Hogan falls short
Grangecon boxer loses world title fight
FORMER Grangecon boxer Dennis Hogan failed in his bid to become WBC middleweight champion last weekend when he suffered a seventh-round TKO against defending champion Jermall Charlo.
‘I aimed for greatness and fell short,’ said Kilcullen native Hogan after the fight.
‘I am healthy and good. Thank you so much for that support tonight. The journey isn’t over yet. Time to spend a few weeks away from boxing,’ he added.
Charlo’s performance has been described as one of the best in his career and despite Hogan putting up a brave and determined show, a brutal fourth-round knock down from an uppercut and a drop in the seventh brought the curtains down on this particular challenge for the Kilcullen native in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center.
Hogan, 34, has a low profile in Ireland despite coming close to landing a world title back in April. The Kildare native lost a WBO super-welterweight title challenge against Jaime Munguia in Mexico but felt that he could right that last weekend.
‘I can’t wait to go out there and make my dreams come true,’ said Hogan.
‘I’ve got to a whole new level in terms of what I could accomplish and achieve in terms of training hard and smart. I’ve left no stone unturned,’ said the former protégé of Seamie and Willie Byrne of Grangecon Boxing Club.
Hogan began his boxing education in the west Wicklow club when he was 10 in 1996 and boxed his last bout in 2009 when the club travelled to Canada where Hogan took on Canadian champion Andrew Gardner.
The Australia-based fighter won several Leinster crowns and is the only boxer to bring home an All-Ireland Intermediate crown to the Grangecon club.
Hogan took on the mighty Kenny Egan in the All-Irelands in 2009 at 81kg.