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Dennis Hogan’s Brisbane Homecoming is No Feel-Good Story for Christmas

Dennis Hogan’s Brisbane Homecoming is No Feel-Good Story for Christmas
Dennis Hogan will get back to his home in the Australian city of Brisbane just in the nick of time to spend the Christmas holidays with his wife and baby daughters. This reads like a nice opening line to a heartwarming Christmas story, but it’s not. File it under Heartbreak.
Don’t misunderstand. Hogan loves his wife, the former Brideen White, and his daughters, aged three and 10 months, but it wasn’t supposed to be this way. He didn’t plan on returning home without first capturing the figurative scalp of former WBA/IBF 154-pound world champion Julian “J Rock” Williams. But the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry and that goes triple for boxing, even in a normal year.
Ten years ago, at age 25, Hogan left his home in Kilcullen, Ireland, a town in greater Dublin, for a new beginning in the Land Down Under. In Ireland he had worked as a carpenter. Work became scarce after the recession hit, but Hogan wasn’t pushed to Australia so much as he was pulled there. As an amateur, he had boxed in a tournament in Brisbane, impressing someone with connections who told him, “look me up if you ever decide to turn pro.”
In Ireland, many boys grow up with the dream of becoming a world boxing champion. That yearning was especially intense in Hogan who was introduced to the sport by his maternal grandfather, Paddy Burke, the local boxing coach in Kilcullen.
In Hogan’s words, his grandfather was “over the moon” when Dennis won his first pro fight. But Paddy did not live to see his grandson’s pro career evolve beyond the preliminary stage. His final words to Dennis before he passed away were “Give it everything you got.” Last year, Dennis got a tattoo with these words inscribed below an image of his late grandfather. It was inked below his heart.
Hogan was off the radar of most boxing fans in most of the world until April of last year when he challenged WBO 154-pound champion Jaime Munguia in Monterrey, Mexico. Dennis came out on the short end of a majority decision, but the overwhelming consensus in the Anglo community was that he was robbed. Had the judges seen the same fight as those tuning in on TV, it would have been a massive upset. The Mexican came in undefeated (32-0) and was a big puncher.
Hogan’s consolation prize was a date with another undefeated fighter, WBC world middleweight champion Jermall Charlo. They met at Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn on Dec. 7, 2019, and that didn’t go well for the Irish Aussie. Dennis was on the deck twice before the bout was waived off in the seventh round. It was the first stoppage of Hogan’s career and reduced his record to 28-3-1.
Dennis concedes that he made a big mistake by moving up in weight to take on an opponent as formidable as Charlo. He resolved that henceforth he would stay at 154. When he received an offer to fight “J-Rock,” he pounced on it. The bout would happen on the day after Christmas at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. The winner was promised another title shot.
On Oct. 22, Hogan arrived in Las Vegas to begin a 9-week camp with new trainer Wayne McCullough. A longtime Las Vegas resident, Belfast native McCullough is a two-time Olympian who turned pro after winning silver at the 1992 Barcelona Games and would go on to win a world bantamweight title. He was tutored from the very onset of his pro career by the legendary trainer Eddie Futch and he and Hogan would hit it off splendidly.
Nine weeks is a long time for a fellow with young ones at home to be away from his family. One might think that spending it in a party town like Las Vegas would mitigate the sacrifice, but don’t be fooled. The allurements of the Strip held no appeal to Hogan. “I have been 100 percent focused on becoming the best boxer that I can be,” he told this reporter.
Hogan had an inkling that things might go awry when he learned that Julian Williams’ chief sparring partner (who shall remain nameless in deference to health privacy laws) had tested positive for the coronavirus. As it turned out, that was a precursor of more bad news. Julian Williams was forced to pull out.
Dennis was given the option of taking on James Kirkland who was slated to appear on the card in a supporting bout. On paper, Kirkland, the trouble-plagued, 36-year-old Texas southpaw, was a far lesser threat than “J-Rock.” Kirkland had fought only twice against no-name opponents since being thrashed by Canelo Alvarez in 2015. But a match with the heavy-handed Kirkland would have necessitated a return to 160 pounds and Hogan said thanks, but no thanks.
The entire card has evaporated, but in these fluid times one shouldn’t be shocked if it gets patched back together with a new main event.
It was a bummer of a year for Hogan before this latest development. He is great friends with Jeff Horn with whom he has sparred many rounds. Sitting in the stadium and watching Horn take a beating from Tim Tszyu in their big domestic clash this past August was tough to take. Horn has been up and down since he beat Pacquaio, notes Hogan: “After the first round I knew that Jeff was going to have an off night.”
Hogan’s name was immediately bandied about as a future opponent for Tszyu. He says he was offered the fight but had to turn it down because he is under contract with Premier Boxing Champions who, he says, has been very fair in their dealings with him. He won’t denigrate Tszyu, but one gets the impression that he isn’t all that impressed with the son of the Hall of Famer. “A fight with Tszyu is a fight I would embrace,” he says with relish. (Tim Tszyu is back in action this coming Wednesday opposing New Zealand’s Bowyn Morgan.)
