Monaghan, Browne vie for world title opportunity

New York light heavyweight Sean Monaghan (28-0, 17 KOs) thought he was on the verge of landing a potential life-changing fight against Adonis Stevenson at his local Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum — but ultimately found his hopes dashed after months of negotiations led nowhere.

Stevenson would instead opt for a title defense against Andrzej Fonfara this past weekend in a fight that had a swift and abrupt ending. And with few other options on the table, Monaghan had to settle for a fight with prospect Marcus Browne (19-0, 14 KOs) on July 15, on the Robert Guerrero vs. Omar Figueroa PBC card.

Browne, 26, represents a serious threat to a 35-year-old Monaghan who hopes to finally secure a world title opportunity, but for significantly less reward than he would’ve had with a major belt on the line. To that end Monaghan initially lamented a fight against Browne. But it’s a fight that he’s now warmed up to, telling ESPN:

"I've been chipping away at a title fight for a long time. When they asked me about Marcus, I first was thinking that it wasn't the fight I wanted," Monaghan said. "At this point in the game, it's may the best man win.

"Marcus does everything well. He's fast, he's slick, and he punches pretty hard," Monaghan said. "I like to fight and come forward and make it that kind of rough style on fight night. I've mastered the ability to control my emotions on fight night. I'm a professional in my 29th fight, so it's not my first time at the rodeo. This is strictly business. It's my time."

Monaghan finds a silver lining in the fact that he had already been in training camp preparing for the southpaw Adonis Stevenson, but considering that Browne is a southpaw just the same, his preparation thus far hasn’t been completely wasted.

And to keep the optimism high, promoter Lou DiBella says that the winner of this fight is a will be a sure bet to compete for a world title.

“This is going to be a really good fight, and I don't think it's going the distance. You can bank on the fact that the winner of this fight will get a shot at the light heavyweight championship of the world."

According to Monaghan, this is do or die, and he says he’s going to put Adonis Stevenson right back in his crosshairs with a win over Browne.