It’s now official that Australian-born Irishman Dennis Hogan (28-1) will get his second chance at winning a world title when he faces undefeated Mexican Jaime Munguia (32-0) for his World Boxing Organization (WBO) Super Welterweight Title in Monterrey, Mexico on April 13.
The bout was originally meant to go to a purse bid on March 4, until Munguia’s promoter Golden Boy Promotions and Hogan’s management team came to an agreement on promotion and purses.
This is a David vs Goliath battle for Hogan, and he certainly isn’t Goliath.
Regardless of the outcome though, there’s a rumored US$500,000 pay day awaiting Hogan, which at 34 years of age could be Hogan’s last hurrah at the world level at least.
Since dropping a unanimous decision (his only defeat) against Germany’s Jack Culcay in 2015, Hogan has gone on a six-fight winning streak, albeit not against any world-beaters.
In that same period, Munguia – 12 years Hogan’s junior – has fought a whopping 20 times, with only three of his opponents being able to survive the full rounds.
To say that Munguia is a big super welterweight is an understatement, because he’s an absolute monster.
At 183 centimetres tall, anyone that has ever seen him in action would’ve noticed that Munguia is clearly bigger (five or six kilograms, perhaps) than all of his opponents.
At this weight, these attributes make him look like King Kong, and with 26 knockouts from his 32 victories, he has the record to fit.
Munguia’s youth ensures he’s able to shrink comfortably down to the 154-pound limit, and with his promoters being the best in the business, he has the luxury of having his fights effectively picked to order.
Munguia has been described as a ‘boxing bully’, someone that fights opponents that he has no reason to fear. And sadly, his fight with Hogan will further reinforce this belief.
As much as Dennis Hogan should be respected for the trade he’s chosen, he has voluntarily thrown himself to the wolves here, with the potential US$500,000 pay check being the lure.
Hey, I know I’d follow that lure!
Hogan likes to push forward with a lot of energy, and generally wins by pure will power.
But constantly coming forward with double and triple jabs, and looking to exchange on the inside, is not going to faze Munguia one bit.
Munguia will take a couple of rounds to settle, then start catching Hogan coming in, before beating the brakes off the big-hearted Irishman.
Regardless of how the fight turns out, fans hope both men return home fit, healthy, and with more figures in their bank accounts.
This is the payday Hogan’s been working towards, and he deserves every cent.
Prediction: Munguia KO/TKO in six rounds.
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My previous output of MMA content saw the staking of my non-existent reputation on a series of predictions, most of which were validated; however, this article will see judgement offered in retrospect on the five main takeaways from recent proceedings in no discernible order.
During the week it was announced that Billy Dib would fight Amir Khan in Saudi Arabia for the newly minted WBC Welterweight Pearl title – whatever that is – only for the WBC to withdraw the Pearl title and announce that the fight would be for their vacant International title.
Welcome to the first edition of what I hope will become a staple of the avid MMA fan’s content digest.
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