It won’t be hard to find local and entertaining storylines in an upcoming Atlantic City boxing card.
Bouts featuring Justin Figueroa and Bruce Seldon Jr. will highlight a show scheduled for 7 p.m. July 26 at Tropicana Atlantic City. Margate’s Larry Goldberg, of Boxing Insiders Promotions, is promoting the fight. More bouts will be added to the card before the fight, Goldberg said.
Seldon, of the Smithville section of Galloway Township, is a 2012 Absegami High School graduate. He made his professional debut June 15 with a first-round knockout against Vineland’s Terrick Maven at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall.
Seldon (1-0, 1 KO) will fight Robert Hernandez (0-1) in a four-round heavyweight bout. Figueroa’s opponent has not been determined as of Friday. Figueroa (9-0, 6 KOs) and Seldon both said they are excited to fight in their own backyard.
People are also reading…
“It’s a blessing to be able to fight in front of all my Atlantic City residents,” Seldon said. “It’s an awesome feeling to be able to show out at home.”
Figueroa is an Atlantic City resident and a 2017 graduate of Holy Spirit, where he played football and wrestled. The 25-year-old is also a former member of the Atlantic City Beach Patrol.
Seven of his nine fights have been in the resort. He also fought once each in California and Texas.
“As a boxer from Atlantic City, you can’t ask for much more,” Figueroa said. “I feel like everything is already set here. The stage is set. The platform was pretty much up for grabs when I first came into the boxing scene. I’ll try to fight here as many times as I can before I go on to the big, big stages. I really just want to bring the big, big stages back here to Atlantic City and keep everything in Atlantic City.”
Figueroa called the atmosphere in Atlantic City “electrifying” and said he “feels like a gladiator in the Colosseum getting ready to go to war.”
“It’s the football team or that basketball team having that home arena,” Figueroa said. “You get to be at your house a little more and get to see more of your people and get a little more time. Definitely feel a lot more comfortable. You feel a lot more love. I love fighting at home.”
Seldon is just happy to be where “people could be proud.”
“I am a product of the environment,” the 29-year-old said. “I think it’s probably one of the best feelings to be able to fight in your hometown.”
Next generation
Seldon’s father, Bruce Seldon Sr., won the WBA heavyweight championship in April 1995 and lost it to Mike Tyson in September 1996. He retired with a 40-8 record (36 KOs).
“I am embracing who my dad was and the legacy he put out there,” the younger Seldon said. “But I also want to carve my own career. I feel like it’s very important for me, even though we do share the same name, to make a name for myself, as well.”
He said he was pleased with how his first fight went last month and praised his coach, Julio Sanchez, and managers, Jim Kurtz and David Dubinsky.
And Seldon starting his professional career at 29 is not that farfetched.
The landscape of the heavyweight division nowadays has been trending toward an older demographic, which allows fighters who got a later start to not have as hard an obstacle to overcome compared to fighters who may have gotten a late start 10 or 15 years ago, Kurtz said. A lot of the top fighters in the upper echelon of the heavyweight division are in their mid-30s to early 40s.
“I feel like my career is very promising, and I like the direction it is heading in,” Seldon said. “We are working very hard right now. Just building on what we have so far. We are just going to keep getting better and better. We work very hard in that gym. We plan to just keep improving.”
Maintaining perfection
Figueroa is looking to remain undefeated.
“But I try not to think about it too much,” he said. “I just do the work every day. I look forward to the fight date. As it gets closer to the fight date, I guess I do get a few thoughts but not really nervous. I just try to visualize how the moment is going to go.”
All those thoughts go away once he is in the ring.
No matter whom he fights July 26, Figueroa said he will be ready. He has been sparring with boxers of different styles and sizes to prepare. Figueroa said he looks at himself as an entertainer just as much as a fighter and wants the fans “to leave entertained and with their money’s worth.”
“I am very confident,” said Figueroa, who is managed by Jolene Mizzone. “Me and my team have been putting in the work every single day. They are very dedicated. … We are ready for whatever is thrown at us.”
Local promoter
Goldberg, who also promoted a fight at the Tropicana on May 11, is a 1996 Atlantic City graduate. In 1997, he founded boxinginsider.com, one of the first boxing websites and still a great source for boxing news with about 77,700-plus followers on X (formerly Twitter).
New York-based and Swedish heavyweight Otto Wallin (26-2) will fight Nigeria’s Onoriode Ehwarieme (20-4) in the eight-round main event. Jason Castanon (1-0) and Arveontae Dukes (2-0), both from the United States, will fight in a lightweight bout. Jacob Riley Solis (4-0) will fight James Abraham (2-1-1) in a four-round super welterweight bout. Middleweight Marco Romero (1-0) is also on the card, but his opponent has not yet been determined.
Goldberg promoted nine fights in New York City and decided to replicate that success in his hometown.
“To have two guys (Seldon and Figueroa) who are Atlantic City like that, it’s a dream come true, especially for a summertime show,” said Goldberg, who plans to donate a portion of the proceeds to the Atlantic City Police Athletic League, as he did with his fight in May.
“I think Bruce Seldon is an action-packed fighter. You are going to see a wrecking crew for the next couple of years as they build him up. And Justin is a charismatic, future star of boxing. It’s rare to have a homegrown talent like that. It’s very cool.”
Tickets cost $60, $75, $100, $120, $150, $200 and $300 and are available through Ticketmaster. The fights will also be livestreamed with Henry Deleon and Randy Gordon providing commentary.
Welcome to the discussion.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.