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Mostly Cloudy Monaghan to fight for light heavyweight title
Undefeated Long Beach pro boxer's bout is the main event on truTV
Long Beach’s own “Irish” Seanie Monaghan will battle Chicago’s Donovan “Da Bomb” George for the light heavyweight championship in Brooklyn on Friday at the Aviator Sports and Events Center.
The 10-round bout will be televised live as the main event of “The MetroPC Friday Night Knockout on truTV,” beginning at 10 p.m.
Monaghan remains undefeated at 25-0, with 16 knockouts, and Friday’s fight follows his dominating performance at Madison Square Garden in June, where he defeated Fulgencio Zuniga with a ninth-round TKO victory.
Monaghan holds the WBC Continental Americas title, and will battle George for the vacant North American Boxing Organization (NABO) light heavyweight title.
“It’s a huge fight,” said Monaghan’s manager, PJ Kavanagh. “If he wins this fight he’s looking at a world title shot. We’re hoping to fight for a world title in the new year at Madison Square Garden.”
Monaghan is known for drawing big crowds and huge supporters from Long Beach, who are affectionately known as “Team Monaghan.” “We feel like it’s a home venue,” Kavanagh said of the Aviator Sports and Events Center.
On Thursday, Monaghan and George will be on hand for the official weigh-in at the Park Sports Bar & Grill, at 20 W. Park Ave., at 3 p.m.
“All of the fighters are staying in Long Beach this week — they’re all in town and coming up to the Park for the weigh-in,” Kavanagh said.
He added that George (25-4-2, 22 KOs) is a formidable opponent and described the fight, which is being promoted by Top Rank, as one of Monaghan’s most important bouts in his professional career. “He’s been training really hard,” he said. “He’s pushed himself really hard, and he knows that this guy is a tough opponent and perhaps one the best he’s come up against. But Seanie is ready and confident and it’s going to be a show because they are both very hard punchers. Seanie has a lot of different, great punches — he’s a great body puncher and he’s really worked on his jab, which I think is really going to help him in this fight.”
“Poor Donovan is in for a shock on Friday night,” Monaghan told Top Rank, in response to negative comments made by George. “‘Da Bomb’ will leave as ‘Da Bum’ after I knock him out.”
Tickets priced at $100 and $50 can be purchased by calling (201) 864-9566. Tickets are also available at the Saloon in Long Beach, (516) 432-9185.
