A life choice made for Patrick Bogere

For Ugandan-born Swedish Olympian Patrick Bogere his debut in Wolverhampton isn't a voyage into the unknown - it's the next step on the road to boxing's big time.

Bogere is so serious that England will be the country where all of his dreams in the sport will come true that he is setting up home in the West Midlands, moving to Birmingham from Stockholm with his girlfriend Annika Wangberg - also a boxer with Swedish female national team.

Of course, Bogere has already fought in the United Kingdom at Coventry's Skydome in May, losing a controversial points decision after eight rounds to West Bromwich's former British welterweight champion Young Mutley.

But a real opportunity will present itself when the Swede fights in the Black Country for the first time, with the vacant International Masters belt up-for-grabs against Ghana's Philip Kotey at Wolverhampton Civic Hall on September 5.

More importantly, Kotey was a top contender to the Commonwealth title last year and his standing allows Bogere to potentially shoot up the rankings with a win.

Champion Denton Vassell - a relation of former Villa and England striker Darius - would then be a more realistic target and, as long as he kept on winning, doors would continue to open.

In Bogere's mind it's Wolverhampton, the Commonwealth, Europe and then the World.

He said: "I am looking forward to coming to England to live, because that is the country where I can really make my name as a boxer.

"People think 'America, America, America' but, to become a star over there and get the big fights, I need to conquer Europe first. Commonwealth, European and then onto a World belt is the route that I want to take.

"I think this fight will be good for me, he's a tough opponent but I have got to beat him to get up the rankings.

"The Commonwealth title is very prestigious and he's the guy that should have fought for it."

Such aspirations may seem ambitious for a six-fight novice but his legend precedes him as an amateur, particularly in his homeland.

In fact, the only reason why the 28-year-old didn't turn pro a lot sooner was because professional boxing was illegal in Sweden until three years ago, when a 40-year ban was lifted in 2007.

Bogere had already represented his adopted homeland in the 2004 Olympic Games, having moved to Gothenburg with his parents aged three.

His subsequent move to the paid ranks came last year, after there was literally nothing left to win nationally as an amateur, but it wasn't until facing Mutley at the Skydome that the sort of exposure he had been crying out for came.

Mutley was ill-prepared after original opponent John Fewkes pulled out at a week's notice, but Bogere was in the same boat and was preparing to fight another Midlander, Leicester's Lester Walsh, in Hull the following month.

What followed was a bruising battle that saw both men cut and left Bogere with a dislocated shoulder, when an old injury flared up during the contest.

Instead of leaving the Skydome with his hand raised, as many at ringside believed he should have, or at least receiving such rapturous for such a spirited showing, the late replacement was headed to the local hospital.

He recalls: "It was hard, I remember laying in bed at a hospital in Coventry after leaving the Skydome in an ambulance and many things were going round in my head.

"But I won a lot of fans that night and that has given me a lot of confidence."

For tickets to Bogere's Black Country debut, call the call the box office on 0870 320 7000 or promoter Paul 'PJ' Rowson on 07976 283 157.

The show will also be broadcast online live on pay-per view at a cost of just £2.99, through Hatton TV at www.hattonboxing.tv.