By Ian S Palmer
Unbeaten junior welterweight prospect Cletus Seldin takes on Johnny Garcia this Friday, February 27 on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights program. It can also be seen on a tape-delay basis in Canada at 1 am ET on TSN 2 and ESPN Deportes will also have the 10-round bout in the U.S. Seldin is the current WBC International Silver Welterweight Champion and his title will be on the line at the Paramount Theater in Huntingdon, New York. The 28-year-old Seldin enters the ring with a perfect mark of 15-0 along with 12 Kos while the 32-year-old Garcia will enter the ring with a record of 19-2-1 with 11 Kos to his name.
Seldin won his belt at the same venue on Dec. 20th when he stopped Bayan Jargal in the ninth round for the vacant title. Seldin dropped Jargal in the first round and then again eight rounds later when the referee halted the bout. Seldin, who hails from Long Island, has fought his last seven contests at the Paramount and has gone 6-0 with 5 Kos. His other bout there was also against Jargal and it was ruled a no contest back in 2014.
Garcia’s last bout was a draw with Moises Solis in December and his previous bout was a loss to John Williams via points last June. He doesn’t want to extend his winless streak to three in a row and will need to be at his best against Seldin. Neither boxer is a household name, but both are hoping to change this with explosive performances on Friday night. Both of these guys don’t mind slugging it out and fans could be in for a treat if that’s what they decide to do once the bell rings. Both men have good power, but if there is an edge it goes to Seldin.
Neither boxer has fought anybody of note up to now in their careers, but that could change with a win here. Seldin might be able to afford a loss at this point, but if Garcia of Holland, Michigan, loses then his hopes of ever becoming a top-10 contender might be blown out the window. Both boxers have mentioned that they’d like to take on WBO champ Chris Algieri, but that’s not going to be possible with a loss or draw for either man.
Seldin is 5-feet-7-inches tall with a 67-inch reach and has fought 57 rounds as a pro since 2011. Garcia is 5-foot-9 with no reach listed and he’s been stopped once in his two losses. That came courtesy of Angelo Santana in the fifth round back in 2012. He turned pro in 2010 and has 102 rounds under his belt.
Prediction
Seldin definitely has the hometown advantage here and it could end up being the deciding factor. He’s hungry and motivated, but so is Garcia, so the extra energy provided by the crowd should be enough to see Seldin retain his title by decision or a late-round stoppage.
