By Jay Mwamba
Long Island light heavyweight Seanie Monaghan boxed his way to a four-round decision over tough Kansan Michael Glenn at a packed BB King’s Blues Club & Grill in Times Square last week.
Returning to the ring 17 days after his four-round shutout of Billy Cunningham in Connecticut, Monaghan put up another display of patient, measured boxing before a crowd that included John Duddy, James Moore and actor Holt McCallany.
He upped his record to 7-0 [4 KOs]. Glenn, from Hutchinson, Kans., dropped to 2-3 [1 KO] on his first outing to New York.
There were no knockdowns.
“The guy took a good shot. He could box a little bit, too,” said Monaghan, a 28-year-old Long Beach resident. “I hurt him a couple of times but didn’t finish him. The guy’s never been stopped before.”
Glenn disputed the 40-36 scoring by the three judges -- Glenn Feldman, Don Trella and Frank Lombardi – and felt he’d done enough to earn the nod.
“They didn’t give me a round,” the 27 year-old complained. “I’m disappointed.”
He’d come out the aggressor in the first round but most of his punches were wild or landed on Monaghan’s gloves. As the round progressed, a patient Monaghan put his jab to good use and landed several hooks to the body.
That set the pattern for the rest of the fight with Monaghan jabbing his way in and hooking to the body and head when he saw openings. He did that most effectively in the second and third stanzas, the latter after Glenn had showed an early spark.
Monaghan added left and right crosses to the equation in the third round as he threatened a late stoppage.
The fourth and final stanza was an entertaining affair. Glenn rallied early, at one time connecting with three left hooks to the head and then later getting hurt with a straight left.
Monaghan would follow up with punishing body and head shots before the final bell to seal a deserved win.
“He kind of surprised me,” the victor later remarked. “Physically he didn’t look too strong but he was strong.”
Joe Higgins, Jr., who together with his dad Joe, Sr., drills Monaghan, was more than pleased with the fighter’s performance.
“Very good,” the 23 year-old trainer noted. “He weathered the storm and landed some very nice punches. He’s improving.”
LEE UPDATE
Andy Lee’s brain trust has nixed a crack at World Boxing Association [WBA] champion Felix Sturm as the Limerick southpaw zeroes in on a fall rematch with Bryan Vera.
Lou DiBella, Lee’s promoter, told the Echo that they’d been offered a go at Sturm, but Vera, the only man to defeat the 25-1 Irishman, would likely be his next major fight.
“We’ll look at a keep busy fight in the summer,” DiBella added.
Lee, who’s ranked number five in the WBA, is coming off a dramatic 10th round TKO of Scotsman Craig McEwan in their “Celtic War” match in Connecticut last month.
