Sugar Ray Leonard fought for years after besting Marvelous Marvin Hagler in a controversial 1987 superfight. No one talks much about the post-Hagler career of Leonard, however. That's because boxing moved on after that April brawl at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. Leonard continued to be in big fights for big money, but the page had been turned by that point and the era of Mike Tyson was in full swing.
It's hard to imagine boxing's Floyd Mayweather era lasting too much longer. Oh, the man will probably fight at least once more - and for great money, too. The sport, however, will most likely now be moving on. And not a moment too soon as far as most fans seem to be concerned.
For, masterful as he is, Mayweather isn't thrilling to watch. And that pisses people off. Truth be told, boxing's next premiere fighter will most likely be an exciting figure, one who generates genuine electricity in the ring. That's good news for some of the sport's up and comers. It's particularly good news for New York's Seanie Monaghan.
For, as I've written before, Monaghan fights in a classic, Irish American style. He comes forward, he likes to engage and he knows how to swat. In other words, the dude is entertaining. Whether Monaghan has what it takes to rise to the top of the very competitive light heavyweight division he now fights in remains to be seen.
Monaghan will have a great chance to prove himself this Friday, however, as he appears on TruTV to battle Cleiton Conceicao in New Jersey. He may be appearing on the undercard of Jersey boy Glenn Tapia's bout with Michel Soro, but Monaghan will be fighting close to home, which means fans may well bring him the love.
Will the general public? We'll have to wait and see. One thing that's interesting is that Monaghan's will be one of the first televised bouts to air on television after the much derided Mayweather-Pacquiao fight. In that sense, it may serve as a notable way to turn the page.
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