By: Sean Crose
Jose Medina stepped into the ring at Atlantic City Friday night to do battle with rising heavyweight Bruce Seldon. The bout which was set for 6 rounds was part of Boxing Insider’s latest card at the Tropicana. It wasn’t the prettiest fight, though each man threw, landed and fought hard. Those who expected Seldon to walk away with an easy win were sorely disappointed as Medina kept the fighting neck and neck. With that being said, the decision ultimately went to Seldon, although the judges arguably ruled heavily in his favor. Selden himself admitted that he wasn’t happy with his performance.
Former heavyweight title challenger Otto Wallin was up next. Armed with an impressive new trainer in Ronnie Shields Wallin was looking to regenerate his career after some high profile losses. Wallin’s opponent Chris Thomas, however, clearly had other ideas. Wallin was obviously the more skilled of the two fighters which is why it was no surprise that he put his man down and out in the second round. It was an impressive end to a brief but impressive performance. Before finishing his man off Wallin had been employing his jab very effectively. It was a quick, sharp and thorough ring performance from the heavyweight contender.
It was time for the main event. Local star Justin Figueroa was returning to the ring to continue growing into a high-level fighter. Figueroa had always impressed when he fought on Boxing Insider cards. His opponent, Jose Perdomo, however, had plans of his own. Perdomo kept away from Figueroa for a large portion of the fight. By the 4th however, Figueroa put his man down. Perdomo got back to his feet before the count ended but he had clearly gotten himself into trouble. Perhaps surprisingly Perdomo’s corner stopped the fight in between rounds. It may not have been the most exciting fight up until the end, but Figueroa clearly got the job done. Adding another knockout to his record. “I know he has some power,” said Figueroa, “I wanted to start working with my jab.”
It was a good card of boxing with some great moments thrown in. What’s more, Figueroa was able to defeat a tough fighter who wasn’t overly eager to engage. The fact that he was able to catch and finish Perdomo was impressive. “I’m here to stay,” Figueroa said. So long as he keeps on fighting and winning, he will likely stay for quite some time.