Boxing world champion Dennis Hogan has reached out to fellow countryman Conor McGregor to kickstart talks over a potential title clash.
McGregor has not competed since breaking his leg in his UFC trilogy clash with Dustin Poirier last July. The Irishman has fought just once in the ring in a lucrative bout with Floyd Mayweather in 2017 when he was stopped in the tenth round.
He has since teased a return to the squared circle in the future with footage from his training showing his love for boxing as he continues his rehabilitation from injury. Current IBO light-middleweight 'world' champion Hogan recently picked up the world title belt with victory over Sam Eggington, and talked up an unlikely shot at the global superstar.
The Irishman's manager Steve Scanlon has claimed a fight can easily be made with alternative challenger Spike O'Sullivan, but Hogan's team have also reached out to McGregor's camp in a long shot to organise a meeting. “We have been in touch with both Spike and Conor’s team,” Scanlan told Irish Boxing when assessing the chances of a fight with McGregor.
"Spike’s team will move heaven and earth to make this fight, so that is a much easier fight to make happen but we are just working through everything. If we don’t fight Conor, which obviously is a long shot, but crazier things have happened, then we will 100% be fighting Spike in Ireland."
Hogan won the IBO belt with a superb win last month and immediately expressed his desire to make a homecoming appearance. Although it is not a highly-regarded belt, it is seen as enough by Hogan's team to try and lure McGregor back into the boxing world, after he previously expressed his desire to win a world title in the sport.
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The new champion, who has a record of 34 victories with four defeats in his professional career, initially made the call-out after rising to world level. He said: “If I win, the first thing I will do is get in touch with [McGregor's team] and say ‘Is there any chance Conor may want this?' I would love to go back to Ireland and have a title defence there. I am due a homecoming, I haven’t fought in Ireland since my amateur days, so it would be great to go back there and defend my title.”
McGregor is yet to officially respond to the challenge, but previously suggested he would try his hand at boxing again before he retires. "Boxing is my first love in combat sports," McGregor told Sky Sports. "I had such a great time the last time I was out there. It is just the beginning but boxing, for sure, I will grace the squared circle again in the future."
