Josh Popper was presupposed to be a soccer participant. A standout defensive lineman at Holy Spirit Excessive Faculty in Absecon, New Jersey, and later an All-American at Rowan College, he did all the things proper — earned first-team All-NJAC honors, put up dominant numbers, and labored his manner into NFL minicamps with the Arizona Cardinals and Indianapolis Colts. When skilled soccer didn’t work out, most athletes in his place discover a desk job and transfer on.
Popper moved to New York Metropolis and began punching folks for a dwelling.
Now 32 years previous and carrying an ideal 5-0 file with 5 knockouts the Egg Harbor Township native returns to the Jersey Shore on March 7 when he fights on the Boxing Insider Promotions card on the Tropicana Atlantic Metropolis. It’s one other homecoming for a fighter whose profession has been something however standard.
A Soccer Basis
Popper’s athletic roots run deep in South Jersey. At Holy Spirit, he was a part of the 2010 workforce that went 12-0 and captured the state Non-Public Group III championship — a squad that included future NFL quarterback Joe Callahan, USC linebacker Anthony Sarao, and Villanova defensive again Joe Sarnese. Popper performed defensive finish and likewise suited up for the Spartans basketball workforce, constructing the footwork and court docket consciousness that might later serve him within the ring.
At Rowan College in Glassboro, New Jersey, Popper developed into one of many NJAC’s most disruptive defenders. As a senior in 2015, he posted 56 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, and an interception, incomes All-American honors and first-team All-NJAC recognition. The numbers caught the eye of NFL scouts, and Popper earned invites to rookie minicamps with the Arizona Cardinals in 2016 and the Indianapolis Colts in 2017.
Neither stint resulted in a roster spot. However in a latest interview with Josh Hennig on 973 ESPN South Jersey, Popper framed the expertise as foundational reasonably than disappointing.
“Once I got here out of school, I ended up getting the chance to placed on an NFL helmet with two completely different groups, the Cardinals and the Colts. Sadly, that was short-lived,” Popper mentioned. “However enjoying soccer at that highest stage, or at the least being round these guys and being in that setting, it actually sort of units you up for all times.”
Transition to the Ring
After the NFL door closed, Popper relocated to New York Metropolis and located boxing. He started coaching in 2019 and rapidly confirmed sufficient promise to compete as an novice, compiling a 7-2 file that included victories on the New York Ringmasters and Metropolitan championships in 2023. In February 2021, he based Bredwinners Boxing, a gymnasium in Manhattan the place he trains fighters and coaches purchasers of all ability ranges.
Popper turned skilled in 2024 and has been devastating within the early going. All 5 of his wins have come by knockout, with 4 ending within the first spherical and his most up-to-date bout extending into the third — a statistic that speaks each to his energy and to the sort of overwhelming athleticism that almost all early-career heavyweights merely can’t match.
“I like to think about myself a really easy boxer. I transfer very fluid — I field as if I used to be a middleweight, however clearly I’m a heavyweight,” Popper has mentioned. “That’s one thing that each heavyweight has to concern getting within the ring with me: with the ability to match my velocity, my IQ, my athleticism, my footwork. And I do pack a pleasant little punch.”
At 6-foot-4, Popper has the body to compete with bigger heavyweights, however it’s the cross-sport athleticism that separates him at this stage. His basketball background reveals in his lateral motion; the soccer years gave him an understanding of managed aggression and leverage.
Evolving the Method
Forward of the March 7 card, Popper spoke with Hennig concerning the refinements he has made since his final look on the Boxing Insider Promotions card at Tropicana in November 2025. The modifications lengthen nicely past the gymnasium.
On the coaching aspect, Popper has added swimming to his conditioning routine — an uncommon alternative for a heavyweight, however one rooted in sound logic. “Swimming is nice for cardio with out pounding your joints,” he defined. “It helps with shoulder work and breath management. I used to be horrible at it at first — might barely do a lap — however I like the problem.”
The psychological preparation has additionally shifted. Popper acknowledged that his final struggle on the Boxing Insider card at Tropicana, whereas a victory, uncovered some gaps in his psychological readiness. Combating in entrance of a loud hometown crowd was a unique setting from the managed setting of a coaching gymnasium, and the adjustment threw him off early.
“Final time, preventing in a brand new spot with a house crowd threw me off — it wasn’t the quiet gymnasium I’m used to,” Popper mentioned. “This camp, I’ve been sparring in numerous gyms with noise, folks speaking, and assorted companions to construct that psychological toughness. I wasn’t as ready mentally earlier than. After spherical one, I felt off, however I pushed by. Now, it’s about simulating the chaos.”
Maybe essentially the most telling change has been dietary. As a heavyweight, Popper doesn’t face the weight-cutting calls for of smaller fighters, however he has overhauled his weight loss program to maximise efficiency reasonably than merely making weight.
“I used to eat the identical factor every single day, ending with McDonald’s cookies — horrible for vitality,” he mentioned. “Now, I’m working with Matter System in NYC for macro-tracked meals created from actual meals. I’m aiming for 235 kilos — I’m at 237 now — and scheduling all the things correctly. No extra skipped meals. It’s made an enormous distinction in sleep, focus, and coaching.”
The Native Connection
Popper is a part of a deep South Jersey contingent on the Boxing Insider Promotions card on March 7. The primary occasion options fellow Holy Spirit graduate Justin Figueroa, the undefeated Junior NABF tremendous welterweight champion who has grow to be one of the vital widespread fighters within the area. Lia Lewandowski, the rising girls’s boxing prospect from Berlin, New Jersey, can also be in motion.
For Popper, preventing in Atlantic Metropolis carries private weight that extends past the aggressive alternative. He grew up minutes from the boardwalk, performed highschool sports activities within the space, and now returns as knowledgeable athlete constructing his profession on the identical shore the place he was raised.
“That is such an incredible second, being from Atlantic Metropolis, having these fights and boxing choose again up in Atlantic Metropolis,” Popper informed 973 ESPN forward of his November bout. “This can be a very cool second. Clearly, my thoughts is targeted on one factor, however yeah, that is very cool.”
What Comes Subsequent
Popper’s objectives for 2026 are bold however measured. He needs at the least 5 fights this yr, starting with March 7 and focusing on a return in April. The target is easy: step up the extent of opposition, crack the heavyweight rankings, and start positioning himself for title competition.
“It’s about leveling up my opponents to get into the rankings and chase these championships,” Popper mentioned. “I really imagine I generally is a world champion — I’ve obtained the potential.”
Whether or not that potential interprets to a title shot stays years away. However the constructing blocks are in place: an athletic basis that few heavyweights can declare, an ideal knockout charge that calls for consideration, a gymnasium of his personal that retains him immersed within the sport each day, and the sort of iterative self-improvement — from diet to psychological preparation to cross-training — that means a fighter who takes the lengthy view severely.
The heavyweight division is essentially the most unforgiving class in boxing. Popper, a former soccer participant who discovered the game late and discovered it quick, continues to be within the earliest chapters of his skilled profession. On March 7 on the Tropicana Atlantic Metropolis, introduced by Boxing Insider Promotions, the subsequent chapter will get written.
