GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The co-feature for the ESPN card on Aug. 25 will be a WBO junior featherweight title fight. Putting his belt on the line will be Isaac Dogboe (19-0, 13 KOs), who announced his presence at the top of the division with a stoppage win over Jessie Magdaleno. Now Dogboe will make the first defense of that title against Hidenori Otake.
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| Dogboe celebrating his victory over Jessie Magdaleno |
Dogboe is an aggressive fighter who works out of the orthodox stance. He has good power in both hands and loves to attack the body. The Ghanaian is the type of fighter who loves to sit in the pocket and let his hands go. He has a very good short left hook along with a heavy right hand but he does lack a skillful jab. Along with his power Dogboe has also shown a lot of heart, most notably when he got off the canvas early against Magdaleno to score the stoppage win.
While Dogboe doesn't have the best resume, with most of his bouts coming against relatively unknown opposition in his native Ghana, he has looked very good in his last two bouts. Those two bouts came against the always tough Cesar Juarez and the skillful Magdaleno. The win over Magdaleno not only gave Dogboe his first world title but also made him a big name in the division and now he will look to defend that title against a veteran fighter in Otake who has a serious size advantage.
Otake, who hails from Japan, also fights out of the orthodox stance. At 5-feet, 7-inches he has a serious size advantage over the 5-feet, 2-inch Dobgoe. Otake likes to work behind his jab and often follows it with a very sharp straight right hand. When he gets inside he will let go with a left hook but it isn't a great punch and he often doesn't put much behind it. He is clearly at his best when he's on the outside and when he does get in the pocket he has a very bad habit of completely squaring up to his opponent.
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| Otake landing an uppercut |
Saturday night will be the first time Otake has fought in the United States. Of his 36 career bouts just one of them came outside of Japan, when he fought Scott Quigg in England. That fight resulted in a lopsided loss for Otake but since that loss, which came in 2014, he has gone 9-0 with five knockouts. However, most of those wins came against sub par competition and Dogboe certainly represents a step up from his recent opponents.
This should be a very interesting fight due to the contrast of styles. Dogboe is at his best when he is in the pocket and sitting down on his punches. He isn't great at jabbing his way in but doesn't seem to mind eating a few punches as long as he can land some of his own. As for Otake, he is at his best when he's on the outside, controlling the action with his jab and stopping opponents trying to get inside with his strong straight right hand. If Otake uses his size advantage properly then Dogboe could be in for a very tough night. However, if Dogboe can get inside then Otake will be in serious trouble.
PREDICTION: Hidenori Otake could be a tough opponent for Isaac Dogboe. His size and accurate jab and straight right hand could give the Ghanaian fighter fits. Otake is not good at all on the inside though and once Dogboe is able to get in the pocket he will do serious damage. Dogboe will wear the 37-year-old Otake down and stop him in the 10th round.
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