One valuable lesson Josh Popper learned during his days at Holy Spirit High School was the importance of doing homework.
He applied it to his fight against Bruce Seldon Jr. on Saturday night, relying on his study habits to earn an impressive victory at Tropicana Hotel and Casino.
Popper (8-0, 7 KOs) landed a powerful left hook that netted a first-round knockout over Seldon (8-1, 6 KOs) in a matchup of two of South Jersey’s top heavyweight prospects.
“I studied a lot of film and saw that the left hook was going to be a good weapon to use,” said Popper, a 2011 Holy Spirit graduate who grew up in Egg Harbor Township. “It’s one of my favorite punches. I’ve stopped a lot of opponents with it before.”
The scheduled six-round bout lasted just 30 seconds.
Popper’s clipped Seldon, a 2012 Absegami High School grad who lives in Smithville, on the chin with a left hook in the first 20 seconds of the fight.
Seldon, son of former World Boxing Association heavyweight champion Bruce Seldon, staggered back a few steps as Popper moved forward. Another hook thudded against his jaw, sending him crashing to the canvas like a tree struck by lightning, his legs stretched out and feet pointing to the ceiling of the Trop Showroom.
Referee Shada Murdaugh stopped the fight without a count and waived ringside physicians into the ring while Seldon sat up.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect the fight to be over as fast as that,” Popper said. “I felt I was going to dominate the fight, but I didn’t plan on knocking him out.
”I have the utmost respect for Bruce. He deserves a lot of credit for taking this fight. He’s a (heck) of a guy and (heck) of a fighter. I’m hoping we can be friends. But I felt I could dominate just because I know what I’m capable of doing.”
Both fighters honored their alma maters before the fight.
Popper entered the ring sporting a blue-and-gold, gladiator-type costume in reference to his days as a football and basketball player for the Spartans.
Seldon, a former football player at Absegami, sported his brown-and-gold varsity jacket.
As the bout ended, Popper leapt onto a ring post and gestured to fans and former teammates. After getting helped to his feet, Seldon was consoled by trainers Julio Sanchez II and Arnold Robbins, as well as friends and family members before heading to his dressing room backstage.
“Ooh, wee, tough day at the office,” Seldon said on a Facebook video Saturday night. “Took the ‘L’ and now I’m 8-1. But you all know me, I don’t tuck my tail. Nights like this come with the sport.
“But most importantly, I want to say thank you to everyone who showed up and supported me. I truly feel the love. It means more than you know!”
Although there was some trash-talking in the days leading up to the fight, both fighters and corners showed respect to the other side afterward.
Popper, 32, and Seldon, 31, exchanged a hug in the ring while the official result was announced.
Backstage, as Popper was chatting with his trainers in his dressing room, Seldon’s manager, Jim Kurtz, came in to offer his congratulations.
A few yards down the hall, Seldon plopped onto a stool and slowly shook his head.
“Thirty seconds …,” he said softly. “I can’t believe it.”
Despite the defeat, Seldon still appears to have a promising future.
He’ll take some time off to recover, then assume training at the Pleasantville Rec Center with Sanchez and other fighters such as unbeaten Mays Landing heavyweight Rodney Brooks (6-0, 5 KOs) and Sanchez’s son and super-lightweight Julio Sanchez III (5-1, 3 KOs).
“It certainly wasn’t the outcome we anticipated,” Kurtz said. “Bruce worked his butt off for this fight and was ready. Give credit to Josh and his team. Josh landed a couple of clean shots that ultimately determined the outcome. That’s boxing.
“We believe in Bruce. He is going to learn from this and is already anxious to get back to the gym.”
Popper, who now lives in New York City, plans on resuming his training at Bredwinners Boxing, a gym that he owns.
Perhaps there will be a future fight against another top local heavyweight in Brooks, a 38-year-old former football and basketball standout at Oakcrest High School who graduated in 2006.
“I’ll be here in town for a few more days and then it’s back to the drawing board,” Popper said. “I just want to continue to grow and work on becoming the best version of myself.
“I know there’s a level I haven’t been able to display yet and I can’t wait to finally be able to show it to everyone.”
Sanchez wins
On the undercard, Sanchez III registered his fourth consecutive victory with a four-round, unanimous decision over Shawn Rall (4-7, 3 KOs), of Cleveland, Ohio.
Sanchez, 24, ended the bout with a flurry that put Rall on the canvas. Rall beat referee Ricardo Vera’s 10-count and the bell rang before action could resume.
Sanchez is a former basketball standout at Atlantic City and Pleasantville high schools who graduated from Pleasantville in 2020.
Chase Petty earns first MLB win
Cincinnati Reds pitcher Chase Petty, a Mainland Regional High School graduate, earned his first major-league victory last Saturday in a relief appearance against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Petty entered the game with one out in the seventh inning and went on to allow one hit and no runs in 1.2 innings in a Reds win.
“It’s been over a year since my debut, so this was a long time coming,” Petty told fox19.com in Cincinnati. “It feels like a pressure lifted off my shoulders a little bit.
“It’s a blessing to be here, no matter what situation they need me for. (Being in the major leagues) is the opportunity everyone wants. Every time that phone rang, I made sure I was ready.”
