Seanie Monaghan Talks Family, Fighting, & Life in Long Beach!

"Irish Seanie Monaghan" is a professional boxer who was born and raised in Long Beach! RipLB recently chatted with him about what makes him virtually unbeatable in the ring, how he's overcome certain struggles and heartbreaks, and what he'd tell kids growing up in Long Beach today.

RipLB: What was it like for you growing up in Long Beach?

Seanie: Well, Long Beach was and still is a bit of a party town. I didn't really even realize it until I got older and I talked to people from surrounding towns. I would ask them, "Did you use to do this and this?" and they would say no, and I was like damn, were we the only ones doing this? I dropped my wife off at school once (she's a teacher), and I saw the kids going into the high school - I was like, wow, they’re so young. I don't want to speak for everyone but a lot of us started really young. I’m talking about 11 or 12 years old. It is shocking [to think of it now] and I guess you don’t realize it at the time.

RipLB: What was your favorite thing about growing up in Long Beach?

Seanie: The connection that everyone has - it's really fun because everywhere you go you know someone. [Laughs.] If you’re looking for a party take a walk down west, you’re going to run into someone you know. Sometimes it’s too much. You see a lot of people who take it too far, and some of them die. You've got to learn to walk a line. You can party but you've got to be able to function.

RipLB: That's a really hard thing to do for some people. How’d you learn to walk that line?

Seanie: Well, eventually you’ll get slapped in the face by life. If you take it too far, life will let you know. I crossed the line one time pretty bad and got myself in legal trouble - it's public knowledge, and I had to make a change or else I was gonna spend my life behind bars. I realized I had to shape up.

RipLB: What did "shaping up" look like for you?

Seanie: I quit drinking and smoking. I had to get a job. I started going to classes, programs, anger management classes. My life got totally flipped. I went from waking up whenever I wanted and working occasionally and partying all the time to being on a strict schedule and no drugs or alcohol at all. That became my new life.

RipLB: How did you adjust to that new life?

Seanie: It was definitely different. I was always a physical guy. I was always into sports, and now I had so much spare time, so I started working out more. I started really working out. At that time I had been getting into a lot of bar fights. My best friend, Bobby Calabrese, told me, "You’re really talented at fighting. Why don't you try to box for real?" As stupid as it sounds, I never thought of that before. I always loved boxing. It was my favorite sport since I was a kid. So Bobby brought me to a gym in Freeport where I met my trainer who still trains me to this day, seventeen years later.

As soon as I walked into the gym I knew this was it. This is what I was meant to be doing. It was a little frustrating at first. They wouldn't let me spar, I was doing footwork. They pushed me to my limit, to the point that I was like I'm not gonna keep doing footwork. Then one day he put me in the ring and I sparred and I just loved it. That started a whole new journey for me. I remember one time... I was still dabbling once in a while in drinking, and it’s funny how simple this sounds but a big revelation to me was when I finished my workout and I was doing the speed bag, and I was looking out the window in Freeport; it was a Friday afternoon and I had to spar this guy the next morning. I couldn't figure out how I was going to go out with my friends that night and drink, and then get up and spar the next day. And then it hit me: what if I don’t drink? It may sound dumb but it was a revelation! It was a huge change. I had been working in the bars since I was 15. So that night I drank water all night, and woke up the next morning and felt great. It was great. So I went on a 10-year no-drinking streak and I completely fell in love with boxing. It gave me something to focus on and put all my energy into. Boxing really saved me.

Seanie Monaghan Artwork by Rob Rothman

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Seanie Monaghan fighting

Artwork by Rob Rothman, action shots by Mikey Williams.

RipLB: That's awesome. So, in addition to boxing, what do you get really psyched about today?

Seanie: My kids right now are the best thing in my world. We have a very, very happy family life. My wife and kids, we all love each other. We mostly go everywhere together. I’m excited to open a new chapter with my kids, and teach them things. I didn't really have a teacher or a guide growing up. My parents had to work so much. When you have your own kid, you remember things that you had to learn the hard way. I’m definitely active in my kids’ life and going to make sure they’re successful, make sure they don’t have to learn things the hard way.

