Wade Ryan’s quest for a world title has taken a hit with a unanimous decision defeat to Dennis Hogan last Thursday night at the Nissan Arena in Brisbane.
The Boogeyman went into enemy territory to face Hogan – a Brisbane-based Irishman in the co-main event with both fighters vying for a shot at the International Boxing Organisation’s (IBO) super-welterweight world title.
After a 24-hour delay and change in venue, Ryan faced a host of challenges going up against a man who had already fought three times for a world championship.
While Hogan was unable to taste success in the past, the win against Ryan gives the Irishman another chance at claiming one of the division’s top honours.
Ryan spoke to media after the fight about his future in the sport and after recently turning 32 in February, the Boogeyman isn’t ready to hang up the gloves anytime soon.
“This isn’t the last we’ve seen of Wade Ryan, it’s just a setback and we’ll come back better,” Ryan said.
“We need to sit back and have a look at the fight. Dennis fought a smart fight, he punched and held, he fought smart enough to get away with the victory.”
Although Ryan wasn’t at his usual best, the fight didn’t come without controversy with referee Ignatius Missailidis deducting a point off the Boogeyman in the seventh round for hitting the back of Hogan’s head.
With warnings for both fighters throughout the bout, there was plenty of uncertainty as to why Ryan was given the deduction. Despite this, the three judges scored the fight, 120-108, 117-110 and 116-111 in favour of Hogan.
“There could have been a little bit more inside fighting,” Ryan said.
“But Dennis deserves the win tonight, he was a little cagier than me and a touch busier. I’ll be back stronger and smarter next time.”
Having fought the likes of former WBO super-welterweight champion, Jaime Munguia and current WBA, WBC and IBF super-welterweight champion, Jermell Charlo, Hogan has plenty of experience in the ring.
The Irishman knows what its like to win fights and was strategic on Thursday night. With the Boogeyman’s claims of Hogan holding excessively, it was a clear tactic and after countless warnings, the referee was still unwilling to deduct a point from Hogan even though Ryan was reprimanded midway through the fight.
The constant holding from Hogan didn’t allow for Ryan to find his groove during the 12 rounds and while the Boogeyman was able to find success in brief patches in the fight, it wasn’t enough to claim the victory.
Ryan spoke about the experience he gained fighting Hogan who has jumped to ninth on the BoxRec rankings in the super-welterweight division.
“It was a good experience and I’m very grateful to be on these No Limit Boxing cards and getting the exposure,” he said.
“To fight in an IBO world title eliminator, I’m just a boy from the bush.
“I have 10 losses now out of 30 fights, we’ve come in leaps and bounds and it’s a good learning curve to fight Dennis.
“I know if we fought the right fight tonight, we would have won. To compete with the best, I have to take the good and bad things and now I need to put my head down and focus on the next one.”
What the future has in store for Wade Ryan is unknown and what the past has highlighted is the perseverance and strength from the team in Gunnedah. Ryan has tasted defeat before and there is no doubt he will come back as a stronger boxer.
Whether he is granted a rematch with Hogan in the near future or not, there is a handful of options for Ryan to continue pushing towards a world title shot. It will be interesting to see what No Limit Boxing has in store for the Boogeyman and a return to the ring will be right around the corner.
Meanwhile, Boxing in Gunnedah continues on March 19 with local professionals, Enja Prest (1-1) and Albert Nolan (2-0), headlining Bad Intentions 7 at the Gunnedah Town Hall with a number of professional and amateur bouts on the line-up for the night.
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