IBO Boxing World Champion Challenges Conor McGregor To Fight In Ireland

UFC fighter Conor McGregor. (Instagram/@TheNotoriousMMA)

JAKARTA - UFC fighter Conor McGregor has many fans. This time he got the bid of the new IBO lightweight middleweight champion, Denis Hogan.

He offered Conor McGregor the chance to claim his title and a spectacular "homecoming". Hogan wants to face McGregor in Ireland.

Hogan won the IBO belt on Saturday. He won the fight against Sam Eggington in Australia

It was Hogan's fourth attempt to win the world title. Previously, the 37-year-old boxer fought for the interim WBA, WBO, and WBC titles.

None of the contests ended with his hands raised or lost.

The challenge for McGregor actually came before the IBO scramble began. He's already eyeing a "homecoming" fight against the MMA superstar.

"If I win, the first thing I'm going to do is call (Coach Kavanagh) and say 'Is there a chance Conor wants this? I want to go back to Ireland and defend the title there,' he said before his bout with Sam Eggington.

Hogan has indeed lived in Australia for his entire professional career and has had most of his fights Down Under, as well as in the US and Mexico. The Kildare native last fought in Europe in 2015, where he lost his interim WBA title fight.

Hogan said he would be fighting at home and said defending his first title was the perfect opportunity for a spectacular return.

"I'm going home, I haven't fought in Ireland since starting as an amateur, so it would be great to go back there and defend my title," he said.

Prior to his victory, Hogan's management claimed to have discussed this plan with McGregor. However, it is not known what the answer from the former UFC champion will be.