BRITAIN’S Callum Johnson expects to challenge for a world title once again, if he can beat Sean Monaghan in Verona on March 9.
Last year Johnson’s dropped IBF light-heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev before being knocked out himself in four rounds.
Johnson hopes that winning this next fight in America will set up him up for his second world title fight later on in 2019.
“He was given huge credit for stepping in to fight somebody that nobody was willing to fight. He acquitted himself well [considering] the lack of rounds there had been before it. I think what we will get with Sean Monaghan is we will get rounds and it’ll be a good fight, provided we come through that okay I think that’s what Callum Johnson will want next: another opportunity at the world title,” his trainer and manager, Joe Gallagher told Boxing News.
“He’s in a good place and it’s a huge opportunity for him. I thought his performance against Beterbiev, he did what he could for it and he had his moment of success. You’ve got to remember that was only with one round of boxing in however long it was, that was with Frank Buglioni. We did try to get him a warm up fight for it but he wasn’t able to. Here he is now going into another big fight, a good opportunity. Monaghan’s only lost to two good kids; Marcus Browne and we’ve seen what he did to Badou Jack, and Sullivan Barrera. He’s not idiot, he’s a good fighter and it’s a good evenly matched fight and I think if Callum Johnson wins this he puts himself in the picture for another shot at the world title. I know he’s mad to have a rematch with Artur Beterbiev but [Dmitry] Bivol may be one that might present itself instead.”
Gallagher continued, “He’s had a taste of the big time and he can’t wait to get over to America and put on another big performance.”
