Tim Tszyu’s opponent threatens to pull out of fight after sponsor drama

Dennis Hogan has threatened to pull out of his fight against Tim Tszyu on Wednesday night if an agreement can’t be reached over a sponsorship scrap.

Hogan is planning to walk into the ring wearing a pair of shorts emblazoned with the logo of his personal sponsor PointsBet, but promoters of the blockbuster bout want him to ditch the trunks because of a conflict.

Watch Tim Tszyu v Dennis Hogan only on Main Event, available on Foxtel and Kayo on Wednesday 31 March at 7pm AEDT. ORDER NOW >

Sportsbet is sponsoring the card, put on by No Limit Boxing, and promoter Matt Rose doesn’t want Hogan spruiking a rival bookmaker.

But the Irish-born pugilist isn’t backing down, insisting he’ll stay in his dressing room if he isn’t allowed to support PointsBet.

“I don’t care,” Hogan told reporters on Tuesday. “I’m not coming out unless I’ve got my sponsors on there.

“That’s the deal that was done. Everybody is able to wear their sponsors — this is unacceptable.

“I’ll be wearing them, or I won’t be there. Let me know tonight, so I can go home tomorrow.”

Hogan’s manager Danny Dimas told foxsports.com.au: “We’re going to wear the shorts one way or another.

“They want to do anything about it, take us to court, but that’s what we’re walking out in.”

The drama comes after Hogan was asked by Rose to change out of a T-shirt promoting PointsBet at Monday’s press conference. Rose confirmed the 36-year-old’s camp had told him he won’t fight if he can’t wear his standard trunks, but is sticking firm on his side of the argument.

“We won’t be bowing to that,” Rose told The Daily Telegraph. “Dennis Hogan won’t be wearing those trunks to the ring. That’s it.”

Tszyu can do no wrong at the moment.Source:News Corp Australia

Hogan and Tszyu weighed in on Tuesday ahead of their fight, both comfortably making the super welterweight limit. Tszyu weighed in at 69.3kg while Hogan tipped the scales at 69.4kg.

“It’s everything in the world to me now. It’s make or break,” Hogan said. “This gets me back to where all of my dreams lie, what I’ve visualised for a very long time and I believe I’m going to do it.

“I’ll outbox him every single round but I will probably get a knockout.”

Tszyu wasn’t buying the trash talk, though, confident he’ll extend his unbeaten professional record to 18.

The son of boxing royalty Kostya Tszyu is fresh off a vicious first-round KO win over Bowyn Morgan in December, which followed on from his destruction of Manny Pacquiao’s conqueror Jeff Horn earlier in 2020.

Meanwhile, Hogan returns to the ring 15 months after his last fight — a TKO loss to knockout artist Jermall Charlo in New York. It was his second defeat in as many fights after going down to Jaime Munguia in April 2019 via a controversial points decision.

He’ll be looking to snap that losing streak in Newcastle on Wednesday night when he touches gloves with Tszyu in the Steel City Showdown.

Hogan is hoping to establish a new pecking order in boxing Down Under.Source:News Corp Australia

Hogan lives in Australia these days and calls Brisbane home. Having sat back for the past year and watched Tszyu cement his status as the most electrifying fighter Down Under has only made Hogan hungrier.

“I just want to get in and throw a heap of punches,” he told The Sun.

“I want to get in and get going. I want to get into the trenches where I know normal men want to stop and they’re looking for an easy way out while I want to keep punching.

“For me to bounce back now and beat the son of a legend, get the No. 1 spot in the world and go on to be world champion, I would have certainly done everything I’ve spoken about. I believe I’m meant to be here.

“Him being the son — and then obviously beating Jeff — he’s just shot to a level of superstardom I’ve not seen anything like over here. It is what it is but unfortunately I’m going to have to put a stop to that.”

Source: Read Full Article