DiBella: Tagoe vs. Ryan Garcia Would Be Highly Competitive, Exciting
Fighting out of the talent-laden region of Accra, Ghana, world-ranked lightweight contender Emmanuel "The Gameboy" Tagoe (31-1, 15 KOs), is poised to take part in a WBO elimination bout to move one step closer toward a world title opportunity. Tagoe is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and managed by Peter Kahn.
Although Lee Selby is rated #1 by the WBO, he is locked into an IBF lightweight elimination contest against George Kambosos, scheduled for October 3. Earlier this week, the WBO ordered an eliminator between the next two leading available contenders, Ryan Garcia, rated #2, and Tagoe, rated #3, to become the mandatory challenger to face champion Vasyl Lomachenko. DiBella Entertainment and Garcia's promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, have been in communication about the fight.
Tagoe has won 31 fights in a row since his lone defeat in his 2004 pro debut. Most recently, the heavy-handed Ghanaian knocked out Ishmael Aryeetey in the sixth round in Accra. He also holds victories against former world champions Moses Paulus and Mzonke Fana.
Coming from a boxing family, Tagoe's maternal uncle, Nana Yaw Konadu, is a former two-division and three-time world champion, having held the WBC super flyweight title and the WBA bantamweight title twice. His other uncle, the late Emmanuel Teiko Tagoe, was a renowned trainer in Ghana, having worked with Joshua and Emmanuel Clottey, Osumanu Akaba and Ossie Duran.
"I welcome the challenge to fight Ryan Garcia to earn my world title shot for the WBO lightweight championship against Lomachenko," said Tagoe.
"I have been waiting my entire career for this opportunity and will make it count. I will be the next lightweight world champion and make Ghana proud."
"Gameboy Tagoe has earned the right to fight in a title elimination bout," said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment.
"We would love it to be against Ryan Garcia, one of the sport's hottest up-and-coming stars, in what we think would be a highly competitive and exciting fight. If this isn't possible, we're happy to move down the rankings for another elimination bout and are also willing to entertain any big fight offer against one of the stars of the division."
"Emmanuel Tagoe is a world class fighter deserving of the WBO eliminator for the mandatory position in the lightweight division," said Tagoe's manager Peter Kahn.
"It's up to Ryan Garcia to accept the fight and have his promoter Golden Boy Promotions negotiate for the fight. If they decline, we're happy to move on to the next highest rated contender. Tagoe is one win away from a guaranteed shot at the world title."
