The Roseland Ballroom in New York is the venue for the first Broadway Boxing card of 2012, and the event will have a strong Irish flavor, with three fighters set to lace up at the midtown Manhattan venue.

Light heavyweight Sean Monaghan (11-0, 8 KOs) will fight Billy Bailey (11-13, 4 KOs) in a contest scheduled for eight rounds. Last Wednesday, Monaghan was confirmed on the undercard of the Matthew Macklin/Sergio Martinez middleweight fight on March 17, so the Long Islander has a busy period ahead of him.

"Training is going excellently. I am in great shape and I am looking forward to the fight," Monaghan told the Irish Voice on Monday.

"I am ready to work extremely hard for the eight rounds."

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In the opposite corner will be Billy Bailey, a 33-year-old from Bakersfield, California.  Despite only one win in his last nine, he is a durable opponent against decent opposition.

"He is going to be in the fight, and he is going to give me some hard work.  He has been in with the best and he has only been stopped once," said the 30 year-old Monaghan, who went on to say that the agreed weight for this fight was 177 pounds.

"I know I am the better boxer and the more powerful guy, but I am hoping to get some good rounds in."
Monaghan has sparred with heavyweight Thomas Hardwick, super middleweight Will Rosinsky, MMA fighter Costa Philippou and local fighters in preparation for the fight.

It will be Monaghan's first eight rounder, which means that after this fight he will be eligible to challenge for the Irish light heavyweight title, currently held by Ciaran Healy of Belfast.

The ideal scenario would be for the Healy and Monaghan to meet on March 17 at Madison Square Garden, but that pairing is in the balance as both sides are still some way from a deal as they try to negotiate financial terms for the fight.

In the meantime, Monaghan will stay focused on Saturday to make sure he starts the New Year with a win.

The card will also feature heavyweight Tom Hardwick (3-0), who will fight Richard Mason (0-3) in a four-rounder.

Hardwick has been training hard at the New York Sports Lab in midtown under the tutelage of Matthew "Sykes" Olszewski for this assignment.

The Dublin native has got some good contact work in during preparation for his first fight since his September 23 win over Jamell Williams at the Cordon Bleu in Woodhaven.

“Things are going good. I have been sparring with Derric Rossy and Seanie (Monaghan) and I am feeling strong and fit,” Hardwick told the Irish Voice.

Facing Hardwick will be the 37-year-old Mason, who hails from Long Island.  The Dubliner added that he wanted to work on blocking shots and the defensive side of his game in this fight as he continues to learn the game and gain experience as a professional.

Hardwick confirmed that he would also feature on the undercard of Martinez/Macklin, though he is not sure if it will be in a four or six-round fight

Finally, light welterweight Danny McDermott (9-3-1, 4 KOs) is slated to fight Terry Buterbaugh (6-6, 3 KOs) in a six–round contest.

“Little Mac” was last in action before Christmas when he tko’ed Bryan Abraham in round four of their fight at Schuetzen Park, North Bergen on December 15.

Tickets for the DiBella Entertainment card are available at www.ticketmaster.com.