Francis "Frank the Tank" Hogan (22-0, 17 KOs) will face Ricardo Villalba (20-12-1, 8 KOs) in an eight-round middleweight bout on Saturday, August 29th, at Encore Boston Harbor. The bout headlines Boston Harbor Fight Night 2, the second collaboration between CES Boxing and Granite Chin Promotions at the venue. Hogan previously fought at Encore Boston Harbor in November 2025, defeating Antonio Todd by decision over eight rounds. "The strategy was to keep hitting the hole on him," explained Hogan of his performance. "He was a flat-footed fighter who liked to come forward. Every time he attacked, I would pivot around him, hit the hole and land shots. Once I realized he didn’t have much power, I started breaking him down and by the last few rounds I was walking him down."

 

Hogan returned in March against Ghana's Patrick Allotey. Hogan dropped Allotey in the fourth round before Allotey was disqualified in the fifth for intentionally kneeing Hogan in the head. "He punched hard and went more rounds than I thought he would, but I wish he would have been a bit more classy with the way things ended," reflected Hogan. "I was breaking him down and I know that I would have gotten him out of there one way or another."

 

Villalba has competed internationally, including a 2021 victory over Edgar Ghukasyan in Moscow. "It’s Tank time," said Hogan. "The middleweight division is wide open right now, and in this fight, I’m going to show the world that I belong amongst the best fighters in the division."

 

Hogan, a 6-foot-2 southpaw trained by Mark DeLuca, expects Villalba to attempt to fight at close range. "He’s shorter than me, so he’s going to try and fight inside," said Hogan. "When he does, he’s going to get drilled by my jab. I’ll stay relaxed, keep moving my feet as I throw punches, and break him down."

 

Hogan had more than 200 amateur bouts and won the 2019 New England Golden Gloves Championship before turning professional in 2020. He stopped 14 of his first 15 professional opponents. "As I started fighting higher-level opponents, I realized that I needed to become a ‘clean’ fighter," admits Hogan. "Mark and I went back to basics: hands up, a stiff jab and good head movement. It’s different, but that’s what I needed to do to be relaxed in the ring. You have to look in the mirror and work on slipping punches and ring generalship."

 

Hogan has also earned victories over Elvin Ayala and Khiary Gray. He said he eventually wants to face an unbeaten contender and identified IBF middleweight champion Aaron McKenna as a possible opponent. "That would be a great fight, but we’re taking things one step at a time," said Hogan. "First I’ll make a statement against Villalba, then we’ll figure out who’s next."