The Mouthpiece
So Jah Seh!—Dogboe Stops Magdaleno
Jennings Decisions Dawejko
Hart Halts Nicholson
By: George H. Hanson Jr., Esq
Date: Saturday, April 28, 2018
Venue: The Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Promoters: Top Rank Inc. & Peltz Boxing
Ring Announcer: Lupe Contreras
Referee: Shawn Clark, Benjy Esteves Jr. & Gary Rosato
Coverage: ESPN
Commentators: Timothy Bradley, Mark Kriegel & Joe Tessitore
Photos: Darryl Cobb Jr.
Under the guidance and tutelage of his father/trainer Paul Dogboe, Isaac “Royal Storm” Dogboe (18 wins – 0 losses – 0 draws – 12 kos) is chasing greatness. The twenty-three-year-old Ghanaian has been on the road since joining the punch-for-pay ranks in Switzerland on August 30, 2013, after a successful amateur career that ended in the 2012 London Olympics where he represented Ghana. Despite residing and training in England, Dogboe has never fought there as a professional. Instead, he has competed in Ireland, ten times in Ghana, six fights in the United States and once in New Zealand. Thus, it is only fitting that the road to the title landed him in Philadelphia – The Capital of Boxing – to square off against the slick southpaw – WBO Junior-featherweight champion Jesse Magdaleno (25 wins – 0 losses – 0 draws – 18 kos) of Las Vegas, Nevada.
(L-R) Hanson, Isaac Dogboe & Paul Dogboe
I don’t mean to be philosophical but there wasn’t anything that Magdaleno could have done to retain his title. He was a mere actor in a play written and produced by destiny—directed by Jah. The fight was simply a formality because those who are in tune spiritually knew that Isaac Dogboe was going to take the title because “So Jah Seh!” In our interview on Tuesday, a supremely confident Dogboe told me that on Saturday we were going to hear “And the new, and the new WBO Junior-featherweight World Champion Isaac “The Royal Storm” Dogboe.”
The bout lived up to expectations as it was the gifted and talented Magdaleno who dropped Dogboe in the opening stanza with a right hook as the Ghanaian was pressing the action against the ropes. Dogboe’s head landed under the bottom rope and he was able to get up as referee Esteves starting counting. I looked at Dogboe’s corner and his father/trainer Paul retained his composure while yelling instructions. It is safe to conclude that there were many in the building and a few in press-row who thought that the fight was going to end in the first round. It has been well-documented that when Magdaleno has an opponent in dire straits he should simply “stick his head between his legs and kiss his ass goodbye.” Dogboe, more surprised than hurt, got up and was able to navigate the rest of the round – landing a right at the bell.
Dogboe is down in the first round
Dogboe resumed his body attack in the second round resembling a smaller version of three-division world champion Mike “The Body Snatcher” McCallum. He kept the pressure on Magdaleno as they traded at close range. This was the beginning of a war of attrition as they fought at a frenetic pace. This fight couldn’t go the distance at the same speed and tempo. Most important, hardly any fighter has ever made it to the final bell after having their midsection and ribcage under such heavy bombardment. Dogboe won the second round.
I gave Magdaleno the third stanza because he was able to box and offset Dogboe landing a hard straight left. It was an action-packed round with Magdaleno displaying his boxing wares and demonstrating his championship pedigree. Dogboe got back on course in the fourth round as he picked up the body attack and out-landed Magdaleno in the heated exchanges. Fans reveled in the action as these two warriors fought with every ounce of energy trying to separate the other from his senses.
