WORLD rated light middleweight Dennis Hogan continues his march towards a second world title opportunity.

The 32-year-old Hogan, who holds a WBO #4 rating at light middleweight, will take on the WBO #5 Jimmy Kilrain Kelly (23-1, 9 KOs) for the vacant WBO Inter-Continental crown on April 7th at the Brisbane Convention Centre, headlining the second event in six months for promotional entity DDP Sports.

Hogan (26-1-1, 7 KOs) who dominated world number seven Yuki Nonaka of Japan last October to win over ten entertaining rounds, has only ever lost to Germany’s Jack Culcay on points in a bout for the WBA world championship in 2015.

“This is a phenomenal opportunity that will move me closer to my dream of becoming world champion,” says Hogan in a press release issued by DDP Sports. “I won every round against Nonaka last year and I’m going to do the same to Kelly. I’ll slow him down to the body and finish over the top of him.”

“DDP have done a tremendous job to get Kelly out to Australia. I have fought all over the world and I know the effect it has on the body. Boxing is sport of a degrees and this is going to give me another 1-2% advantage which can be the difference in big fights.”

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Hogan is trained by Glenn Rushton, who famously masterminded WBO welterweight champion Jeff Horn’s upset victory over eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao, at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium in July last year.

“Training alongside Jeff is amazing,” says Hogan. “He has made it to the top and having seen what he did to get there, I truly believe that I have what it takes to do that too.”

The 25-year-old Kelly was born in Manchester and hails from Wythenshawe, Lancashire in Great Britain. The lone loss on his ledger came against former world champion Liam Smith for the WBO light middleweight title in just his 17th professional bout.

“When we started DDP last year we said we were going to bring world class fights to Australia and that’s what we’ve done,” added Paul Keegan of DDP Sports.

“We have matched the world number four in Dennis Hogan with world number five Jimmy Kilrain Kelly of Great Britain. It’s an explosive match-up between two world-class fighters in their prime and an event not to be missed by sports fans who want to see the best facing the best.”

Words: Press Release
Photo: Getty Images