Hogan ‘homers’ Canseco in Travs’ pre-game exhibition

UALR Associate Athletic Director Gary Hogan was announced as the unofficial winner on points 39-37 of the boxing exhibition against former American League MVP Jose Canseco at Dickey-Stephens Park on Friday before the Texas League baseball game between the Arkansas Travelers and the Midland (Texas) RockHounds. Technically, the hometown judges may have been able to account for Hogan having more points, but mercy points apparently were not being awarded to the 1986 AL Rookie of the Year.

Hogan, 60, was game and tried to get the former big bopper and tell-all author to slug it out with him after a two-minute first round in which the two “fighters” felt each other out.

Canseco, 46, threw few punches until the fourth and final round. In rounds 2 and 3, he measured Hogan with left-hand jabs to the face a few times, but seemed content with that. What those jabs showed was that Canseco still was much the quicker athlete and could have landed blows of a much more serious nature if he felt like it.

Neither man was wearing protective headgear as advertised before the match. That fact seemed to be on the mind of the much taller, bigger and faster Canseco as he held off the feistier Hogan except for a few harmless blows to the midsection.

Both men picked up the pace in round 4, but Hogan was unable to do damage and the former Oakland Athletic, Texas Ranger, et al, seemed unwilling to do so.

The crowd booed the author of “Juiced” and “Vindicated” from the beginning of announcer Phil Elson’s introductions. The unruly patrons then jeered at both boxers for their lack of activy until the fourth round. By the third round, some wiseacres were chanting for Travs’ GM Pete Laven to bring on the midget wrestlers, an exhibition not scheduled at D-SP until August.

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Tags: advertised, AL Rookie of the Year, American League MVP, announcer, Arkansas Travelers, associate athletic director, athlete, Athletics, author, Baseball, big bopper, blows, boxing, crowd, D-SP, Dickey-Stephens Park, Elson, exhibition, four rounds, game, Gary Hogan, headgear, homer, hometown judges, jabs, jeered, Jose Canseco, midget, midget wrestling, Midland RockHounds, north little rock, Oakland, Pete Laven, Phil, Phil Elson, punches, quicker, Rangers, Texas, Texas League, travelers, Travs GM, UALR, wrestling