DENNIS HOGAN QUOTES
On training at the Stretton Boxing Club: “We know all the ingredients are there, it’s just about doing everything that we need to do. The gym is structured really well, it’s a really good set-up. You manage to get all the stuff done in a good way and it’s actually enjoyable going up there to train, even though it’s tough work. You can go years smashing out sessions and you very rarely get to see things changing because of the intense nature of the work. But when you get to see big changes on a regular basis and stuff that really works to your advantage when you’re in the ring, you start to realise this stuff is working. It gives you a lot of confidence and more motivation to come back and do it all again.”
On his fight with Jack Culcay for the WBA world title: “I learned a lot about what happens when you’re the away fighter. And what that means is that you can’t leave anything to chance. You have to make sure every little thing is spot on. Even if you’re winning the rounds you can’t relax for a second, you’ve got to stay on for the whole lot and you can’t even give those guys an inch. I used to give people an inch and now I’m working on not giving them nothing. That fact that I’ve been there and done that, now I know I can be there and win that.”
On his Australian and Irish supporter base: “In this fight I’m going to make a statement. And after this people are going to know we mean business. After this I look forward to gaining more momentum with the crowd and hopefully getting more Queenslanders and Aussies behind me, along with the Irish. I have great support from the Irish community here and just want everyone to come together and support me, together we can make it work. I will be the world champion and with the support of those people, it’s only going to help.”
On the keys to success: “If you believe in yourself and keep pushing yourself to keep going, good things will come to you. I really believe that. There were days when you didn’t know whether you were national level, regional level or world level. It seems like it’s so far away, the goal of being world champion. But I kept saying to myself ‘I’m going to be world champion and I’m going to do whatever it takes to get there’. And I showed up every day and put in the work and here I am. I’m on the cusp of it now, I’ve already had a world title fight, I’m close to having one again and I’m here to put it right.”
On a world title shot in Australia: “If we can bring that a world title fight here and in some way replicate the atmosphere and the crowd that Jeff Horn had for his fight with Manny Pacquiao, it would just be phenomenal. It would be phenomenal for me, it would be phenomenal for the fans, and it would phenomenal for the country. It would really bring big time boxing back here. I know it was a dream of Jeff’s before, a dream of Glenn’s, and I want to be a part of that too. That’s another goal of mine too, to make that happen. I’m under no illusion that I have to put in a big performance here if I want to get the support needed to bring a world title fight to Brisbane.”
On moving to Australia: “I boxed on the Ireland amateur team for a few years and travelled the world with them. We came through Brisbane and I met a guy here who had a professional set up and stuff, so three years after that I was starting to think about going pro. Back then I had a bit of an offer from Boston and I had an offer from here. I remembered being here and it was beautiful and I had a cousin living here as well. I thought about the beautiful weather, the beautiful people here, and I just said ‘you know what, I’ll go back there and try that’. I thought it might only be for a year or something, but I just loved it here, I just loved it here and decided to stay. And even when I have had training camps and in Miami and Florida I kept coming back because I love it here.”
--ENDS--
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Media Contact:
Paul Keegan
M: 0421 709 947
About Dennis “Hurricane” Hogan
Dennis Hogan was born in Kildare, Ireland where he won the national light-heavyweight championship as an amateur. He had over 150 fights in the unpaid ranks before more to Brisbane in 2010 to pursue a professional boxing career after opportunities dried up in Ireland in the wake of the global financial crisis. Dennis challenged Jack Culcay for the interim WBA super welterweight title in December 2015, losing a competitive decision in Germany. It remains the only loss of his ledger. Earlier this month the 32-year-old became a first time father with the birth of his daughter Aria.
About “It’s Time”
“It’s Time” is presented by DDP Sports Management at the Convention & Exhibition Centre in Brisbane, Queensland on Saturday 14 October starting at 7:00pm. The show will be headlined by Dennis “Hurricane” Hogan vs Yuki Nonaka in a 10-round international fight for the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) number two ranking in the junior middleweight division. Hogan, who will be making the second defence of his WBO Oriental title, is ranked number six in the world by the WBO while Nonaka is ranked number seven by the same organisation. The only blemish on Hogan’s record is a 12-round points decision loss to Jack Culcay in Germany for the interim WBA super welterweight world championship in 2015. The card will also feature the return of former world heavyweight title challenger Alex “Lionheart” Leapai who went five rounds with Wladimir Klitschko for the greatest prize in sports in 2014. Also on the card will be Faris Chevalier making the second defence of his Australian super middleweight title against Sam Banney, who is a stablemate of Hogan and WBO world welterweight champion Jeff Horn trained by coach Glenn Rushton at the Stretton Boxing Club. Rohan Murdock will face Tanzanian Said Mbelwa in another of the main support bouts scheduled for 8 rounds at super middleweight. Rounding out the card will be an entertaining heavyweight slugfest between Herman Ene Purcell and John Szigeti over six rounds and Ronald Branford taking on Adam Copland at light heavyweight.
Ticket Information
Tickets for “It’s Time” are available from Ticketek.com.au starting from $59.10 for general admission. Tickets are selling fast so get in early to secure your seats as reserved seating is expected to sell out. The card will be broadcast live by Epicentre.TV with the telecast beginning at 7:00pm Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST).
About DDP Sports Management
DDP Sports Management is the brainchild of Paul Keegan and Danny Dimas. Their mission is to bring arena-style boxing back to Australia where the boxers are the real stars of the sport.
