Sean Monaghan Gets Feisty

By Ryan O'Hara

After a strong 2015, undefeated light-heavyweight Sean Monaghan is looking for a dance partner to kick off his 2016 campaign.

Typically amiable outside the ring, Monaghan showed a feistier side as he vented his frustrations to NYFIGHTS.com about being unable to land a major television fight to this point.

“[Robert] Guerrero gets the [expletive] kicked out of him every fight, but keeps getting big fights, title fights!” Monaghan exclaimed.” I'm 26-0 and ranked in the top five and can't get a TV fight even! I don't know. It's a frustrating business, man.”

The ex-street brawler has since refined his skills under the tutelage of well-known New York trainer, Joe Higgins, but has he improved enough to take a significant step up in competition? Is he ready for Sergey Kovalev? The 34-year-old says he is more than prepared.

“I'd fight Kovalev in a heartbeat! I don't know why [Jean] Pascal even got a rematch,” he added. “Kovalev destroyed him the first time, and then I thought the Cuban [Yunieski Gonzalez] beat Pascal, too!

“I don't know; they just recycle the same known guys over and over again. I just got to stay positive. I'm undefeated, and my shot has to come sooner or later.”

The opportunity to face Kovalev could conceivably become a reality.

Monaghan has fought on truTV. Last May, the network announced it had partnered with Top Rank to exclusively present a Friday night primetime boxing series.

Given that Top Rank has a close and successful relationship with HBO, a Kovalev-Monaghan bout, theoretically, could be an easier bout to make than others.

A fight between Kovalev and Adonis Stevenson, the WBC World heavyweight champion, has been highly-anticipated by the boxing world, but with Stevenson operating under the banner of Al Haymon, and Kovalev aligned with Kathy Duva's Main Events, the stalemate continues.

It was reported last August via Tha Boxing Voice.com that Monaghan was one of a number of light-heavyweight contenders who turned down an opportunity to face Artur Beterbiev in an IBF title eliminator, but speaking exclusively to NYFights.com, Monaghan denied receiving such an offer.

“Top Rank swears they never received any offer! They don't deal with Haymon at all, so the fight probably wouldn't have happened,” he asserted.

“I swear to God the first time I heard anything about me and Beterbiev was when I got tagged in the article on Twitter. I called my manager; he never heard about it. He wouldn't lie to me. He then called Top Rank, and they swear up and down they never received any offer.”

When asked who he would like to face as an alternative to the IBF/WBA/WBO light heavyweight champion, Monaghan chose another well-rounded opponent.

“[Juergen] Braehmer,” he stated.

Braehmer (47-2, 35 KOs)is the current WBA World light heavyweight champion and is a slick boxer.

With names like Kovalev and Braehmer, Monaghan is proving that he is willing to face anyone.

In the age of the businessman-boxer, due in large part to the success of Floyd Mayweather Jr., this willingness to seek the sternest test is refreshing.