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Seldon vs. Popper In Their Own Words
Two undefeated South Jersey heavyweights met face-to-face
this week ahead of their June 13 collision in Atlantic City.
Seldon Jr. (8-0, 6 KO) and Popper (7-0, 6 KO) spent nearly
half an hour trading on experience, family legacy, last
fights, and which corner has been doing the talking. Quotes
below are cleared for publication.
BRUCE SELDON JR. (8-0, 6 KO)
**Mindset:**
“He’s probably my most in-shape opponent. Outside of that,
we’re going to go in there, do what we’re supposed to do,
and keep going up the ladder.”
**On accepting the fight:**
“They said our name about three times, and every single time
we said yes. There was an excuse every time, for some odd
reason. I’m just happy he finally took it.”
**On how it got signed:**
“None of that came from our side. They said send the
contract, we printed it out, we signed it, and we sent it
right back. We were ready since day one.”
**On Popper bringing up an old football game:**
“All I can do is laugh. It’s corny to bring up a football
game from about fourteen years ago. If I was such a
non-factor, there would be no reason for him to keep
bringing me up. What Josh Popper thinks about me, that’s the
real non-factor.”
**On the experience gap:**
“These are two very new guys in boxing. It’s not one skilled
fighter against an athlete. It’s two novice boxers who
happen to be professional and undefeated, on a collision
course. The experience level is very similar.”
“I’m not going to sit back and listen to lies. They keep
overstating that he has all this amateur experience, and
it’s just overstated.”
**On his last fight:**
“That was a tough fight, and I made it tough on myself. But
I showed that when I have nothing in the tank, I can dig
deep and make it happen.”
**On Popper coaching while fighting:**
“That’s cute. I salute anyone making money in the sport. But
all my focus is going toward my own craft. However he splits
his focus, that’s on him.”
**On carrying his father’s name:**
“It’s just me getting in that ring. The name has opened
certain doors I’m thankful for, but on fight night it does
nothing for me. I don’t think about it at all.”
“My dad is in town for every fight, but he’s being a good
father. If he was in the building, I wouldn’t have a single
camera on me, and he knows that.”
**On Popper as an opponent:**
“Of all the opponents I’ve had so far, he’s probably in the
best shape, and probably the most athletic too. But I
haven’t seen anything that stands out to me.”
**Prediction:**
“I’m planning on a stoppage. Whatever round I land a good
one, it’s over.”
**If the night goes the other way:**
“We don’t believe in losses. We only believe in lessons.
This train doesn’t stop. But we don’t think we’re losing.”
JOSH POPPER (7-0, 6 KO)
**Mindset:**
“This is another fight. The plan is to keep rising through
the ranks and better my competition every fight. It’s
another day at the office.”
**On the so-called excuses:**
“His manager came up to me after my last fight, put his hand
on my shoulder, and said, after Bruce gets another tune-up
fight, then we’ll be ready for you. So I’m confused about
what excuses he means.”
**On how the fight came together:**
“Somebody asked me about fighting Bruce, and I said yes,
that would be an amazing fight for the city. All of a sudden
that got turned into me presenting a challenge. We’re here
now, and I like to do my talking in the ring.”
**On his amateur background:**
“I learned a lot in the amateurs. I’ve been in the ring with
a bunch of different skill levels. I plan on putting that on
display. Amateurs, baby, it’s all about experience.”
**On his last fight:**
“He carried me? You’re right. You know what I did? I stuck
to my jab and I fought beautifully.”
**On running Bredwinners:**
“It gives me an opportunity to be around boxing more. I’m a
coach myself, so I have a coach’s eye, and I break down
film. I coach nationally ranked amateurs, top-ranked
amateurs in the state, and world champion fighters. That
pedigree speaks for itself.”
**Man to man with Seldon:**
“Man to man, I don’t have any beef with you. We’re grown
men, this is what we do, and we’ll dap it up after, no love
lost. My first amateur opponent became one of my close
friends. The thing is, your manager and your coach are the
ones who keep talking, and it’s not coming from you.”
**The headline line:**
“We’re going to fight on June 13th. May the best man win,
and I’d love to shake your hand after. As far as your team,
I’ve got zero respect for your team.”
**On the family name across from him:**
“His dad doesn’t even show up. Why would I be worried about
his dad? This is between me and Bruce.”
**Prediction:**
“I don’t like to make predictions. I just know I’m getting
my hand raised at the end of the fight. However that
happens, that’s what’s going to happen.”
**If the night goes the other way:**
“I’m not going to lose. But hypothetically, back to the
drawing board. There’s no sweet answer for that one.”
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