Photo By Will Paul / CES Boxing
Undefeated Weymouth middleweight prospect Francis “Frank the Tank” Hogan (20-0, 17 KOs) comes home on Saturday, November 15 to headline Boston Harbor Fight Night at Encore Boston Harbor against battle-tested spoiler Antonio “Primo” Todd (17-13, 9 KOs) for the vacant North American Boxing Federation (NABF) Middleweight Championship.
Tickets to Boston Harbor Fight Night are available now at Ticketree.us.
The event, presented by CES Boxing and Granite Chin Promotions, marks just the third professional boxing card held at Encore – the first since 2019 – bringing big-fight energy back to Boston’s waterfront.
“I was supposed to fight there in April of 2022, but then COVID hit,” recounts Hogan, who has been one of New England’s most promising prospects since winning two National Golden Gloves titles as an amateur. “Encore is in my backyard – my people only have to drive 20 or 30 minutes to get there, so it’s going to be packed.”
Rather than boxing on an undercard, the 25-year-old will instead headline the card for the NABF title against Atlanta’s Antionio Todd, a 31-year-old veteran who has shared the ring with the likes of prospects Hugo Centeno Jr., Connor Coyle and 2020 Olympian Troy Isley.
“He’s a vet – he jabs his way in and keeps coming forward,” says Hogan of Todd. “That actually helps me. People underestimate my power, but that’s one thing I do have. I know how to land and place shots that hurt and gets guys out of there. I’ll box and feel him out early to see what he has, but once I find my rhythm, it’s ‘Tank Time’. I’ll take him out in the fourth – cold.”
Hogan believes that an emphatic finish will help him put his city on the map as a fight town.
“When it comes to Boston, everyone eventually leaves, thinking big-time boxing only happens in Vegas or California,” says Hogan, who trains out of Everybody Fights in Boston’s Seaport District. “I don’t believe that. If you’re going to be a great fighter someday and you got the right trainer, you will be successful, but you have to be willing to travel for sparring. We have a good camp, including me, Thomas O’Toole, Abraham Nova, and a lot of guys that are on the come up right now. We’ll get in the car and drive to Florida if we have to. We go where the work is and the other camps accept us because we all bring something to the table. Everyone sharpens each other.”
A key reason why Hogan doesn’t feel the need to relocate is because of his trainer and mentor, Mark “The Bazooka” DeLuca, a former world-ranked contender from Whitman, MA who is building a formidable stable in Boston.
“Mark is like an older brother,” says Hogan. “He knows boxing like nobody else. He’s like a mad scientist — he knows every fighter, every matchup, every style. I trust him to choose the right fights for me.”
The fight DeLuca selected this time around is one that could lead to lucrative matchups if his charge can execute the strategy.
“A good win potentially puts me in the world rankings,” agrees Hogan. “Then I’ll get what I really want: big paydays on a major network. Eventually, I want to fight for the world title and, personally, I’d love to fight for it at TD Garden.”
While those lofty goals are within reach, they can all go up in flames if Hogan is not fully focused on Todd.
“I hope he’s coming in shape and ready,” says a confident Hogan. “No excuses, because I won’t have any on Saturday. This fight is for the NABF title and I’m coming to win it.”
For more information on Boston Harbor Fight Night and all other CES Boxing events, visit cesfights.com.