A loud and vocal crowd nearly filled the Showroom at Tropicana Atlantic City last Friday night, excited to watch four local fighters in action on Larry Goldberg’s sixth Boxing Insiders Promotions card on the boardwalk.
Atlantic City super-welterweight Justin Figueroa, Somers Point heavyweight Josh Popper, Pleasantville super-lightweight Julio Sanchez III and Smithville heavyweight Bruce Seldon Jr. all had sizeable cheering sections.
With popularity, however, comes pressure to succeed. Fans show up hoping to see their favorite boxer get their hands raised in victory or at the very least give a respectable performance.
“I had some prefight jitters because it’s my first time fighting in Atlantic City,” said Popper, a 2011 Holy Spirit High School graduate who now lives in New York. “I have so many great memories of Atlantic City and it’s great to be fighting in front of my family and friends.”
All four fighters gave their fans what they wanted by earning victories.
Sanchez (3-1, 2 KOs), a former basketball player at Atlantic City and Pleasantville high schools, delivered the most impressive effort.
The 24-year-old affirmed his status as a rising prospect with a second-round TKO over Mike Randolph (2-7, 1 KO), of Fort Madison, Iowa.
Because Sanchez was fighting in the walk-out bout – the 10th and final fight that occurred after the main event – some fans had already left. Those that stayed saw Sanchez earn the most convincing win of the night.
He jolted Randolph with a straight right midway through second round, then connected with a left hook while Randolph was on his way to the canvas. That prompted referee David Franciosi to stop the fight at 2 minutes, 28 seconds.
Holy Spirit grads Popper and Figueroa both remained undefeated with solid wins.
Popper (5-0, 5 KOs), 31, posted a third-round TKO over Trevor Kotara (4-5-1, 1 KO), of Gilbert, Arizona. It marked the first time in his short career that Popper had to go more than the first round.
He scored a knockdown in the second round, then dropped Kotara again in the third. Kotara beat the count, but was wobbly on his feet, which caused referee Ricky Gonzalez to stop it.
“It was a dream come true to fight here,” Popper said. “I’ve been waiting so long for this. I wasn’t ecstatic about my performance, but I felt like it was a learning lesson. You don’t learn much from the first-round knockouts. This was the first time I got to see the stool (between rounds).”
Figueroa (14-0, 11 KOs) was extended a bit, but finally caught up to Uruguay’s Jose Perdomo (9-8, 5 KOs) to win via TKO at the end of the fourth round.
Figueroa, 26, tried to press the action in the first three and a half rounds while Perdomo circled the ring.
He finally caught up to him near the end of the fourth and dropped him with a left hook.
“We were doing a ‘Tom and Jerry’ (Cat and Mouse) thing for a while,” Figueroa said. “I guess he thought he could move around and maybe let me swing myself out or something like that. But I took my time and got the stoppage.”
Perdomo beat the count and returned to his corner after the round. When the bell sounded to start the fifth, however, he remained rooted to his stool, prompting Figueroa to break into his celebratory “worm” dance across the canvas.
“I wasn’t surprised (he stayed in the corner) because I knew he was hurt,” Figueroa said. “If he came out for the fifth, I knew it would be dangerous.”
Seldon (8-0, 6 KOs) had the most challenging fight, but in some ways, he gained the most from the effort.
After registering three straight first-round knockouts, the 31-year-old was forced to go the six-round distance with gritty, experienced Jose Medina (8-2-1, 3 KOs), from Lake Wales, Florida by way of Puerto Rico.
Medina used combinations and quick combinations to offset Seldon’s power at times, but Seldon pressed the action and landed enough big punches to earn a unanimous decision.
Judges Mark Consentino, Glenn Feldman and Paul Wallace all scored it 59-55 while I had it 58-56.
“I learned more from this fight than I did in any of my previous fights,” Seldon said. “My last fight lasted 53 seconds and this time I went six rounds. I’m not happy with my performance, but I’m happy I got the W and I’m still undefeated. This performance wakes me up.”
Four local football teams vying for South Jersey titles
Atlantic City High School heads the list of four local football teams vying for South Jersey football championships this weekend.
The Vikings, the top seed in Group 5, routed Toms River North 42-0 last weekend and will play host to third-seeded Kingsway Regional Friday at 6 p.m.
Millville, the second seed in Group 4, defeated Northern Burlington 42-0 last weekend and will take on top-seeded Winslow Township on Saturday at 12 p.m.
Local rivals Cedar Creek and Mainland Regional will square off in the Group 3 title game on Saturday at Cedar Creek.
Mainland rallied to beat Burlington Township 15-13 last week while Cedar Creek edged Pleasantville 15-12.
David is a nationally recognized sports columnist who has covered Philadelphia and local sports for over 40 years. After 35 years with The Press, he has served as a columnist for 973ESPN.com and created his own Facebook page, Dave Weinberg Extra Points.
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