of the scorecards, swept the 10th to earn the win by
scores of 96-94 on two cards. Gonzalez prevailed by the
same margin on the other card.
Dogboe said, “I said to the people that my journey can
be a Hollywood blockbuster movie, and I praise God
always.
“I’ve always seen {trainer} Barry {Hunter} as a very
inspirational person, a father figure. He’s a person
that when it seems like it’s all gone, he always has
something to say to you. I really needed him in my
corner. He was able to pull that extra strength in me
out. I want to say thanks to Joet Gonzalez. He’s a true
warrior.
“Whoever the champions are, they should watch out. The
‘Royal Storm,’ I am back, baby!”
Gonzalez (25-3, 15 KOs), who outlanded Dogboe 197-190,
believed he did enough to earn the win. Last October, he
lost a 12-round barnburner to Navarrete in his second
bid for the WBO featherweight title. Despite falling
short, he still hopes a third title opportunity is in
his future.
“Close fight. I thought I won the fight. I buckled him,
I believe, twice in the fight. I stunned him," Gonzalez
said. "He didn’t really land too many shots. I landed
the cleaner, harder shots. I was pushing him back, and
he was holding most of the time. Roughing me and trying
to stop me. But I thought I won the fight.”
Cabrera Dominates Flores Jr.
Welcome to the big show, Giovanni Cabrera. The Chicago
native dropped Gabriel Flores Jr. three times en route
to a dominant 10-round unanimous decision (98-89 3x) in
the lightweight co-feature.
Cabrera exploded in the opening round, knocking down
Flores with a straight right left seconds into the
opening round. He added a second knockdown off a left
hand that had Flores stumbling into the ropes.
Cabrera (21-0, 7 KOs) added a knockdown with a right
hook in the fifth, but Flores, the fighting pride of
Stockton, California, would not give in. Flores (21-2, 7
KOs) pressed forward in the fight's second half, doing
enough to win a pair of rounds on all three judges'
cards. But in the 10th round, Cabrera charged forward
hoping for the knockout.
The knockout did not materialize, but Cabrera, who is
trained by the legendary Freddie Roach, did not have to
worry about the cards. He had done more than enough to
author a signature victory.
“I felt amazing. It’s what we worked on in the gym,"
Cabrera said. "Everybody, I think, can see I’m a very
slick boxer. As I’ve progressed in the professional
ranks, there’s still growth to be had. There’s a lot to
learn, and I have the best trainer in the world to do
that. I’ve been working on my power. He felt it in the
first round. Gabriel Flores is as tough as they come. My
hat’s off to him. This incredible fight wouldn’t have
been made if he wasn’t brave enough to take it.”
Flores said, “I should’ve kept on stepping to my left.
The game plan kind of went to blur. My father was
telling me to keep stepping to my left, keep feinting,
keep flicking my jab, and keep jabbing. I didn’t really
do much of any of that.”
In other results:
Middleweight: Javier Martinez (7-0, 2 KOs) UD 6 Chino
Hill (7-1-1, 6 KOs). Scores: 60-54 and 59-55 2x.
Milwaukee's Martinez picked up the most substantial
victory of his young career, nearly shutting out the
savvy native of Davenport, Iowa. The Robert Garcia
Boxing Academy-trained Martinez landed 25 more punches
than Hill and connected at a 48 percent clip. Martinez,
a one-time U.S. amateur standout, has been spotless
since turning pro inside the MGM Grand Bubble two years
ago.
Heavyweight: Guido Vianello (9-0-1, 9 KOs) TKO 4 Rafael
Rios (11-4, 8 KOs), 2:59. 2016 Italian Olympian Vianello
returned from a nearly 13-month layoff and didn't skip a
beat, lacing Rios with combinations until the finish
came at the end of round four. Rios, with his nose
bloodied, ate a vicious uppercut, then a combination
capped by a left hook to the body that put him down for
the 10-count.
Featherweight: Haven Brady Jr. (7-0, 4 KOs) UD 6 Aaron
Echeveste (6-8, 3 KOs), Scores: 60-54 2x and 60-53.
Brady put forth a workmanlike effort against Echeveste,
an eight-year pro who has only been stopped once as a
pro. He pressed for the knockout in the sixth round,
landing a series of left hooks against the southpaw
spoiler as the seconds ticked away.
Lightweight: Abdullah Mason (3-0, 3 KOs) TKO 1 Luis
Fernandez (1-4-1), 2:39. The 18-year-old southpaw, from
Cleveland, Ohio, showed why he's one of the sport's
ascending stars with a drubbing of Fernandez. The
finishing flurry was punctuated by a brutal uppercut
that prompted referee Mark Nelson to stop the fight.
Heavyweight: Antonio Mireles (4-0, 4 KOs) TKO 2 Dennys
Reyes (3-3, 1 KO), 2:09. "El Gigante," the 6'9,
270-pound behemoth from Des Moines, Iowa, ended his
evening early with a savage salvo in the second round.
He knocked down Reyes with a chopping left hand, and
when Reyes rose to his feet, a two-punch combination
made the inevitable official.
Light Heavyweight: Dante Benjamin Jr. (3-0, 2 KOs) TKO 1
Corey Thompson (4-1, 3 KOs) 2:24. "Free Smoke" brought
it to Minnesota, jumping all over the previously
undefeated Thompson in the opening round of the
scheduled four-rounder. Benjamin notched a pair of
knockdowns, both of which left Thompson reeling into the
ropes before the one-sided affair was called off.
Heavyweight: Colton Warner (5-1, 3 KOs) UD 4 Jimmy
Barnes (1-3, 1 KO). Scores: 40-36 3x.
Middleweight: Antonio Woods (11-0, 9 KOs) TKO 1 Darryl
Jones (4-5-1, 2 KOs), 2:36.
Heavyweight: Cayman Audie (2-1, 1 KO) UD 4 Anthony
Garrett (1-1, 1 KO). Scores: 39-34 3x.
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