BSO: What does Seanie do well in your opinion?
MB: He has has a big overhand right and he tries to dig to the body. That’s basically about it
BSO: Orthodox fighters are generally cautious when preparing to fight southpaws like yourself. After spending time with him, how does he fare against southpaws?
MB: I’m the best south paw he’s ever sparred with so I can’t imagine who he brought in to help him. It’ll be interesting to see on fight night to see if he’s made any adjustments.
BSO: You’ll be fighting on slightly hostile territory (Monaghan is from Long Island and Browne from Staten Island). How easy or difficult will it be to tune that out the crowd noise?
MB: Those people who cheer, they can’t fight for us so it doesn’t matter. The earth is my turf.
BSO: Your turf is Staten Island so are you going to walk in to some Wu-Tang Clan?
MB: [Laugh] Nah nah nah. It WOULD be a cool Staten Island thing but now a days I don’t pay much attention to that [ring walk music]. I used to but now I just let it happen when it happens.
BSO: In an earlier interview you were asked who would you invite if you could have dinner with any three people. You responded 22-year-old Mike Tyson, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. What would be the hot topic of discussion over dinner?
MB: Well first I’d ask Dr. Martin Luther King, How did you manage to stay so disciplined and strong in a time when you were being battered and bruised everyday? That’s something that we all need to know, not just as fighters but as human beings.
BSO: So would you say you are a more Martin or more Malcolm?
MB: [laughs] I’m definitely a little more Malcolm
BSO: Post-fight you’re pretty low key but when you have time to unwind, what do you enjoy doing?
MB: I used to be into buying sneakers a lot but it’s not my main thing anymore since I’m older. Now I’m into learning how to make your money work for you. I love learning about that. Stocks, bonds, insurance polices all of that.
When I’m on a break after a fight, I go see my friends in the City that I came up with. We’ve all grown so much so it’s a good time getting together with them. Besides that, I don’t do too much. My friends call me Grandpa.
BSO: Money management is so critical for athletes. We see the stories all the time of people going broke after they hang it up. Maybe you’d do well mentoring younger fighters on the best ways of holding onto their money.
MB: That’s definitely something I’m looking to do once I’m done. Show them how to make good investments. A little bit here a little bit there, something they can afford like a grand or two and sit and watch it grow. But until I get there, until I’m able to be financially free myself, I have to continue educating myself.
BSO: One last thing, is July 15 your coming out party?
MB: This is definitely my coming out party. This is the fight where I will show my skills and what I really bring to the table. I am going to show a disciplined Marcus Browne in the ring. When a disciplined Marcus Browne is in the ring, he’s very difficult to beat.
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