Kostya Tszyu made a habit of coming to Newcastle and winning.
And on Wednesday night, Tim followed in his father’s footsteps as he put Dennis Hogan away before the end of the fifth round.
Turning the old Kostya faithful into new Tim fans was the goal, and it was accomplished as the 26-year-old dealt comfortably with an opponent in Hogan who was supposed to be his biggest test yet at super welterweight.
Tszyu FINISHES Hogan in Round 5!
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It was an 18th professional outing for Tszyu. This time, against an internationally-rated, battle-hardened foe in Hogan, who had only been bested at world title level.
Hogan (28-4-1) had been there and never won. Tszyu (18-0-0) is going there and plans to take over. And inside the ring at Newcastle Entertainment Centre, that’s exactly what he did.
Tszyu admitted to getting a little caught up in the occasion during a first round that saw him rush a bit. Not usually one to make a fuss, Tszyu’s walkout was exactly that. There was smoke, fire, and spectacle as Queen’s ‘Another One Bites the Dust’ blared out.
But after a wild first, it didn’t take long for Tszyu to settle, as his relentless pursuit and power punching came to the fore.
After being cut by an unintentional Hogan headbutt in the second, Tszyu stepped on the pedal in the third, finishing the round with some body work that looked to hurt his 36-year-old opponent. The bell then saved Hogan in the fourth when another Tszyu body assault just about sliced the Irishman in half.
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“Another round like that and I’m stopping it,” Hogan’s trainer Stephen Edwards said after the fourth.
True to his word, Edwards threw in the towel in the fifth as Tszyu, after dropping Hogan once with a left uppercut, went looking for the kill.
As for what’s next, Tszyu still only has eyes for the international stage. That was also true after he dealt with Jeff Horn last year. The complication, of course: COVID-19.
“I want an international fight,” Tszyu said post-fight. “I want to be recognised globally. I want to a global boxing star — that’s my goal, and it’s always been my goal. I think I need those big names, there’s a few boys that really interest me.”
His promoters at No Limit Boxing are very much focused on bringing a title fight, or failing that, a top-level contender, to Australia next.
Ranked No. 1 by the WBO, Tszyu could realistically fight for Brian Castano’s belt next. But that largely depends on the organisation making the Australian the mandatory challenger.
If that doesn’t work out, names like Liam Smith and Danny Garcia had been tossed around in the lead-up to a fight that always felt like a hurdle Tszyu and co. were expecting to clear.
Earlier in the night, Mateo Tapia put Renold Quinlan away quickly, Sakio Bika had too much for Sam Soliman in a throwback trilogy fight, Paul Fleming outclassed Tyson Lantry, before Wade Ryan finally stopped Koen Mazoudier in co-main event war.
Two old warriors go the distance!
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FULL CARD RESULTS
Main Event card(red vs. blue)
Tim Tszyu def Dennis Hogan via 5th round TKO — WBO Global super welterweight title
Wade Ryan def Koen Mazoudier via 10th round TKO — IBO International and WBA Oceania (interim) super welterweight titles
Paul Fleming def. Tyson Lantry — via 7th round TKO — WBA Oceania East West super featherweight title
Sakio Bika def. Sam Soliman — via unanimous decision (80-73, 79-73, 78-74) — catchweight
Mateo Tapia def. Renold Quinlan — via 4th round TKO — WBA Oceania super middleweight title
Fox Sports card
Darkon Dryden def. Jason Medawar — via second round TKO — super welterweight
Jason Fawcett def. Alex Carioti — via unanimous decision (40-35 x 2, 39-36) — super welterweight
Linn Sandstrom def. Felicity Loiterton — via unanimous decision (39-37 x 2, 40-36) — super flyweight
RE-LIVE (If you can’t see the blog, click here)
LEGENDS WIND BACK THE CLOCK
But a trilogy bout between Sam Soliman and Sakio Bika truly was stunning – with the two legends putting on a sensational display that stole the show before Tszyu and Hogan had even put on their shoes!
The two former world champions, Soliman at 47 years old and Bika at 41, did battle over a full eight rounds at a 75kg catchweight – and looked like two men a decade younger!
Damon exclaimed: “Oh my goodness! Two former champions in their forties have left absolutely everything in the ring.”
Fenech said: “That’s one of the most amazing fights I’ve ever watched. For their age, oh my god.”
Sakio Bika ended the winner by unanimous decision, with a wide points margin in his favour: 80-73, 79-73, 78-74.
FORMER CHAMPS PUT ON ‘CRAZY’ EPIC
FLEMING GOES OFF IN BEST EVER FIGHT
At 32, Paul Fleming has always had plenty of talent, but he finally showed the kind of performance we’ve been crying out for, well, for years now. Taking on Tyson Lantry, Fleming was simply unstoppable, forcing the towel to be thrown early in the seventh round.
Paul Fleming, now 27-0-1, is one of Australia’s most gifted stars. The super featherweight will almost certainly move onto the world stage at some point. Lantry is 8-4, and couldn’t back up his superb win over Luke Jackson in his last fight.
Fleming struggled with a hand injury from the mid-point of the fight, but battled through the pain – at one point, Fenech said: “With one hand he won the round clearly.”
It was truly a statement win. Fenech declared: “That’s a good as a performance I’ve seen from anyone in Australia for a long time.”
BIG NAMES IN THE HOUSE
Plenty of recognisable stars from the boxing world and beyond were watching from ringside.
Besides Anthony Mundine, a pair of NRL guns in Cody Walker and Latrell Mitchell, there’s also Lucas “Big Daddy” Browne, Australia’s only heavyweight world champion and his next opponent in Paul Gallen. Wonder what will happen if they bump into each other on the way to the bathroom tonight?
EARLIER FIGHTS
Mateo Tapia demolished a weary-looking Renold Quinlan in their rematch, a series of right hands in Rd 4 forcing the referee to step in.
Tapia (now 13-0, 8 KOs) claimed the WBA Oceana title for the Super Middleweight division in his second straight win against the same opponent.
The Mexican-born 22-year-old has been sparring with Tszyu recently, and could earn a shot overseas soon as he continues to rise up the ranks.
Tapia rocked up in a tradie-like high-vis shirt, but that had nothing on Newcastle local Darkon Dryden, who arrived to AC/DC’s Highway to Hell while wearing a Hannibal Lecter mask – then won via knockout against Jason Medawar in their super welterweight title.
AUSSIE ‘HANNIBAL’ EATS UP RIVAL WITH BRUTAL KO AFTER EPIC RING WALK
