ANOTHER ROAD BATTLE FOR TABANAO
By Rene Bonsubre, Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 05 Aug 2016
CEBU ? WBO Oriental featherweight champion Neil John Tabanao (13W-1L,9KO?s) will travel to Accra, Ghana later this month and face unbeaten Isaac Dogboe (14W-0L,9KO?s) for the WBC Youth featherweight title and unify Tabanao?s regional belt with Dogboe?s WBO Africa title.
Tabanao, who is coached by veteran trainer Brix Flores here in Cebu, started his pro career with eleven straight wins before losing a split decision to Randy Braga last year for the vacant Philippine featherweight title. Tabanao bounced back with a knockout win over journeyman Marvin Tampus before the upset win against Ibrahim Balla in Australia for the WBO Oriental belt last June.
?We have studied the video of his opponent,? Trainer Brix Flores told this writer, ?It will be a difficult fight for us. Dogboe is a good fighter and tough. But Tabanao is in good condition.?
?He has been sparring with stablemates Ardie Boyose, Adones Aguelo and Gerpaul Valero.? Flores added.
Prior to the Balla fight, the 22 year old Tabanao already had a road win tucked under his belt in Japan when he beat Thai Tienchai Sor Kanitsorn by first round TKO.
Balla was undefeated before being stopped by Tabanao in three rounds and was the reigning Australian featherweight champ. Previous articles mentioning Tabanao?s fights here in Cebu has him using the name Tabanao Singwangcha to honor Thai boxing patron Naris Singwangcha, who sponsors boxers training in the RWS Gym.
Tabanao, who was born in Panabo City, Davao del Norte, will try to duplicate the road win of another RWS Boxer, Marlon Tapales, who won the WBO world bantamweight title last July 27 by stopping Pungluang Sor Singyu in eleven rounds in Thailand.
He will have his hands full against the 21 year old Dogboe, who represented Ghana as a teenager in the 2012 London Olympics.
Dogboe?s first two pro bouts were in Switzerland and the U.K. before he had five fights in the U.S. He would return to his native Ghana and in 2015 garnered the West African Boxing Union and WBO Africa featherweight belts.
Tabanao vs Dogboe will be held August 26 at the Police Officer?s Social and Fitness Centre in Accra and is billed by the promoters as ?Africa vs Asia.?
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rene Bonsubre, Jr..
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