The Other Hebrew Hammer
Today’s boxing fans may know welterweight Cletus Seldin as the Hebrew Hammer. But it turns out he’s not the only one in the ring using that moniker. In fact, the other fighter, Mark Weinman, was using the alias — and winning bouts — before the 25-year-old Seldin was even born. And Weinman’s back at it…21 years after his last match.
Weinman knocked out 32-year-old Elvis Martinez of the Dominican Republic in 39 seconds at a boxing event in Tampa, Florida on Saturday. Not bad for a 50 year-old super-middleweight who retired from the sport in 1991 following a three-fight losing streak. Weinman was once a well-known New York middleweight who had won the first 11 fights of his professional career.
Since retiring, Weinman has been working as a trainer, but he felt he had more of a desire to fight than did some of his fighters. Not all together satisfied with how his original career ended, Weinman decided to get back in the ring. “I also needed a little redemption. I didn’t like the way my career ended [the first time]. I started out 11-0 as a pro with nine knockouts, but things didn’t go well after that. I wanted to try it again,” he said after Saturday’s event.
Weinman’s professional boxing hiatus set the record for the longest time between bouts, but he’s clearly hammered home the fact that this fighting Jew is back.
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