The fifth round was the breaking point or the crossroads where only Jah could have stopped Dogboe from taking Magdaleno’s belt. Early in the round as Magdaleno was preparing to throw a right hook, Dogboe stepped over to his right and countered with an overhand right that crashed off the champion’s head literally lifting him off his feet – catapulting him airborne backwards – sending him crashing to the canvas on his back. I would be disingenuous if I now tell you that at that pivotal moment I didn’t believe that the fight was over. Dogboe jogged to the farthest neutral corner and looked up to the ceiling as though he was thanking God. It was apparent that he too was convinced that Magdaleno would be counted out. But, Magdaleno has the heart of a lion and a chin made of granite. Somehow, he rolled over and was on one knee when Esteves counted four and got up and walked around showing that he was fit to continue. The action resumed and Dogboe attacked his body. In a show of machismo, Magdaleno backed up and yelled at Dogboe beckoning for him to “Come on!” Somehow, Magdaleno made it out of the round.
Dogboe (R.) lands the overhand right
It was the beginning of the end as Dogboe continued to punish Magdaleno to the body, round after round. It was a brilliant display of body punching with Magdaleno attempting to board his bicycle and ride out the rounds. However, the bicycle had no air in the tires and he took a shellacking to the body. In the tenth round, Dogboe pinned Magdaleno to the ropes and hit him with everything to the body except the kitchen sink. And at one point my imagination got the best of me and I swore that I saw Dogboe hit Magdaleno with a double-bowl cast iron kitchen sink from Home Depot. Unable to use his legs, Magdaleno sat on the ropes telling Dogboe to “Come on.” It was a courageous display of gamesmanship. However, Dogboe was in a zone with his eyes focused on becoming Ghana’s eighth world champion and the national celebration awaiting him.
If you have read this far, we are almost at the end. The fight was over in the eleventh round. Magdaleno was fatigued from being worn down by the body shots. His legs were weak and his energy was sapped. There was no surprise when Dogboe dropped him with a combination to the body. He was able to get up and the fight continued only to be a sitting duck as Dogboe went downstairs capping it off with a rib shot and a vicious hook to the head sending him to the canvas for a second time in the round. Magdaleno crumbled and was on his knees as thought it was bedtime and he was about to say his prayers. Referee Esteves did not bother to count and put his arms around the fallen fighter thus ending the festivities 1:38 of the eleventh round. Shortly thereafter, we heard ring announcer Lupe Contreras over the house speakers roar “And new WBO Junior-featherweight champion – Isaac “Royal Storm” Dogboe!” So Jah Seh!
Philadelphia heavyweight contender Bryant “By By” Jennings (22 wins – 2 losses – 0 draws – 13 kos) was in a “no win” position from the announcement of his fight with cross-town rival Joey “The Tank” Dawejko (19 wins – 4 losses – 4 draws – 11 kos) for the vacant Pennsylvania State Heavyweight Title. Jennings is back in the title hunt and a loss to Dawejko – who own a victory over him in the amateurs – would be a precipitous fall down the heavyweight ladder and out of the title picture. The risks far outweighed the rewards. Dawejko – a highly skilled boxer revered and respected by the Philadelphia boxing community – was a decorated amateur who won the Under-19 amateur world title. A 5 ft. 10 inch block of a man – Dawejko is as crafty and deceptive as his boxing idol – James “Lights Out” Toney. A win over Jennings in front of a national television audience would do wonders for his career.
Jennings (R.) landing the right
The bout was marketed as Philadelphia vs. Philadelphia – an age-old topic that causes much debate amongst the Philly Boxing Cognoscente. Promoter J. Russell Peltz oftentimes joins these verbal sparring sessions on social media reminiscing about the battles between middleweights “Bad” Bennie Briscoe and Eugene “Cyclone” Hart – Jesse Hart’s father – and the war between high-school classmates WBA Bantamweight Champion Joltin’ Jeff Chandler and Johnny “Dancing Machine” Carter back in 1982. Thus, this bout was met with high expectations because local fighters tend to go to war when facing cross-town rivals in front of the hometown crowd.
