Jonathan Garcia stepped into the ring this Friday in Long Island against local star Cletus "The Hebrew Hammer" Seldin in a junior welterweight bout broadcast live on ESPN2's Friday Night Fights. The undefeated Seldin was fifteen and zilch with twelve knockouts, while Garcia had a nineteen and two resume, with eleven knockouts of his own.
Both men came out swinging. The referee missed an early knockdown where Seldin's knee clearly hit the canvas after a Garcia shot, but it didn't matter. For Seldin proved himself to be a classic American tough guy. He may not have shown the extraordinary skill of some in his weight class, but he brought the heat.
He also brought an effective jab, which he peppered Garcia with throughout the fight. Coupled with an overhand right and grinding body blows, Seldin's assault proved devastating for Garcia in the fourth, as the Michigan native got badly hurt. Yet, bloody and battered, Garcia survived the round.
Seldin wasn't to be deterred, though, rocking his man again in the fifth. Needless to say, the fight didn't enter the sixth, for the referee wisely stepped in and stopped the affair. Now Seldin stands at sixteen and oh with thirteen knockouts under his belt as well as an impressive showing on a major television platform.
Where does he stand among his peers, though? Truth be told, it's hard to tell. Seldin fights in a style that can rightfully be considered somewhat crude - at least in comparison to, say, fellow Long Islander Chris Algieri. Seldin also isn't above fighting dirty, either. On the surface, then, Seldin wouldn't appear nearly polished enough to crack through the tough competition to be found in the junior welterweight division.
Then again, the same was undoubtedly said about Marcos Maidana and he thrashed Adrien Broner before giving the great Floyd Mayweather himself a real run for his money (no pun intended). In other words, tough guys just can't be counted out. Far too many have gone further than expected simply because of heart and a no-give attitude.
No matter what, Cletus Seldin will never be boring. And that's good news for fight fans.
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