In their WBC featherweight championship eliminator, Ghanaian boxer Isaac Dogboe suffered a unanimous decision loss against unbeaten featherweight Nick Ball.
Ball’s persistent and aggressive attitude dominated Dogboe throughout the twelve-round bout, which took place at the AO Arena in Manchester, England.
Despite having his moments, particularly a ninth-round counter left hook that briefly stunned Ball, Dogboe failed to regularly win against his younger opponent. Ball’s plan of outworking Dogboe and keeping an aggressive pace paid off, as he was declared the winner by the judges.
Dogboe’s attempts to rally in the 12th and final round were unsuccessful, as the judges Mark Lyson (119-108), Kevin Parker (118-109) and Kieran McCann (116-111) scored the fight unanimously in favour of Ball.
Dogboe’s defeat was his second in a row, after his fall to Robeisy Ramirez in an April WBO featherweight title bout.
With this defeat, Dogboe’s title chances are jeopardised, and he will need to recover and plan for future possibilities in the extremely competitive featherweight class. Meanwhile, Nick Ball’s tremendous victory takes him deeper into championship contention, establishing his status as a rising featherweight star.