Fans came to witness a war but were treated to a tactical chess match between two refined gents schooled in the art of pugilism. Maybe, they both were looking for that window of opportunity to land that one big knockout blow. But, the fight never turned into a slugfest with Jennings controlling the pace and tempo with his jab and movement. It was a closely contested match but Jennings did enough to garner the majority of the rounds. They traded toe-to-toe in the waning seconds of the fourth round. But, besides that frenetic display – the fight lacked drama and excitement as was the case when Chandler and Carter went to war at the Philadelphia Civic Center on March 27, 1982 with Joltin’ Jeff overpowering his Bok High School classmate – stopping him in the 5th round of the scheduled 15-rounder to retain the WBA Bantamweight Title. All three judges had it 98-92 for Jennings who won a unanimous decision and the Pennsylvania State Heavyweight Title. For Dawejko the fight proved to a national audience what Philadelphia already knew – he can compete with anyone in the heavyweight division. Hopefully, this will open the doors for more opportunities for him.
It is safe to assume that there is bad blood between Philly super-middleweight Jesse “Hollywood” Hart (23 wins – 1 loss – 0 draws – 19 kos) and Demond Nicholson (18 wins – 2 losses – 1 draw –17 kos) of Laurel, Maryland. In their scheduled ten-rounder for the vacant NABF Super-middleweight title, Hart came out bombing at the bell in an attempt to put his opponent to sleep and end the fight in the first round. Nicholson retreated and fired on the move but appeared tentative. It was a one-sided round until five seconds before the bell; Nicholson landed a hellacious right that wobbled Hart sideways into his corner. No question that Hart was hurt but it was fortuitous that the bell rang and he was already in his corner and didn’t have to go far to begin the one-minute respite.
Hart (L.) lands the uppercut
Hart stayed on the outside in the second stanza as Nicholson came forward spurred on by his success at the end of round one. Hart used his jab and lateral movement to capture the round and get back on course. He boxed brilliantly using every inch of his 78 inch reach and 6 ft. 3 inch frame. But, we all know that Jesse Hart is a gloved hitman and he wasn’t going to allow Nicholson to survive to the final bell especially after he had stated “Jesse Hart must be stopped!”
In the third stanza Hart came out gunning for Nicholson like Jesse Lee – Mario Van Peeples’ character in the movie “Posse” – hunting down his father’s killers. He stepped right to Nicholson and started drilling him with every punch in his arsenal. He caught Nicholson with a combination and in an attempt to evade punishment the retreating fighter tripped over Hart’s feet and went to the canvas. Referee Clark scored it a knockdown despite Nicholson’s protest. The action resumed and Hart attacked with both cannons blazing. A short right hand put Nicholson on the canvas. He was up immediately and was able to survive and make it to the bell.
It was evident that Hart wasn’t going to allow the judges to determine the outcome. He was hell-bent on separating Nicholson from his senses. He pressed the action and engaged at closed-quarters in an attempt to overpower his adversary and knock him out. He hurt Nicholson in the fourth round with a shot behind the ear and landed a few hard rights in the fifth – going toe-to-toe in the sixth. They fought at a furious pace trading shots on equal terms. I gave Nicholson a slight edge in the sixth stanza.
The action continued in the seventh stanza with Hart picking up the pace. A decision victory wasn’t going to suffice. This was an all-out rumble as the two gladiators swapped leather with bad intentions. It was Hart who struck pay dirt as he landed a vicious straight right that had Nicholson doing the floss – one of his gloves tapping the canvas. Referee Clark was out of position and missed the gloves touching the canvas – a knockdown based on the rules. Nicholson was bent over and Clark motioned for them to resume the action. Hart attacked with the countenance of an executioner – pinning Nicholson to the ropes unleashing a few vicious rights and hooks. Nicholson went to the canvas on one knee. Clark motioned for him to get up and started wiping his gloves. You could hear Clark saying “You done?” The fight was stopped and Hart declared the winner by technical knockout at 2:26 of round seven amidst some protest from Nicholson.
