Irishman Dennis Hogan suffers fifth-round defeat against Tim Tszyu in Australia

Dennis Hogan. Photo: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Sean McGoldrick

March 31 2021 02:28 PM

Ireland' Dennis Hogan succumbed to a fifth-round defeat in his showdown against the rising star of Australian boxing Tim Tszyu in Newcastle, Australia today.

The 26-year-old, whose father Kostya is a legendary figure in Australian boxing, proved his worth and kept his unbeaten record with an aggressive performance which delighted the packed arena.

This was Hogan's second knock-out defeat on the spin and his fourth career loss and it could herald the end of his pro career.

The 36-year-old lacked nothing in bravery, but Tszyu's ferocious body work saw him control the fight after a couple of evenly-matched early rounds.

Hogan looked in trouble in the fourth round after Tszyu landed a flurry of punches and he did the real damage in the next stanza. He caught Hogan with a vicious left uppercut which forced the Irishman onto his knee.

Tim Tszyu stops Dennis Hogan in the 5th 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/1t8EQQDc1N
— b0xingfan (@b0xingfan) March 31, 2021

Somehow, he managed to get back on his feet but sensing that his opponent was in trouble, Tszyu attacked relentlessly. Hogan's corner intervened and threw in the towell, bringing the curtain down on the fight and possibly the Kilcullen man's career.

His dream of securing a world belt and defending it on Irish soil may never be fulfilled. But he still had a marvelous career and unlike most professional fighters managed to secure some decent purses.

While the record books state otherwise, morally Hogan was the winner of his world title fight against Jamie Munguia in Monterrey in 2019.

But now it looks like Tim Tszyu will follow in his father's footsteps and become the super welterweight champion of the world.