James Metcalf vs Dennis Hogan Preview May 20th, 2023
The IBO Super Welterweight Title is on the line in Dublin, Ireland this Saturday, May 20th as champion Dennis Hogan of Kildare takes on James Metcalf of Liverpool, England. The 12-round fight can be seen live on most nations on DAZN on the undercard of the Katie Taylor vs Chentelle Cameron bout. Hogan won the belt last October when he beat Sam Eggington by 12-round majority decision while Metcalf last boxed in December when he stopped Courtney Pennington after six rounds.
**Watch live on DAZN this Saturday. Your first month is free.
Metcalf vs Hogan Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Dennis Hogan +150
- James Metcalf -180
My Pick
Although the 38-year-old Hogan hails from Kildare, Ireland, he resides and boxes out of Australia. He surprised a lot of people with his excellent outing against Jaime Munguia in April, 2019 in a shot at the WBO Super Welterweight Title but fell just short in that fight and was edged via a majority decision. He then took on Jermall Charlo eight months later and was stopped in the seventh round in a shot at the WBC Middleweight belt. Hogan’s boxed 268 rounds since making his pro debut in 2011 following a good amateur career and has also captured the IBF Pan Pacific and WBO Intercontinental Junior Middleweight Titles since then.
Hogan enters the contest with a mark of 31-4-1 with just 7 Ko’s to his name so it’s evident he doesn’t possess much in the way of power with a current knockout ratio of only 19.4 per cent. He stands 5-feet-8-inches tall with a 68.5-inch wingspan. Hogan’s other pro losses came at the hands of to Jack Culcay via a unanimous decision in December, 2015 and he was stopped in five rounds by Tim Tszyu in March, 2021, while his draw was a five round affair with Edmund Eramiha in 2011.
Hogan reportedly fought over 150 times as an amateur in Ireland and has won several other regional titles since turning pro. These include the Australia – Queensland State Super Middleweight Title, the Australia – Queensland State Middleweight Title and the Australian Middleweight crown. He’s also captured the Celtic Nations, WBA Oceania, WBA-NABA USA , WBO Oriental, and WBO Intercontinental Junior Middleweight Titles. His biggest wins have been over Eggington, Jimmy Kelly, Yuki Nonaka, Kenny Abril, Tyrone Brinson, Robbie Bryant and Nathan Carroll.
As for Metcalf, he climbs through the ropeswith a mark of 24-2 with 15 Ko’s and has boxed 143 rounds since making his pro debut in 2011 following a decent amateur career. He’s 5-feet-9-inches tall with an unlisted reach, so has an edge in height on Hogan. When it comes to power he has a decided advantage as his current knockout ratio comes in at 57.7 per cent. His chin isn’t perfect though as he was stopped in the 11th round by Ted Cheeseman in March, 2021 for the vacant British Super Welterweight Title.
The 34-year-old Metcalf then lost his second straight fight as he dropped a 10-round unanimous decision to Kieron Conway in his next contest seven months later. Since those losses he’s bounced back with three straight wins, with two of them coming by stoppage. He captured the vacant WBC International Super Welterweight Crown in 2018 when he halted Aitor Nieto in the 12th round. He then stopped Jason Welborn in the the eighth in 2019 to take the vacant Commonwealth Super Welterweight Title.
Prediction…
Hogan is 37, but is just three years older than Metcalf. He lacks power and doesn’t have the greatest chin but he’s got a lot of heart and experience against top-quality pros. Metcalf lacks that experience but has enough power to cause some damage and most likely won’t have to worry Hogan’s hardest shots. I’m expecting Metcalf to eventually break Hogan down but he’s going to have to work hard to do so.
Metcalf’s power punching could decide this fight.
Play Metcalf -180 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Dennis Hogan betting • James Metcalf betting