It was axiomatic that Philly bantamweight Christian Carto (14 wins – 0 losses – 0 draws – 11 kos) grace tonight’s card. The super-talented Carto is a local box-office star and is the biggest ticket seller in Philadelphia. A free-agent – not yet signed to a promotional company – managed by his brother, Frankie – his legion of fans pack the venue whenever he is fighting. In addition, the logos of his sponsors adorn his outfits that I often wonder if he is a boxer or NASCAR driver.
Carto (L.) on the attack
Tonight Carto squared off against Edwin Rodriguez (8 wins – 4 losses – 1 draw – 4 kos) of Ponce, Puerto Rico in a scheduled eight-rounder. Carto took command at the onset working behind his jab, picking Rodriguez apart – sharpshooting – using him for target practice. The slower Rodriguez fought back despite being out-gunned. Carto must have been remembering his high-school biology class as he dissected Rodriguez like a frozen frog round after round. In the sixth round a clash of heads threw Carto off course and Rodriguez was able to capture the round as the Philly fighter kept his distance to regain his composure. Carto was able to recover during the one-minute respite and went on to out-box Rodriguez over the next two rounds. It was another masterful display of his pugilistic prowess as he captured a unanimous decision 78-74 and 77-75 on two scorecards.
In the event anyone missed his fight, allow me to proclaim that eighteen year-old junior-lightweight Joseph “Blessed Hands” Adorno (6 wins – 0 losses – 0 draws – 6 kos) of Allentown, Pennsylvania is a special talent. The kid has all the skills and tools in his boxing bag to make it all the way to the top. A boxer with dynamite in both mitts, Adorno goes about his business like a high-paid mercenary – quick and deadly. Thus, Jorge Padron (3 wins – 1 loss – 0 draws – 3 kos) of Agua Prieta, Mexico was doomed the day he put his name on the contract to face Adorno.
Adorno (R.) going to the body
Adorno attacked at the opening bell with quick combinations to the head and body of Padron who tried to ward off his attacker. But, the teenager was simply too quick and accurate. Barely a minute had expired when Adorno connected with a right hook to Padron’s liver that sent him to the canvas writhing in pain. It was pointless for referee Clark to administer the ten-count because there was a higher probability of Prohibition being reinstated than Padron getting up in time. Nevertheless, the referee did his job and Adorno was declared the winner by knockout at 1:11 of the second round.
In a six-round junior-lightweight bout Robson Conceicao (6 wins – 0 losses – 0 draws – 4 kos) of Bahia, Brazil pitched a shut-out winning a unanimous decision 60-54 on all scorecards over southpaw Alex Rynn Torres (6 wins – 1 loss – 0 draws – 3 kos) of Calgary, Canada. Conceicao controlled the pace from the opening round landing to the body – connecting with the right bolo punch looking like a farmer chopping sugarcane with a machete reminiscent of the great Kid Gavilan. Torres fought courageously firing back with quick combinations. But, Conceicao was the better fighter with more firepower in his vaunted arsenal. It was an impressive performance by the Brazilian pugilist.
Junior-welterweights Kent “The Puerto Rican Sensation” Cruz (14 wins – 0 losses – 0 draws – 9 kos) of St. Louis, Missouri and Mohamed Rodriguez (11 wins – 4 losses – 0 draws – 4 kos) of San Luis Potosi, Mexico fought to an eight-round split-draw. One judge had it 78-74 for Cruz, another had it 77-75 for Rodriguez with the final judge scoring it even 76-76. There wasn’t much action as both combatants were comfortable in engaging in a chess match. It was a bout filled with plenty of jabs with both fighters over-thinking their moves instead of fighting instinctively. They say, “styles make fights” – in this case the similar boxing protocol produced a tactical match with no memorable moments.