The Moloney twins, Jason and Andrew, have a big following in Australia, and Hogan is a fan. When Andrew’s rematch with Joshua Franco was ruled a no-contest because of a phantom head butt, there was a big stink. “It was the most disgusting thing I ever saw in boxing,” says Dennis. “For the two rounds that it lasted, Andrew fought the perfect fight.”
Hogan anticipates that he will stay in the boxing game, likely in a promotional capacity, when his career is finished. He can tap into the big Irish community in Brisbane that inflates the gate whenever he is on the bill.
“As much as it’s a heartache, boxing in my blood,” he told this reporter in a conversation that took place before he knew that his fight with Julian Williams was in the jeopardy. At age 35, Dennis has a short window to realize his dream of becoming a world champion. For boxers of his vintage, a postponed fight, at least in theory, is more disadvantageous.
When Hogan left Brisbane to complete his preparations in Los Angeles for his date with Jaime Munguia, he got a big send-off. The Queensland Irish pipe band walked him into the airport. The previous month, he and Brideen – who is also a recent emigrant from the Emerald Isle – and their little girl Aria (whose sister wasn’t born yet) were given their own float in Brisbane’s St. Patrick’s Day parade.
As I write these words, Dennis Hogan is homeward bound. His plane hasn’t yet touched down in Australia and when it does, he won’t be in Brisbane, but in Sydney, where he must quarantine for 14 days before completing his journey. Hopefully there will be some presents under a tree when he finally makes it home after a long expedition that yielded nothing but another disappointment.
Merry Christmas, Dennis, and if your retort is “bah, humbug,” well, we can certainly understand your frustration.
Photo credit: Getty
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Argentina’s Fernando Martinez Wins His Rematch with Kazuto Ioka

In an excellent fight climaxed by a furious 12th round, Argentina’s Fernando Daniel Martinez came off the deck to win his rematch with Kazuto Ioka and retain his piece of the world 115-pound title. The match was staged at Ioka’s familiar stomping grounds, the Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo.
In their first meeting on July 7 of last year in Tokyo, Martinez was returned the winner on scores of 117-111, 116-112, and a bizarre 120-108. The rematch was slated for late December, but Martinez took ill a few hours before the weigh-in and the bout was postponed.
The 33-year-old Martinez, who came in sporting a 17-0 (9) record, was a 7-2 favorite to win the sequel, but there were plenty of reasons to favor Ioka, 36, aside from his home field advantage. The first Japanese male fighter to win world titles in four weight classes, Ioka was 3-0 in rematches and his long-time trainer Ismael Salas was on a nice roll. Salas was 2-0 last weekend in Times Square, having handled upset-maker Rolly Romero and Reito Tsutsumi who was making his pro debut.
But the fourth time was not a charm for Ioka (31-4-1) who seemingly pulled the fight out of the fire in round 10 when he pitched the Argentine to the canvas with a pair of left hooks, but then wasn’t able to capitalize on the momentum swing.
Martinez set a fast pace and had Ioka fighting off his back foot for much of the fight. Beginning in round seven, Martinez looked fatigued, but the Argentine was conserving his energy for the championship rounds. In the end, he won the bout on all three cards: 114-113, 116-112, 117-110.
Up next for Fernando Martinez may be a date with fellow unbeaten Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, the lineal champion at 115. San Antonio’s Rodriguez is a huge favorite to keep his title when he defends against South Africa’s obscure Phumelela Cafu on July 19 in Frisco, Texas.
As for Ioka, had he won today’s rematch, that may have gotten him over the hump in so far as making it into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. True, winning titles in four weight classes is no great shakes when the bookends are only 10 pounds apart, but Ioka is still a worthy candidate.
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Emanuel Navarrete Survives a Bloody Battle with Charly Suarez in San Diego

In a torrid battle Mexico’s Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete and his staccato attack staved off the herky-jerky non-stop assaults of Philippine’s Charly Suarez to win by technical decision and retain the WBO super feather world title on Saturday.
What do they feed these guys?
Navarrete (40-2-1, 32 KOs) and his elongated arms managed to connect enough to compensate against the surprising Suarez (18-1, 10 KOs) who wowed the crowd at Pechanga Arena in San Diego.
An accidental clash of heads opened a cut on the side of Navarrete’s left eye and forced a stoppage midway through the fight.
From the opening round Navarrete used his windmill style of attack with punches from different angles that caught Suarez multiple times early. It did not matter. Suarez fired back with impunity and was just as hungry to punch it out with the Mexican fighter.
It was savage.
Every time Navarrete connected solidly, he seemed to pause and check out the damage. Bad idea. Suarez would immediately counter with bombs of his own and surprise the champion with his resilience and tenacity.
Wherever they found Suarez they should look for more, because the Filipino fighter from Manila was ferocious and never out of his depth.
