Atlantic City bragging rights on the line as Josh Popper faces Bruce Seldon Jr.
Josh Popper has spent much of his boxing career fighting away from home. On June 13, he’ll get the chance to headline in his own backyard.
The undefeated heavyweight from Somers Point will face fellow unbeaten South Jersey heavyweight Bruce Seldon Jr. in the main event of a Boxing Insider Promotions card at the Tropicana Atlantic City Showroom. The fight is one of the rare occasions where two undefeated local heavyweights will meet this early in their careers — and even rarer that both hail from the same corner of the state.
Popper (7-0, 6 KOs) enters the bout riding a string of impressive performances. After stopping Dillon Pumphrey in the first round at the Tropicana in March, the 35-year-old went six rounds for the first time as a professional in April, earning a unanimous decision over veteran Rydell Booker.
A former standout football player at Holy Spirit High School in Absecon, Popper was part of the Spartans team that won a New Jersey state championship in 2011. He later starred on the defensive line at Rowan University, earning All-American and All-Conference honors before receiving rookie minicamp invitations from the Arizona Cardinals and Indianapolis Colts.
When pro football failed to materialize, Popper moved to New York City and took up boxing in his late twenties. The transition proved remarkably successful. He captured both the New York Ring Masters Championship and the New York Boxing Tournament in 2023 before turning professional in late 2024.
The nickname “The Hammer” carries a deeper meaning. It is a tribute to his late father, Michael, a home builder whose hammer is tattooed across Popper’s back. Popper has said boxing became, in part, a way to cope with his father’s death, and that he carries the memory of his father and the support of his younger sisters into the ring every time he fights.
Now training out of Manhattan’s Bredwinners gym, which he owns, Popper says he hasn’t taken his foot off the gas since turning pro.
“I haven’t taken any time off,” Popper told 973 ESPN. “I feel like I’ve just been rolling right through.”
The matchup carries added intrigue because Popper and Seldon Jr. have known of each other for years. The two competed for rival South Jersey high school football teams, with Popper starring at Holy Spirit and Seldon at Absegami in Galloway Township before both eventually found their way into the heavyweight ranks.
Seldon Jr., the son of former WBA heavyweight champion Bruce Seldon, will enter the fight unbeaten and looking to score the biggest victory of his career. For Popper, it’s a chance to continue his rise while proving himself against another unbeaten local prospect.
“They’re going to have a new favorite boxer,” Popper said. “You don’t want to blink.”
Promoter Larry Goldberg of Boxing Insider Promotions says Popper embodies what his series is all about.
“A local kid who chased a dream, took the hard road, and is now headlining a heavyweight main event in his own backyard against another undefeated local. Two unbeaten South Jersey heavyweights willing to fight each other, that does not happen at this level. June 13 is going to be a special night for Atlantic City boxing,” said Goldberg.