Michael Monaghan returns from a 28-month layoff claiming there are plenty of fights he can win.
The awkward Nottingham light-heavy [pictured landing a body shot against same-city rival Tyrone Wright] hasn't swapped competitive leather since being soundly outpointed over ten by Bradley Pryce in 2009.
But he boxes over 12 minutes against Sheffield binman Dean Walker on December 3 - on a Carl Greaves-promoted bill in Newark that's topped by an interesting British Masters middleweight title clash between local A.A. Lowe and Pocklington's Harry Matthews - looking to add to his 18 paid victories [two stoppages] in 44.
The 35-year-old former Midland Area light-heavyweight champion has had a testing career that's seen him thrown in with the likes of ex-British champion Wayne Elcock, former two-time European boss Matthew Macklin and current WBC world super-middleweight monarch Carl Froch, as well as a host of dangerous up-and-coming prospects from 11st to 13st.
Mick belted then-touted Scandinavian Ali Khattab to such a comprehensive defeat that he only boxed twice more, ended the unblemished nine-bout log of Michael Bilak in 2005 and was unlucky not to add the scalp of future world title challenger Gary Lockett to his resume in their closely-contested 30-minute battle eight years ago.
Although he lost the return in under eight minutes, it's his trio of bouts with his same-city rivals that solidified his already-iron reputation.
Froch blasted him out in three rounds in an all-Nottingham grudge match at the Capital FM Arena in 2003, but few others were able to repeat that trick. He won the Midland strap with a ten-round nod over another boxer from the Robin Hood city, powerful future International Masters king Rod Anderton, in March 2007 but then agonisingly lost it two months later to big-hitting Tyrone Wright, who halted him with just a second remaining of the contest.
Yet Monaghan feels that the two-year absence has refreshed his body and got the fires burning for one last run in the harshest sport of all. "I'll feel fresh after the break," admitted a veteran spoiler who's now based in Lincoln," and feel like there are wins to be had and maybe, if there's the opportunity on the table to do so, a title to be won.
"Then again, i suppose we'll see what i have to offer on December 3. In my eyes there is plenty in the tank but the onus is on me to show that i still have what it takes to cause a few upsets," the two-weight Irish title challenger added.
Image courtesy of Colin Messer.
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