Dennis Hogan is demolished by Tim Tszyu in a dominant fifth round TKO win.
Tim Tszyu overcame an early and nasty cut to his eye to demolish Irishman Dennis Hogan in Brisbane with a vicious five-round victory.
Tszyu’s supremacy was such that Hogan’s corner withdrew late in the fifth round, handing the Sydneysider his 18th consecutive win.
Tszyu, on the other hand, had to dig deep throughout, as Hogan caught him early on with a few overhand right hands. Tszyu began the war frantically and seemed to be finding an early end.
Hogan kept his own against the onslaught and stayed in the battle. He seemed to be at ease in round two, until a clash of heads caused Tszyu a few problems.
However, in the subsequent round, the WBO No. 1 super welterweight challenger began effectively working the body.
Tszyu approached Hogan head-on and knocked him down with some big liver shots that forced Hogan to pause for a moment to catch his breath. Tszyu charged in for the kill, but Hogan resisted. Nevertheless, it seemed as if it was only a matter of time from that point.
Tszyu settled down and built a pattern over the next two rounds, and it became obvious that Hogan was on borrowed time. “Another round like that and I’m stopping it,” Hogan’s trainer Stephen Edwards said following the fourth round.
Hogan was rattled in the opening seconds of the fifth round by a massive uppercut, but he survived the count. He rose and remained in the fight for another minute or so, before Tszyu returned to the body and Edwards, true to his word, threw in the towel to end it.
“When you consider the calibre of my opponent Dennis Hogan, a two-time world title challenger, and the fact that I was able to knock him out faster than (current world champion Jermell) Charlo, it’s not a bad achievement,” Tszyu said in his post-fight interview.
“I knew I was going to chuck him in and let him drown.”
Tszyu was questioned about his vicious body shots and the fact that he had knocked out several sparring partners with identical blows in the lead-up to the match.
“This is not a tip-tap; we are punching each other. I hope to injure my adversaries. Outside the ring, I have the highest respect for them, but within the ring, this is my kingdom. This is where I show my authority.” I knew from Round Two, when I was warming up, that I could go another seven rounds at this rate, if not more “We need to return and repeat this. I’ve fought all over Australia, and this is by far the best place. Newcastle, I adore you all. We will return.”
When asked about his next opponent, Tszyu deferred to his promoters and manager, but stated that he desires “actual straps” in Australia before sending a message to his Russian fans.
Jeff Fenech, a boxing legend, was incredibly impressed with how Tszyu won this time and how he had to struggle for portions of the fight.
He claimed that Tszyu’s win over Hogan was a sign that he was the real deal and would compete for world titles in the future.
“I expected this, Tim stepping up in class. He is improving daily. Dennis Hogan threw powerful punches, but Tim was prepared for something “As Fenech said.
“I’m aware that Charlo struck him hard, but not as often as Tim Tszyu did.”