Having kids opens you up... you start feeling for people, because you realize they're other people's kids. It makes you a better person. I remember one time I was playing golf, about a year ago. Someone hit a ball and it went flying. It almost hit a goose who had all these babies with her, and I was like “Oh no, the mom!” Meanwhile, I'm a boxer [laughs] but I would've felt terrible because - who’s gonna take care of the babies? [Laughs.]

RipLB: So, what do you do these days to stay in a positive mindset?

Seanie: My life is good. Training camp is hard. I do 8-week training camp for a fight, where I do 3 workouts a day and cut a lot of weight so that’s not really fun but the way I look at it, people have to take a train into the city to go to work every day and that’s not fun either. So I look at it like, everybody has to make sacrifices. And, I have times like right now, where I get to hang out with my kids all day! So that’s where all my positivity comes from.

Photo by Penny Frondelli

RipLB: That's beautiful! So, let's talk about your success with boxing for a minute. You were undefeated for a long time, and now you've only ever lost one fight - that’s amazing! What do you attribute your success to?

Seanie: I got a late start, I was a 20-year-old. Most people have a whole amateur career [by that age]. Mike Tyson was the world champ when he was 20, at 20 I was a kid from LB. I went professional at 30. So first of all I loved it, but I also felt I had to catch up, I'd wasted so much time. All these people graduated from college and I had nothing, so I had a sense of urgency. My coaches had to kick me out of the gym... and then I’d go home and do pushups. So I worked hard. And I loved it. It was my job and my hobby. I’ve always had interest in it, and it’s the perfect job for me. I’m lucky that I found it - it was Bobby who told me.

And also: Bobby. He got murdered. I got his name tattooed on my heart, and I dedicate my fights to him. He’s with me in the ring. He always believed in me with fighting. He’s another one we lost, like so many friends we’ve lost. I might not be here in a year from now. Some of the guys who were with me last year, aren't here now. So I've got to go for it. So many friends are gone: drugs, murder, car accidents, cancer... everything.

You think back on fun times and look back at pictures of these young guys - and half the guys aren't in the pictures anymore for different reasons. It kind of reminds you the clock is ticking. I wasted a lot of time in my youth and didn't build anything until I turned 20. My friends dying left and right really put jet fuel in me.

RipLB: That's deep, those feelings run deep. Looking to the future, what are your goals?

Seanie: Obviously I want to make as much money as I can and eventually retire with my health. I want to see my kids grow up and be successful, and I want to see other people's kids grow up and be successful. Once I have time on my hands, I want to help other people the way I’ve been helped. My coach, Joe Higgins, didn't make a dime on me for years. He was retired NYPD, and a firefighter, he and his brother were firefighters during 9/11. His brother died that day. While working on 9/11, he got hurt physically and had to retire after that. So he started a boxing gym in Freeport. He’s helped turn around so many lives, so many kids. I’d like to do something like that some day. Even if I help one kid, it’ll be worth it.

RipLB: What would you say to kids in Long Beach who look up to you?

Seanie: I would say… when you grow up in Long Beach, or when I was growing up anyway, there was this big... I don't know how to describe it... there was a very big push to party as hard as you could. You don't have to be part of that scene. No teenage kid wants to hear this, but learning to discipline yourself and make sacrifices is one of the best things you can learn in your life. You don't have to be the craziest, or party the hardest. I don't know what drove me to be that way but a lot of people are like that. I’d like to see everyone in LB, not to be corny but I'd like to see them follow their dreams and be as productive as they can. Hanging out under the boardwalk smoking and drinking leads nowhere. There are so many people who do that and you don’t have to do that.

RipLB: By the way, whats’ the story behind your name "Irish Seanie Monaghan"?

Seanie: My mom was pregnant with me when she came here from Ireland. So I’m an anchor baby. My grandmother was one of seventeen kids in Ireland. I have a huge family out there. If we were in a place like this [a coffee shop] in Ireland, 1 out of every 3 people in the place would be my cousin. [Laughs.]

RipLB: Speaking of your family - you have three siblings, and all of you are super successful! What do you attribute that to?

Seanie: My mom. She worked really hard to keep us in line. She had to work a lot but always made time to be there for our events and she raised us all well.

RipLB: Aw, that's beautiful. So, I'm sure people will want to know where they can find you, or watch your next fight?

Seanie: Instagram - I usually post there when I’m fighting again.

Huge kudos to Seanie and his family on their successes. professionally and personally!

#success #families #loss