The Fighter

A few weeks before he knocked out his latest opponent, professional boxer Seanie Monaghan drank a large berry blast smoothie at the Bungalow on East Park Avenue with his wife, Beverly.

Monaghan, 6 feet tall and 184 pounds, visits the Bungalow often after he trains, he said, and he was trying to slim down to 175 pounds for what he called his most challenging fight. It took place on Feb. 9, and was the main event at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in Manhattan.

“I come here every night for a protein shake after I work out,” said Monaghan, 29, who bears a striking resemblance to Robert DeNiro. “They have good salads here, which is good because I can’t eat too much.”

Monaghan not only reached his target weight, but he defeated the most formidable opponent of his brief career, Angel Gonzalez, a hulking fighter from Yonkers, in what the boxing press described as a “brawl.”

Monaghan, a light heavyweight, is now 5-0 with four knockouts, and the former bricklayer from the West End is quickly gaining recognition in the boxing world. “He’s an exciting fighter to watch,” said his manager, P.J. Kavanagh, owner of the Inn and the Saloon. “He wants to go toe to toe with whomever he goes in there with, and he’s always confident and he knows what he’s capable of doing.”

Monaghan said that his foray into professional boxing last year — he is currently ranked No. 291 in the world — was “a natural choice,” a way off the streets and out of a grueling working life. “I fight to live,” he said. “I always wanted to be a pro fighter, and I needed to do it. I hope to retire by 35, but right now my only income is from fighting.”

Monaghan said he is considered a late starter. After making it to the finals of the Golden Gloves in 2008 and fighting in a string of amateur bouts, he became known as a power puncher and was confident that he could make it in the pros.

While most guys his age are vying to be the next mixed martial arts champion, Monaghan said that he was drawn to the art of boxing at an early age. “I’m old school like that,” he said. “… I’ve been watching boxing since I was a kid and have always been a fan.”

A contender emerges

Although he flirted with sports at Long Beach High School, Monaghan said he could never commit himself to wrestling or football. After he graduated in 1999, he recalled, he was a young man with no direction.

“I was getting into trouble on the streets,” he said. “But when I fought on the street, I wasn’t wrestling guys to the ground. I was knocking them out.”

Kavanagh said that Monaghan was a good kid who needed some guidance. “He was always the guy who stepped up for his friends,” said Kavanagh. “He never instigated the fights, but he was always one to finish it. But he realized that that life wasn’t for him.”

Monaghan first expressed an interest in boxing to his best friend, Bobby Calabrese, a former high school wrestling star, who recommended that he train at the Freeport PAL. It was there that Monaghan met his current coach, the well-known trainer Joe Higgins, who, while impressed with Monaghan’s punching power, told him that he needed a lot of training. Monaghan found the experience very humbling.

“At first I didn’t like it,” he said. “They had me doing footwork. I said, ‘This is boring. I really want to fight.’”

But he learned quickly, and eventually landed his first amateur fight, which he won. And then tragedy struck.

“In my first fight, I defeated a guy from Hempstead, and Bobby was in the crowd,” Monaghan said. “That was the only time he saw me fight. He died shortly after that.”

Calabrese, who often drove Monaghan to Freeport and bought him his first pair of boxing shoes, was murdered in 2004 in Island Park over a sports gambling debt he was collecting. His murder made headlines, and the men accused of killing him were later convicted. Monaghan was so distraught over Calabrese’s death that he punched a brick wall and broke his right hand.

A few weeks later, the Freeport PAL closed its doors, having lost its lease. Unable to train and still reeling from Calabrese’s loss, Monaghan quit the sport. “My best friend was dead, I had a broken hand and no more gym,” he said. “I didn’t box for about a year.”

But before long he began working with his left hand on a punching bag in his basement, and quickly developed dexterity in his left, which, he said, proved to be an advantage when he decided to give boxing another shot. “When I first started, I was pretty much a right-handed fighter,” he said. “But when I came back, I found I had power in both hands.”

Kavanagh, who knew Monaghan from the neighborhood, approached him about taking over his training. Monaghan agreed, but only if Kavanagh would be his manager as well. “He’s a very successful businessman, and I just knew he could do it,” Monaghan said. “He’s good friends with my family and lives down the block from my house.”

Monaghan began training again at Irish Ropes in Far Rockaway, where he said he impressed his trainers and continued to develop as a fighter. These days, he is described by commentators as a technically proficient boxer, known for his defensive skills — and for knocking out opponents with either hand. Before each fight he taps his chest twice, above a tattoo bearing Calabrese’s name.

His first pro fight was last May, against Simian Trigueno, whom he knocked down twice in the opening round. “After he won his first fight, he ended up giving his boxing gloves to my family,” said Gina Calabrese, Bobby’s sister. “Seanie is a miracle — it’s almost like this all happened overnight for him. It’s a dream come true for him, and we’re watching it.”

Monaghan said that he trained hard for his fight against Gonzalez, who had defeated Monaghan’s most difficult opponent, Borngod Washington. His fight with Washington was the only one Monaghan did not win by technical knockout.

“Gonzalez was the same guy who knocked out Borngod in 30 seconds, and Borngod gave me a hard time,” he said. “[Gonzalez] was very, very tough and we were going at it toe to toe, but eventually he couldn’t take it anymore.”

At the end of the third round, Gonzalez went back to his corner and collapsed, Monaghan said.

But he insists that the win hasn’t made him cocky. “Even the guys I knock out in the first round are tough guys,” he said. “I still have a lot to learn.”

He is training diligently for his next fight, on March 12 at Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut. He will face off against former mixed martial artist Aaron Dufor just before the main event, featuring middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, which will be broadcast on HBO.

With his wife expecting a baby in May and the Freeport PAL recently reopening its doors, Monaghan said that his life both in and out of the ring is fulfilling.

“It’s an exciting time,” he said. “I’m extremely motivated and grateful to everyone in Long Beach for their support. When 300 people from town are at your fight, it’s a great motivator.”