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Cletus Seldin (28-1, 23 KOs) beat Jose Angulo (16-8, 9 KOs) by majority decision in an eight-round super lightweight clash Friday at the Madison Square Garden Theater in New York City.
But that will likely be his second-best memory of the night.
After the fight, Seldin, 37, thanked his partner, Jessica Ostrowski, for her support and proposed to her into the microphone in an emotional scene. “Three years ago, we both told each other, ‘I know what I don’t want in a relationship,’” Seldin said. “Ever since then, I have found exactly what I want in a relationship. … Will you marry me?”
Ostrowski accepted, and the pair walked happily around the ring.
Seldin, from Brooklyn, New York, came out at top speed, dropping Angulo hard with a right hand in the first round and again with a left hook in the second round.
Angulo, from Guayaquil, Ecuador, seemed to grow stronger despite the punishment he had taken, and he had more success in the next two rounds. An Angulo left staggered Seldin briefly in the third, and a hard right drew a celebratory shout from Angulo later in the round. Seldin began rounds fiercely but appeared to tire as they wore on.
Although Seldin was the relentless pursuer early on, by the middle rounds the fight primarily took place in the middle of the ring, as Angulo avoided the worst punishment with increasing success.
In the later rounds, Angulo landed a number of clean punches but wasn’t throwing much. Seldin pressed forward continuously and roughed Angulo up, but he failed to land the consequential blows he made count in the first two rounds.
It made for a compelling contrast. Had Angulo been able to box as effectively as he did late for the whole bout, he might have won a decision. As it was, the judges saw it for Seldin, 78-72, 77-73 and 75-75.
Seldin appears to be poised for a fulfilling final leg of his career.
“[His only loss was] to a top-10 contender, and nothing but wins since,” Ring magazine editor-in-chief Doug Fischer said of Seldin on the broadcast. “The struggles are managerial, promotional, political.”
Reshat Mati Coasts to Points Win Over Irving Macias
Reshat Mati (15-0, 8 KOs) won a unanimous decision over Irving Macias (15-5, 10 KOs) in an eight-round super lightweight matchup.
Though Mati could have emphasized his superiority with slightly more offensive intent, his skills were evident in a comfortable win, which the judges saw 80-72, 80-72 and 79-73 in his favor.
Mati possessed a clear speed advantage, immediately throwing a quick jab that landed cleanly. Macias, although not intimidated, couldn’t land squarely on Mati and walked into several snappy counters throughout the fight.
Mati’s looseness was evident in the second round as he patted and rubbed Macias’ back during clinches, one of many Vasiliy Lomachenko-like taunts he displayed over the course of the fight.
In the third, Mati countered with ripping left hands to the body – one or two of which may have been low. Mati continued to make Macias miss, whose own stationary head left him vulnerable.
Mati marched forward in the fifth, pushing Macias back to the ropes. Macias landed a right hand of his own in the middle of the round, but Mati’s only response was to launch a flurry back.
Mati never went for the stoppage, even as he dropped his hands and talked to Macias during the action. Blood began to trickle from Macias’ nose, which accumulated in the seventh and saw him raise his guard to protect his face.
The output picked up significantly in the final 30 seconds as Mati let his hands fly and Macias responded, though neither fighter appeared dazed or hurt.
Joseph Ward Thrills Crowd With Second-Round KO of Derrick Webster
Joseph Ward (11-1, 7 KOs) blasted out Derrick Webster (29-5-1, 14 KOs) for a second-round knockout win in a light heavyweight clash scheduled for eight rounds on Friday at the Madison Square Garden Theater in New York City.
The crowd at the Theater included many waiting to watch Ireland’s Callum Walsh fight in the main event on St. Patrick’s Day weekend. Ward, also from Ireland, thrilled fans with the knockout.
“This is his best performance that I’ve seen so far,” promoter Tom Loeffler said of Ward on the UFC Fight Pass broadcast.
Ward, a 2016 Olympian, was stopped in his pro debut, in 2019, due to a knee injury. But he hasn’t lost since.
Ward was the hunter in the opening round, stalking forward and looking to land heavy combinations on Webster. Ward backed Webster to the ropes multiple times, never giving breathing room to Webster, who could only clinch for a brief reprieve.
Webster’s own offense, mostly consisting of a flicking jab, lacked the frequency and power to bother Ward, whose forward momentum never stalled throughout the fight. At 41, Webster possessed neither the punch resistance nor movement to offset Ward’s onslaught.
Webster went down under a fierce assault early in the second round, staying in a crouch for an eight count. Although Webster made it up, a huge left hand from Ward sent him down hard a half-minute later. An enormous Ward left hook accounted for a third knockdown, leaving Webster in no condition to continue at 2:25 of Round 2.
Nisa Rodriguez, Giovanni Scuderi Win Their Early Bouts
On the pre-broadcast portion of the card, NYPD officer Nisa Rodriguez (1-0) won a unanimous decision over Josette Cotton (0-4-1) in a four-round super-middleweight clash in her pro debut.
Heavyweights Giovanni Scuderi (10-0, 4 KOs) and Brandon Carmack (7-4-2, 4 KOs) also squared off in a six-rounder, with Scuderi, who weighed in 63 pounds lighter than Carmack, winning a unanimous decision.