Newly-crowned IBO super-welterweight champion Dennis Hogan has called for a huge homecoming fight against Conor McGregor for his first defence.
The legendary UFC fighter is 0-1 as a professional boxer after his loss to Floyd Mayweather in 2017, but has insisted that he would like to fight for a world title in the ring. And while Hogan's belt is not a recognised major belt, it could be McGregor's chance at claiming world honours in boxing within just one more fight.
Kildare native Hogan defeated Sam Eggington in Newcastle, Australia over the weekend, and has called for a return to Ireland where he would be bringing big-time professional boxing back in the south of the country. In a move that could make the bout even bigger, Hogan has called for his opponent to be McGregor, a former two-weight UFC champion.
The callout was actually made before the fight, with Gary 'Spike' O'Sullivan another, more likely option for such a bout in Dublin. “If I win, the first thing I will do is get in touch with [McGregor's team] and say ‘Is there any chance Conor may want this?' I would love to go back to Ireland and have a title defence there. I am due a homecoming, I haven’t fought in Ireland since my amateur days, so it would be great to go back there and defend my title.”
McGregor told ESPN MMA back in 2020 ahead of his win over Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone that he plans to win a world title in the ring after winning two in the octagon. "I want to box again," he said. "I will box again. I will get a boxing world title." Asked if that means multiple bouts, he added: “No, but I will box multiple times. I love boxing. I truly love boxing, and I’m damn good.”
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However, the Irishman is currently recovering from a broken leg, and is expecting to return at MMA's welterweight, which is 16lb heavier than the super-welterweight limit he would be asked to make to face Hogan. He has packed on size during his time away from the cage, and would find it difficult to get down to 154lb maximum.
Hogan is expected to have a homecoming bout at Dublin's 3Arena, with O'Sullivan a more feasible opponent for a major all-Irish clash. However, that would be upgraded to Croke Park if he were to face McGregor, or wait to fight O'Sullivan on the undercard of a potential Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano rematch.
"I've great time for Dennis and I was delighted to see him become a world champion," O'Sullivan told the Irish Mirror. "I've seen some of the videos of him celebrating with his daughter, that's something I can relate to, and it's great to see. "We've known each other a long time. We would have sparred together and there's huge mutual respect between us."
