Cletus Seldin vs. Johnny Garcia: Fight Time, Date, Live Stream and TV Info

Boxing fans will get a look at an intriguing up-and-comer on ESPN's Friday Night Fights on Feb. 27, as undefeated junior welterweight Cletus "The Hebrew Hammer" Seldin (15-0, 12 KOs) puts his WBC International Silver Jr. Welterweight title on the line against hard-hitting Johnny Garcia (19-2-1, 11 KOs) in the main event from The Paramount theater in Huntington, New York.

This bout marks Seldin's first defense of his newly won hardware. He took the vacant title with a ninth-round TKO win over Bayan Jargal on Dec. 20 at The Paramount. The heavy-handed Seldin knocked Jargal down in the first round and again in the ninth when the referee called off the fight.

The Paramount has been particularly kind to Seldin, a native of Long Island. Including the December win over Jargal, his last seven bouts have taken place at The Paramount. Seldin is 6-0 with five stoppages in that span, the only blemish a no-contest bout in September 2014 against Jargal.

Garcia will be looking to right the ship on Friday. He's coming off a December 2014 draw against Moises Solis, a bout that followed a disappointing mixed-decision loss to John Williams in June of that year.

Here is a quick rundown of all the info you need to catch these two in action, followed by a quick preview of the headlining bout.


Cletus Seldin vs. Johnny Garcia Fight Info

Date: February 27

Time (ET): 9 p.m.

Location: The Paramount in Huntington, New York

TV: ESPN2, ESPN Deportes

Live Stream: WatchESPN (English and Spanish broadcasts available)


Preview

This is a bout that should deliver bell-to-bell entertainment. Both Seldin and Garcia are hard-nosed, aggressive brawlers, eager to dig into an opponent and set up for the killer power punch. The 28-year-old Seldin may enjoy a slight advantage in terms of overall power, but Garcia is no cupcake in the ring and has 11 career knockouts to show for it.

Roy McCammon, Garcia's manager, feels this bout could be an early contender for the best of 2015.

"My bet is this fight will be in the running for fight of the year,” McCammon said, via MLive.com's Cory Olsen. "Both Johnny and Seldin love to brawl so I don't expect to see a dull moment.”

While both fighters are still looking to break through to the upper echelon of the sport, Bloguin.com's Alex McClintock feels that the headlining bout is clearly meant to showcase Seldin:

"

They’re obviously hoping that "The Hebrew Hammer" Seldin (15-0, 12 KO) will become something of a star, because Garcia (19-2-1, 11 KO) is coming off a draw and a loss and hasn’t fought anyone of note. From what footage of seen of him, he’s game, though.

"

It's a big moment for Seldin. After all, he only just recently earned his own Wikipedia page, per his Twitter account:

Even if this is supposed to be Seldin's show, one can't count out the motivation of a potential spoiler. Garcia will have to be at his best on Friday. A loss to Seldin might relegate the 32-year-old to journeyman status on undercards for the remainder of his career.

Chris Trotman/Getty Images

While Seldin will undoubtedly be focused on his in-ring competition come Friday, his motivation to win and make a name for himself stems from a desire to usurp another boxer as the biggest draw from Long Island. 

Seldin is a pseudo-rival of Chris Algieri, a Huntington, New York, native who garnered global headlines with a stunning split-decision win over Ruslan Provodnikov in June 2014, a star-making turn that earned him a fight against the legendary Manny Pacquiao. Both fighters are represented by Star Boxing.

“I want to take his spot,” Seldin said in July 2014, per Mitch Abramson of the New York Daily News. "Whoever is in front of you - you have to get there no matter who it is.”

Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Since those comments, Algieri lost badly to Pacquiao in November, while Seldin won two bouts and acquired a title belt. It's a string of results that has afforded Seldin a chance to make his name in the light welterweight ranks and perhaps break out of the New York bubble and move on to bigger fights in destination locales, just like Algieri did by fighting Pacquiao in China.

Interestingly enough, Garcia too has his sights set on Algieri. According to McCammon, the plan is to challenge the former kickboxer if Garcia wins on Friday.

"They also have Chris Algieri, and once Johnny defeats Seldin, we will be pushing to fight Chris Algieri for his WBO World Title,” McCammon said, via Olsen.

It's clear both fighters have the requisite ambition to climb the ranks in their division, but it will take more than naked desire to move up the ranks in such a talented weight class. Seldin needs to win convincingly in order to establish himself as one of the best New York fighters, while Garcia could use a high-profile victory of any sort to shake off the disappointment from his last two results.

Expect an explosive bout on Friday night, with Seldin drawing energy and confidence from the (presumably) supportive New York crowd on his way to a win via late-round knockout.