Irishman Dennis Hogan has become IBO super welterweight champion as he dethroned Sam Eggington in his country of residence, Australia, by a majority decision.
Hogan boxed to corners orders and did not allow the champion Eggington to get into his rhythm. Eggington is known for luring his opponents into an all-out brawl which suits his style, but Hogan’s work nullified Eggington’s and it was clear that Hogan was picking up the early rounds. Eggington picked up a cut early on, but began to plant his feet and march Hogan down at the mid-point of the fight, but Hogan was still coming back with meaningful hooks which would just bounce off Eggington’s chin.
Eggington’s corner knew at the end of the ninth man that if Eggington was going to retain his belt, he would have to stop Hogan as they believed the Irishman had pulled away on the cards. Eggington would take the centre ring in round ten, but Hogan would continue boxing to orders and would not be deterred from the game plan. As the bell rang for the 12th and final round, Hogan would land a sweet hook which took Eggington by surprise, Eggington continued to look for a stoppage, but Hogan made sure the Englishman would not be able to get it.
The fighters shared a fantastic 12 rounds and it was now time for the scorecards to be read to declare a winner. The general consensus was that Hogan had cruised to victory, but uncertainty set in when the first card read out and scored the bout 114-114. The next two cards both read 116-112 in favour of Hogan, crowning him the new IBO super welterweight champion.