Cletus Seldin is scheduled to fight Rachid Jkitou on June 11 at the Paramount Theatre in Huntington, New York, USA. Jkitou is an undefeated knockout puncher, but Seldin holds many advantages.
Seldin (26-1, 22 KOs) is a 35 year old New Yorker. The "Hebrew Hammer" will be making his 18th appearance in the ring at the Paramount, so he'll have the hometown advantage. Seldin has been far more active than Jkitou and has faced the better opposition. Last October, Seldin came from behind to score a stunning seventh round KO against William Silva.
Though Jkitou has not yet fought a world class opponent, 28-0 with 20 KOs is an impressive record no matter who you face. The 36 year old has primarily fought in France and Morocco. Only eleven of Jkitou's 28 opponents sported a winning record when they fought, including three different 1-0 fighters. Conversely, 24 of Seldin's 28 (including one "No Contest") opponents came in with winning records.
Indisputably, Cletus has one-punch knockout power. Jkitou's power, however, is up for debate. Of his twenty KOs, six opponents retired after the completion of a round and ten were stopped by TKO. While the guts of Jkitou's opponents cannot be questioned, after reviewing the footage, many did not exactly go out on their shields. In their 2017 bout, Jkitou put Shawn Miller down for the ten count. Miller leaned forward and Jkitou landed a right to the back of the head. The referee ignored the unintentional foul and reached the count of ten.
Jkitou has fought only eight times since 2011 and his last bout came on September 19, 2019. Cletus turned pro in 2011 and last fought in October although that fight ended a long layoff. But the Moroccan man does have some advantages.
Taller than Seldin, Jkitou is also the naturally bigger man. Though he was a welterweight for his last fight, Jkitou fought Miller for a minor sanctioning body's light heavyweight world title belt. Rachid has spent much of his career as a super middleweight. In his last three bouts, Seldin weighed in 35 pounds lighter than the light heavyweight limit. June 11's fight is apparently for Seldin's regional belt, which would make the limit 140. We'll see if making weight drains the man from Marrakesh.
Though he'll likely start out cautious behind the jab, Jkitou will soon try to press forward. He's good at picking the right punches on the inside but doesn't possess quick hands. Though not a punching bag, Rachid has some defensive deficiencies. He can block, parry, and slip against slower fighters, but his hands tend to lower a bit as his fights progress, which leaves him a sucker for the overhand right. The overhand right happens to be Seldin's best punch.
Come fight night, Seldin can count on one more advantage. He'll certainly have the better hair.
This fight is scheduled for ten rounds or fewer. Count on fewer.
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