Inside the mind of Dennis Hogan leading into his bout with Tim Tszyu

Mexico's world champion Jamie Munguia was striking fear into damn near every super welterweight on the planet. Few wanted to get in the ring with him, even fewer went the distance.

Yet on this night in May 2018, there was an Irishman sitting ringside with a smile that didn't mask fear, but confidence.

"He fought Sadam Ali, he put him on his hole a couple of times, maybe four times by the end of the third round and the fight was over," Hogan said.

"I sat there and smiled and I said 'challenge on'. That's just the type of person I am. Munguia, in his career, if he didn't knock you out then he rematched you again and he knocked you out.

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"That's what he was doing. He's had two fighters on his record that he has gone back and knocked out again. He just absolutely destroyed everyone."

Until he fought Hogan. The Brisbane-based challenger went the distance with unbeaten monster Munguia in Monterrey, Mexico, less than a year later.

He should have flown back to Australia with a world championship. Instead, he returned home frustrated, the victim of the proverbial robbery at the hands of the judges in a majority decision loss.

Hogan's only losses through 32 professional fights have come in world title fights. Once against Munguia, once when he made the leap to middleweight to challenge Jermall Charlo, and one for an interim belt in Germany.

Now he looks to take one massive step towards another shot, well aware that at 36 years old his window is getting smaller.

In his way stands the face of Australian boxing, 17-0 Tim Tszyu, with the pair to meet for a WBO Global strap at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre on Wednesday night.

A win changes the landscape dramatically, so are fans in this country ready to embrace a face of Australian boxing with an Irish accent?

"I don't know if I'd be welcomed as that. Timmy was overrated anyway," Hogan said.

"That happened to Munguia after my fight with him. He was tipped as this massive superstar. GGG, Canelo, everyone was going to fight him."

But after Hogan went the distance with him?

"Quiet, quiet. Didn't give us the rematch. That's probably going to happen here again," Hogan said.

"But I do think [Tszyu] is going to bounce back from it and he'll come back again. We'll see who his true supporters are after this fight, let me tell you.

"I look back at all of Tim's fights and I'm not really seeing that [calibre of Munguia], I'm not seeing that against that calibre, for sure, so challenge accepted. Bring it on."

Hogan enters the bout as a rank outsider with the bookmakers, but he is quick to tell you that it's only with the bookies.

"The people who know stuff and take everything into consideration, the WBC rankings have me ranked ahead of him. I would rather that ranking than any other bookies," Hogan said.

"This is an opportunity for Tim, this is just me fulfilling my destiny."