By David Weinberg
Atlantic City super-welterweight Justin Figueroa, Smithville heavyweight Bruce Seldon Jr. and Pleasantville lightweight Francisco Rodriguez are the top of the crop of local fighters with the potential to become champions.
All three will be trying to build their ring resumes on at Atlantic City’s Tropicana Casino Resort, where local promoter Larry Goldberg of Boxing Insider Promotions will be staging a card Saturday.
It marks Goldberg’s third card at the Trop this year, marking a resurgence for a property that once was a hotbed of local boxing in the 1980’s behind promoters Don Elbaum and the late Ted Menas.
Elbaum and Menas were the creators of “Tuesday Night Fights at the Trop,” and together promoted a whopping 196 shows there from 1982-86.
They built a reputation for staging exciting, competitive fights featuring South Jersey-based boxers such as Vineland’s Mario Maldonaldo, as well as future world champions Maurice Blocker and Simon Brown.
Elbaum, now 93, will be honored at Saturday’s show by Goldberg, who is taking a similar approach with his Atlantic City cards.
The 1996 Atlantic City High School graduate is drawing from his background. While growing up in Margate, he would often accompany his father, David, to the casinos.
“My father was a gambler,” Goldberg said. “And when he went to the casinos, he’d let me and some of my buddies go watch the fights.”
He enjoyed the excitement and atmosphere of those club level shows much more than the glitzy championship fights.
“It was drilled into me early that it doesn’t necessarily matter who is fighting as long as it’s a good fight,” he said. “People want to see competitive fights.”
Having popular local fighters on the card doesn’t hurt, however. And Saturday’s card has three of the biggest names in the area in Figueroa, Seldon, and Rodriguez.
Figueroa (10-0, 8 KOs), a former football and wrestling standout at Holy Spirit High School and former member of the Atlantic City Beach Patrol, is making his third straight appearance at the Trop, where he will face Houston’s Omark Rosales (9-3-1, 5 KOs) in a six-rounder. Rosales is seeking to end a four-fight winless streak (0-3-1) after a 9-0 start to his pro career.
Seldon (3-0, 3 KOs), a former football player at Absegami High School, will be facing Julio Mendoza (3-4, 2 KOs), of Palm Coast, Florida, in a four-rounder.
Seldon, 30, the son of former WBA heavyweight champion Bruce Seldon, got a late start in boxing, having made his pro debut just five months ago.
Under the guidance of co-manager Jim Kurtz and trainer Julio Sanchez, Seldon has made impressive gains in a short amount of time.
“When we first discussed Bruce turning pro about eight months ago, we knew he was only going to get out of the sport what he put into it,” Kurtz said. “We knew the potential was there because of his athletic background, but ultimately the burden would fall on Bruce himself with regard to how hard he worked and how much effort he put into it.
“He’s definitely done his part and the gains he’s made in such a short period of time have been monumental. We’re extremely optimistic for what the future holds.”
Rodriguez, 20, also has enormous potential. The Pleasantville High School graduate turned pro a year ago and has notched five knockouts in as many bouts. In addition, he also competed for the Philadelphia Smoke in The Combat League (TCL). His opponent for Saturday has yet to be named.
Ten total bouts are scheduled for Saturday’s show, which will be streamed on DAZN. Tickets range from $48 to $203.50 and are available through Ticketmaster.
It is part of a boxing doubleheader at the Trop, which will also host a charity amateur card Sunday. Tickets are $40 with proceeds going to the Atlantic City PAL.
Eagles ready for challenging stretch
The Eagles moved into first place in the NFC East with a convincing, 34-6 victory at Dallas on Sunday.
The win, their fifth in a row, boosted their record 7-2 and moved them ahead of Washington (7-3).
But the schedule gets much tougher down the stretch, starting with Thursday’s showdown against the Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field.
In addition to the Commanders twice, the Eagles also have games against the Los Angeles Rams (4-4), Baltimore Ravens (7-3) and Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2) in the coming weeks.
Local NFL update
Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Austin Johnson (St. Augustine Prep, Galloway Township) grabbed his second interception of the season – and his nine-year NFL career – in Sunday’s 30-20 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
Arizona Cardinals rookie cornerback Max Melton (Cedar Creek High School) had three tackles and a pass defense in a 31-6 win over the New York Jets.
Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Abdullah Anderson (Absegami) is back on the Titans practice squad after being released last week.
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.
Send comments to weinbergd419@comcast.net.
