World Champ Jaime Munguia reveals that Dennis Hogan defence may take place in Mexico

Dennis Hogan may have to go to the lion’s den if he is to win a world title.

The Brisbane-based Kildare boxer is the designated mandatory to Mexican Jaime Munguia’s WBO light middleweight title and the champion must defend against Hogan next.

Munguia [32(26)-0] retained his belt for the third time at the weekend, largely dominating Japan’s Takeshi Inoue albeit looking somewhat lacklustre in a main event clash at the Toyota Centre in Houston, Texas.

Now the champion has suggested that he could be set for a Mexican homecoming when he takes on Hogan [28(7)-1(0)-1].

Las Vegas and the undercard of Canelo Alvarez’s middleweight unification versus Danny Jacobs on Saturday May 4th had been suggested but Munguia himself has revealed that the Mexican city of Monterrey is where he has been told the fight may take place.

The 22-year-old told Mexican newspaper El Sol de México as much today, with an earlier fight date of Saturday April 14th being suggested.

Munguia noted that “they tell me that my next defence could be April 13th in Monterrey.”

The Nuevo Léon city is on the opposite side of Mexico to Munguia’s home city of Tijuana.

Previously, Kilcullen’s Hogan had told Irish-Boxing.com that there were “three options on the table” – a fight in America, in Brisbane, or back here in Ireland. Munguia’s latest quotes would suggest that something has changed – or that the Golden Boy youngster has been misinformed.

33-year-old Hogan has been steadfast in his desire to take on the young champion, even amidst previous suggestions that he may be set for a move up in weight leaving a potential vacant title fight for ‘The Hurricane’.

Over the past week Munguia has insisted that he will remain at 154lbs to chase unifications, after facing Hogan, before moving up for major middleweight fights with the likes of countryman and stablemate Canelo and Kazakhstan’s Gennady Golovkin – who he had agreed to fight last year only to be turned down by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Hogan’s team, DDP, are currently in preliminary talks with Golden Boy, which began before the Inoue win, and have been contacted for comment.

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