Long Beach boxer set for St. Patrick’s Day brawl

It was in the second round, after he dropped opponent Bill Bailey with a whopping right hook to the chin at the Roseland Ballroom on Jan. 21, that pro boxer Seanie Monaghan thought he had clinched his 12th consecutive win.

Despite a bloody gash above his left eye, the result of a head butt by Bailey, Monaghan, 30, unleashed a barrage of punches and pinned Bailey to the ropes. Though Bailey, who is known in the boxing press as a “brawler,” proved to be a formidable opponent, Monaghan, cheered on by an army of Long Beach fans, ultimately outlasted him in his first eight-round fight, winning by a unanimous decision. It was another victory for a fighter on the rise.

“I dropped [Bailey] in the second round and I almost had him out of there,” Monaghan said. “But he came back like a bull — he’s known to be a guy who was never knocked out. But I was prepared to go the distance — I thought it was over early and I got excited, but I stayed focused and stayed with my boxing skills.”

Many in the boxing press have described Monaghan as an exciting fighter, a light heavyweight who is known to knock his opponents out early. He is now undefeated, at 12-0, with eight knockouts, since he turned pro in 2010. The former bricklayer has become something of a celebrity not only in Long Beach — his fights typically attract hundreds of devoted local fans — but in his native Ireland as well.

“Long Beach has kind of been behind me from day one,” he said. “I was in the city recently and there were a bunch of Irish guys who recognized me and wanted my autograph. That helps me when I’m out there running and training — I’m looking to impress people who haven’t seen me fight. I want them to walk away and say, ‘That kid Monaghan is no joke.’”

Indeed, Irish eyes will be smiling on Monaghan this St. Patrick’s Day at Madison Square Garden, when he fights on the Sergio Martinez-Matthew Macklin undercard, to be broadcast on HBO. Tickets, which are available at the Saloon, are quickly selling out.