Jermall Charlo delivers statement win with seventh-round TKO of Dennis Hogan

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Jermall Charlo

If you weren’t convinced that Jermall Charlo is a bona fide boxing star, then wake up.

The WBC middleweight champion delivered a statement victory Saturday night with his seventh-round TKO of Dennis Hogan at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

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The end came when Charlo feinted a jab and lunged forward with a short left hook that dropped Hogan against the ropes. Hogan got up and the referee ordered the Irish fighter to walk toward him. Hogan didn't have his complete bearings, though, and the ref wisely stopped the fight at that point. Charlo improved to 30-0 with 22 KOs.

It was the second knockdown of the bout; Charlo sent Hogan rolling backward with a razor-sharp left uppercut in the fourth round, a punch that will be part of the Houston fighter's permanent highlight reel.

Charlo was simply too big, strong and skilled for Hogan, who was moving up to middleweight from junior middleweight. Prior to this fight, Hogan had only been knocked down once in his career, perhaps proving Charlo's punching power.

One has to wonder how long it will be before Charlo gets to fight a bigger-name boxer. Prior to Saturday's bout, he spoke with Sporting News about landing a bout with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez or Gennadiy Golovkin in 2020 while also being prepared to move up to super middleweight to face Daniel Jacobs. For whatever it's worth, Chris Eubank Jr., who fought on the undercard, had mentioned wanting a crack at Charlo or any other middleweight star.

While Charlo's next move remains to be seen, his twin brother, Jermell, will look to snatch back his WBC junior middleweight title in a rematch against Tony Harrison on Dec. 21 at Toyota Arena in Ontario, Calif.

Co-main event: Chris Eubank Jr. def. Matt Korobov by second-round TKO; middleweights

That wasn't the way Eubank wanted to make his U.S. debut. The British boxer was still getting into his rhythm when Korobov injured his shoulder during the second round and couldn’t continue. If you watched Korobov face Jermall Charlo last December, you already knew that he was game and not the kind of fighter who would look for an easy way out.

Nonetheless, Eubank picked up the interim WBA middleweight title. Prior to the fight, Eubank mentioned that he’s out for all the big names in the division, including Jermall Charlo; it will be interesting to see how quickly he’s able to secure one of those bouts.

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Mark Lelinwalla Photo

Mark Lelinwalla is a contributing writer and editor for DAZN News. He has written for the likes of the New York Daily News, Men's Health, The Associated Press, Sports Illustrated, Complex, XXL and Vibe Magazine.