2016 Olympic Silver-medalist Shakur Stevenson (5 wins – 0 losses – 0 draws – 2 kos) of Newark, New Jersey didn’t waste much time in dismantling and dismissing Roxberg Patrick Riley (12 wins – 0 losses – 0 draws – 6 kos) of Dallas, Georgia – obliterating him – forcing referee Clark to call a halt at 1:35 of the second round of the scheduled eight-round featherweight bout. Quite frankly, Riley belonged in the ring with Stevenson as much as I should be the starting point guard for the Philadelphia 76ers. There is an old adage that “numbers don’t lie.” In the case of Riley we will have to revisit the premise of that old saying by stating that oftentimes numbers only tell part of the story. Riley has never faced a fighter with a winning record and five of his opponents never saw their hands raised in victory – they were winless. Stevenson has more wins than eight of Riley’s opponents.
Stevenson (L.) lands the long jab
It was a mismatch from the opening bell as the southpaw Stevenson stalked Riley and commenced to pepper him with the jab and the straight left. Riley’s only saving grace was that he wore the most exquisite trunks in the red, green and gold colors of the Jamaican flag. However, Stevenson wasn’t in the squared circle to pay homage to my country and drilled Riley throughout the round. He continued his dominance in the second round swooping down on Riley like a hawk on a defenseless rooster in the middle of an open field. He sent Riley to the canvas with a perfectly thrown straight left that caught him square in the face. Riley was up as referee Clark reached the count of two, dusted his gloves and motioned for the fight to continue. Stevenson seized the moment and connected with a few right hooks and another straight left that had Riley reeling on spaghetti legs forcing Clark to call a halt and rescue him from further punishment.
Fight after fight Philly junior-middleweight Marcel River (4 wins – 0 losses – 0 draws – 3 kos) continues to take leaps in bounds in his development. The thirty year-old who works full-time as a foreman for Philadelphia Gas Work (“PGW”) is a no-nonsense, old-school fighter in the same mold as legendary “Bad” Bennie Briscoe who never vacated his job at the Philadelphia Sanitation Department. March 25th at the 11th Annual Briscoe Awards, Rivers walked away with the trophy for “2017 Knockout of the Year” – his fourth round knockout of Osnel Charles – September 8th at 2300 Arena.
Tonight Rivers was impressive in the opening round of the scheduled four-rounder against Ronald Logan (0 wins – 2 losses – 0 draws) of New York, New York. Rivers stayed on the outside using his jabs, feints and lateral movement to outclass Logan. It was clear that Rivers was in his comfort zone as he flowed effortlessly around the ring peppering Logan with jabs to the head and midsection. Logan tried countering but Rivers was boxing in rhythm to a tune in his head and he wasn’t going to allow anything to disrupt his nirvana. Needless to say, Rivers owned the opening stanza.
A victorious Rivers and his son
Rivers turned the heat up in the second stanza and drove Logan into the ropes with a quick combination. It appeared that the New Yorker lost his footing and slipped to the canvas while he was under attack and twisted his ankle. He was unable to continue and referee Rosato called a halt at 49 seconds declaring Rivers the winner by technical knockout.
It was another great night of Philly boxing. There were so many Ghanaians sporting the flag of their beloved country that I thought I was in Accra. Dogboe’s ring walk was befitting of a champion. He was escorted to the ring by a throng of Ghanaian fans – his handlers decked out in red, green and gold shirts with a picture of Bob Marley on the front and Dogboe’s name emblazoned on the back. Included in the entourage were assistant coach Makafui Charles Abotsi, his publicist Melissa Takimoglu, his cousin Godwin Quashigah, actor/martial arts expert and fitness guru Billy Blanks, celebrity trainer Eric Fleishman, fellow Ghanaian fighters Duke Micah & Frederick Lawson, renowned Ghanaian trainer Kwame Asante and boxing manager Jacob Zee. Dogboe was destined to be champion.
One day Isaac “Royal Storm” Dogboe will be Africa’s first boxing pay-per-view superstar. And as he told me in our post-fight interview – “We came, we saw, we conquered!”
So Jah Seh!
Continue to support the sweet science, and remember, always carry your mouthpiece!
ghanson3@hotmail.com