Around the sixth round the Mexican fighter seemed a little drained and puzzled at the tireless attacks coming from Suarez. During an exchange of blows a cut opened up on Navarrete and it was ruled an accidental clash of heads by the referee. Blood streamed down the side of Navarrete’s face and it was cleared by the ringside physician.
But at the opening of the eighth round, the fight was stopped and the ringside physician ruled the cut was too bad to continue. The California State Athletic Commission looked at tape of the round when the cut opened to decipher if it was an accidental butt or a punch that caused the cut. It was unclear so the referee’s call of accidental clash of heads stood as the final ruling.
Score cards from the judges saw Navarrete the winner by scores of 78-75, 77-76 twice. He retains the WBO title.
Interim IBF Lightweight Title
The sharp-shooting Raymond “Danger” Muratalla (23-0, 17 KOs) maneuvered past Russia’s Zaur Abdullaev (20-2, 12 KOs) by unanimous decision to win the interim IBF lightweight title after 12 rounds.
Both fighters were strategic in their approach with Muratalla switching from orthodox to southpaw at various times of the fight. Neither fighter was ever able to dominant any round.
Defense proved the difference between the two lightweights. Muratalla was able to slip more blows than Abdullaev and that proved the difference. The fighter from Fontana, California was able to pierce Abdullaev’s guard more often than not, especially with counter punches.
Abdullaev was never out of the fight. The Russian fighter was able to change tactics and counter the counters midway through the fight. It proved effective especially to the body. But it was not enough to offset Muratalla’s accuracy.
There were no knockdowns and after 12 rounds the judges scored it 118-110, 119-109 twice for Muratalla who now becomes the mandatory for the IBF lightweight title should Vasyl Lomachenko return to defend it.
Muratalla was brief.
“He was a tough fighter,” said Muratalla. “My defense is something I work on a lot.”
Perla Wins
Super flyweight Perla Bazaldua (2-0) eased past Mona Ward (0-2) with a polished display of fighting at length and inside.
Combination punching and defense allowed Bazaldua to punch in-between Ward’s attacks and force the St. Louis fighter to clinch repeatedly. But Ward hung in there despite taking a lot of blows. After four rounds the Los Angeles-based Bazaldua was scored the winner 40-36 on all three cards. Bazaldua signed a long term contract with Top Rank in March.
Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
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Late Bloomer Anthony Cacace TKOs Hometown Favorite Leigh Wood in Nottingham

Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions was at Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, England, tonight with a card featuring hometown favorite Leigh Wood against Ireland’s Anthony “Apache” Cacace.
Wood, a former two-time WBA featherweight champion, known for dramatic comebacks in bouts he was losing, may have reached the end of the road at age 36. He had his moments tonight, rocking Cacace on several occasions and winning the eighth round, but he paid the price, returning to his corner after round eight with swelling around both of his eyes.
In the ninth, Cacace, an 11/5 favorite, hurt Wood twice with left hands, the second of which knocked Wood into the ropes, dictating a standing 8-count by referee John Latham. When the bout resumed, Cacace went for the kill and battered Wood around the ring, forcing Wood’s trainer Ben Davison to throw in the towel. The official time was 2:15 of round nine.
Akin to Wood, Northern Ireland’s Cacace (24-1, 9 KOs) is also 36 years old and known as a late bloomer. This was his ninth straight win going back to 2017 (he missed all of 2018 and 2020). He formerly held the IBF 130-pound world title, a diadem he won with a stoppage of then-undefeated and heavily favored Joe Cordina, but that belt wasn’t at stake tonight as Cacace abandoned it rather than fulfill his less-lucrative mandatory. Wood falls to 28-4.
Semi-Wind-Up
Nottingham light heavyweight Ezra Taylor, fighting in his hometown for the first time since pro debut, delighted his fan base with a comprehensive 10-round decision over previously undefeated Troy Jones. Taylor, who improved to 12-0 (9) won by scores of 100-90, 99-91, and 98-92.
This was Taylor’s first fight with new trainer Malik Scott, best known for his work with Deontay Wilder. The victory may have earned him a match with Commonwealth title-holder Lewis Edmondson. Jones was 12-0 heading in.
Other Bouts of Note
In his first fight as a featherweight, Liam Davies rebounded from his first defeat with a 12-round unanimous decision over Northern Ireland’s previously undefeated Kurt Walker. Davies, who improved to 17-1 (8), staved off a late rally to prevail on scores of 115-113, 116-112, and 117-111. It was the first pro loss for the 30-year-old Walker (12-1), a Tokyo Olympian.
In a mild upset, Owen Cooper, a saucy Worcestershire man, won a 10-round decision over former Josh Taylor stablemate Chris Kongo. The referee’s scorecard read 96-94.
Cooper improved to 11-1 (4). It was the third loss in 20 starts for Kongo.
A non-televised 8-rounder featured junior welterweight Sam Noakes in a stay-busy fight. A roofer by trade and the brother of British welterweight title-holder Sean Noakes, Sam improved to 17-0 (15 KOs) with a third-round stoppage of overmatched Czech import Patrik Balez (13-5-1).
Photo credit: Leigh Dawney / Queensberry
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