It was an unsettling entry in the category of 'not'.
Cletus SeldinThe junior welterweight veteran, a hero to collectors of all ages, apparently scoured his collection of Funko Pop figures from his Instagram page. Or was he?
“No way,” Seldin laughs. “I have a separate page on Instagram called 'Half Gladiator, Half Geek.' There was a time in my life when I felt like the real world wasn't ready for that community. But I still have a toy room and I still have everything and I'm still obsessed with collecting Funko Pop toys, action figures, everything. It's nostalgia for me. The boxing world. I think most people in the world have parts of themselves that they didn't understand when they were kids. So when they get a little older, they can figure it out on their own. And in my case, I don't have kids. . Most other boxers have kids and other responsibilities. There's really no such thing.”
But there are a lot of small plastic babies around his house.
“Oh my god, they're addictive,” he said. “That was a problem. I run a YouTube channel with over 20,000 subscribers and collected toys throughout my boxing journey. Every time I got hurt or injured or got a little sick. , I was back on YouTube. It was just like a vacation for me, taking all the pressure off of boxing, both in and out of the ring.”
It's a nice escape, but the 'Hebrew Hammers' will be back to work this Friday, making their first start of 2024 in an away match against the Reds. Jose Angulo At the theater at Madison Square Garden. It hasn't been that long since the Long Islander's most recent fight, a six-round stoppage of Patrick Okine last October, but it's important that the 37-year-old Seldin stays active. He knows it and is ready for it.
“Honestly, at this part of my boxing career, I believe I’m pretty much at my best performance level,” he said. “Through this whole process, I learned the dos and don’ts, and the knowledge I have now is nothing compared to the knowledge I had the last time I came to the Garden 12 and a half years ago. not.”
In his final appearance at the MSG theater, Seldin crushed Jose Segura Torres in two rounds, improving to 4-0 as a professional. It was his 2011, and like any prospect, the future was promising but uncertain.
Seldin then went on to create a great career for himself. Although he has never won (or fought for) a world title, he only has a record of 27 wins and 1 loss, excluding a bout with Yves Ulysse Jr. that was televised on HBO in 2017. , with an affable personality and legitimate punching power. I worked as a ticket salesman at his home. But he wants more.
“The only downsides I really had were injuries and the instability of getting into big fights and being on networks like here on UFC Fight Pass,” he said. “This is the biggest sports app available in over 200 countries. And now I can actually show the world who I am. I always go to these small club shows. I was hooked. I've been on top of the stage before on HBO, and even when I fought Zab Judah, it was on a live stream. Or when I fought Barclays Center as the main event. , it took place on the Triller network before people even knew how to download apps.”
The fight against Judah in June 2019 was the biggest of his career in terms of opponent, and despite being at the tail end of his career, the Brooklyn native did what he had to do in that situation. Stopped the former world champion. at 11th round. However, he didn't fight again for nearly a year, following a two-year hiatus following his seventh-round KO of William Silva in 2021. He would even admit that his win over Okine wasn't his best, but he didn't let that get in his way and with new manager Elvis Grant Phillips in his corner, he gave himself I believe there are still runs left.
“Right now, my schedule is to fight at the Garden in March, fight at the Garden in June, fight at the Garden in December with 360 Promotions,” Seldin said. “I'm probably going to be the most active, action-packed fighter in New York since John Duddy. We haven't had anything like that here in New York in a long time, but no matter how long it takes, I'm going to be the most active, action-packed fighter in New York.” All I remember is that every day I take the next step, and the next thing I know, I'm where I am now. I'm back on top of the mountain.”
