Irish-born Brisbanite Dennis Hogan is used to being the underdog.
He should have become a world champion in 2019 when he outboxed Jaime Munguia. Instead he was served an unpalatable decision loss.
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Hogan entered Monterrey, Mexico, as the major underdog, fighting for the WBO super welterweight title. But he set the tone from the opening bell and almost finished it in the 11th when he hurt the Mexican boxer with an overhand right.
It looked like being the hammer blow.
It wasn’t, as Hogan perplexingly fell short in the view of the judges.
It rocked Hogan.
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“I know I won the fight. I knew in my heart and soul,” he said ringside.
“I’m so disappointed to train as hard as I did and for this to happen. We came here on good faith and it’s no disrespect to anybody here, but apart from the people who scored it and allowed this decision to go through, everybody knows. This is bad for boxing, bad for me.”
Even Munguia was left scratching his head.
“Truthfully, in my mind, I thought it might have been a draw,” Munguia said through a translator.
“I decided to come out in that last round and give it all to get the victory. But it was difficult.”
Eight months later Hogan showed guts to move up in weight to take on middleweight juggernaut Jermall Charlo in Brooklyn, USA, but was finished in the seventh.
The Irishman hasn’t been seen since.
He returns to action in Australia without trainer Wayne McCullough, who is stuck in the United States.
And not for the first time he enters next week’s fight in Newcastle against Tim Tszyu as the massive $7 outsider.
Not that he’s listening, having declared Tszyu, 26, as “not as good as me” and blasted betting markets that have Tszyu a $1.14 favourite as “mind-blowing”.
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“I’ve got more skills, I’ve got more everything and I fully believe I’m the better boxer,” Hogan said.
“That’s why this fight excites me so much. I’ve never wanted a fight as much as this my whole life.
“I believe it’s my time and you will all see why.”
Tszyu was listening, however.
“Dennis, I’ve heard what you said about me,” Tszyu responded.
“Let me be very clear with you, I’m going to end you. This is your last fight.”
