[caption id="attachment_68179" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Manager Emanuel Steward, sparring with Andy Lee back in 2007, is in New York this week to discuss a world title shot."]
Chances are that the sparring Sean Monaghan put in for this Saturday night's fight at Madison Square Garden could turn out to be more challenging than his scheduled six-rounder with Santos Martinez. But the fast improving Long Island light heavyweight certainly won't be taking any chances against his 2-2 opponent on the Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito II undercard.
"I know that he got knocked out in two rounds by Joe Smith, who I fought in the Golden Gloves. But I'll just go in and do what I gotta do. I won't try to bum rush or anything," Monaghan [10-0, 7 KOs] said on Sunday.
"I feel like Superman!" the Long Beach resident declared after what he considers his best training camp ever.
The highlight of his preparations under trainer Joe Higgins were sparring sessions with once beaten super middleweight Will Rosinsky, Dublin-born heavyweight Thomas Hardwick and U.S. Olympic Team member Marcus Browne this week.
"I feel great. I'm ready," Monaghan reiterated.
In Martinez, the wildly popular son of County Meath immigrants faces a 34 year-old foe out of Adrian, Mich., who's only had four fights in as many years. Martinez turned pro in 2007 and won his first two bouts. He didn't fight again until last year when he lost a decision to one Dave Draper. He was then knocked out by Smith in his fourth and last match last July.
Smith decisioned Monaghan in the New York Daily News Golden Gloves light heavyweight final three years ago.
In his last outing on October 22, Monaghan scored a fifth round TKO over Anthony Pietrantonio in the Garden's WaMu Theatre.
The Irish-American, meanwhile, is dedicating Saturday's fight to his slain best friend Bobby Calabrese. December 3 marks the seventh anniversary of Calabrese's death.
LEE VS. CHAVEZ?
Andy Lee and trainer-manager Emanuel Steward will be in New York this week to discuss a possible title shot at Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., the World Boxing Council [WBC] middleweight titlist and John Duddy conqueror.
We're excited at the possibility of fighting Julio Cesar Chavez. We're working on it," Steward told the Echo from Detroit on Sunday.
Asked when the fight could happen, the Hall of Famer trainer said: "first week of February. We're coming to New York this Thursday to see if we can sell it to HBO."
Steward also doubles as a boxing analyst for the HBO and it's on the network that Lee has impressively won his last two fights - against Scotsman Craig McEwan last March and against Brian Vera in October.
This development signals a change in tactics by Steward who had earlier said that Lee would hold out for a crack at consensus world champion Sergio Martinez.
The Limerick southpaw [27-1, 19 KOs] is ranked number one at 160-pounds by the WBO, number two by the WBA and fifth by the WBC.
Chavez, Jr., 44-0 with 31 KOs is the son of the Mexican ring legend of the same name. He's best remembered by Irish fight fans for his 12-round points win over John Duddy in what turned out to be the Derry Destroyer's last pro fight in June 2010.
