Light heavyweight Seanie Monaghan (13-0, 8 KOs) will return to ring action on June 14 at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City when he takes on Romaro Johnson (11-6-1, 6 KOs) in a contest scheduled for 10 rounds.

Monaghan was last in action on March 17 when he won a unanimous decision against the durable Eric Watkins on the undercard of the Sergio Martinez/Matthew Macklin middleweight fight.

After that victory, the Long Island native took a much-needed break from the ring and is now ready to get back into action.  The Irish Voice caught up with Monaghan to see how he feels about headlining the Broadway Boxing Card.

"It is exciting as it is a step up to my first 10-rounder," said Monaghan.

"I just found out I will be fighting Romaro Johnson.  He has gone 12 rounds before and I have heard he is very strong."

Monaghan went on to say that he and trainer Joe Higgins have stepped up training for this assignment, ramping up the number of sparring rounds and undertaking track sessions three times a week to make sure the 30-year-old will be ready for the challenge.

"I have been sparring with Will Rosinsky and Curtis Stevens, who is a very experienced guy,” added Monaghan. 

Monaghan has also been working on his speed with amateur boxer Patrick Day, who is rated one of the top 152-pounders in the country.

Though Monaghan is still a free agent, he has a very good working relationship with promoter Lou DiBella.  The fighter is hugely popular and brings an army of fans out every time he fights.

There has been some speculation that Monaghan, whose father Davy hails from Navan, Co. Meath, would head to Ireland later in the summer to challenge for the Irish light heavyweight belt, currently held by Paddy McDonagh.

"If everything went my way I would like to fight someone in Ireland in August," said Monaghan, who added that if the right deal could be done to make the trip worthwhile he would love to go.

"It is a dream of mine to win the Irish title," added Monahan, who added that he felt he would be very confident of doing so if a fight could be arranged.

He went on to say that with his family in Navan and his manager P.J. Kavanagh’s relations from Kildare, his team would be able to sell tickets on the other side of the Atlantic. 

However, Monaghan and Kavanagh have spoken to Irish promoter Brian Peters about the possibility of a fight in Ireland, but Peters has told them that the economic downturn there has had a very negative effect on the professional boxing scene there.  As much as he would like to fight in Ireland, the numbers aren’t adding up at the moment.

In the meantime, Monaghan aims to win and win well on June 14, as he feels he did not perform to his potential on March 17.

"To be honest with you, we weren't happy with the last fight.  This guy here (Johnson), if it goes 10 rounds and I get the win I'll be happy, but if it goes one round I'll be even happier."

For tickets to the latest installment of Broadway Boxing, call DiBella Entertainment at (212) 947-2577.

In other news, lightweight Jamie Kavanagh (9-0-1) fights this Saturday night in Cancun Mexico on the Sergio Thompson/Juan Ramon Solis undercard. The Dubliner is scheduled to fight in a six round contest against an unnamed opponent.

Kavanagh was slated to fight in Las Vegas last Saturday night on the undercard of the light welterweight rematch between Amir Khan and Lamont Peterson, but that card was cancelled when Peterson tested positive for a banned substance.

Luckily for Kavanagh, who trains out of the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles under the tutelage of Freddie Roach, getting a place on this weekend's promotion means that his training camp will not go to waste.

Finally, light welterweight Danny O’Connor (16-1) headlines a card this Thursday night at the Boston House of Blues when he takes on Daniel Sostre (11-5-1, 4 KOs) in a contest scheduled for 10 rounds. Tickets are available from www.livenation.com and the House of Blues Box office.