Boxing Insider’s Club Boxing Series returns to the Tropicana Showroom in Atlantic City on Saturday, March 7, with a six-bout card featuring a blend of undefeated prospects and proven regional talent from New Jersey, New York, and beyond. The entire card will stream free on the BoxingInsider YouTube channel.
Doors open at 6:00 PM with the first bell at 7:30 PM. The card is sanctioned by the New Jersey Athletic Control Board. Tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster.
Figueroa Headlines Against Venegas Jr.
Junior NABF Super Welterweight Champion Justin “Just in Time” Figueroa (14-0, 11 KOs) tops the card against Gilbert Venegas Jr. (11-2, 6 KOs) of East Moline, Illinois. The Atlantic City native and Holy Spirit High School graduate has fought 10 of his 14 professional bouts at home and won his title by unanimous decision over Jarrod Tennant in San Antonio last August. In a recent interview on 97.3 ESPN’s The Sports Bash, Figueroa called this his most demanding training camp to date, working with a new world-class coach in Cherry Hill and sparring former world champions and top-ranked amateurs.
Popper Brings the Heavyweight Power
Heavyweight Josh “The Hammer” Popper (5-0, 3 KOs) returns to Atlantic City to face Dillon Pumphrey. The 6-foot-3, Somers Point native is another Holy Spirit High School product who took a longer road to the ring. Popper played college football at Rowan University, earned New Jersey Athletic Conference All-Conference first team honors, and received rookie minicamp invitations from the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals and Indianapolis Colts. When football didn’t pan out, he turned to boxing full-time.
Popper won the 2023 New York Ring Masters Championship and the New York Boxing Tournament at heavyweight before turning professional in October 2024. He has since built a 5-0 record with three stoppages while also founding Bredwinners Boxing gym in Manhattan, where he trains clients alongside his own fight career. His combination of athleticism, size, and crossover appeal — Popper has drawn media attention well beyond the boxing pages — makes him one of the most watchable heavyweights on the East Coast club scene.
Leonardo Brings the Body Work
John “Body Shot” Leonardo (12-1-1, 6 KOs) of Manalapan, New Jersey, faces Millville’s Edgar Joe Cortes in an all-Jersey affair at 122 pounds. Leonardo, trained by his father Donald — a retired professional boxer and 1987 Daily News Golden Gloves champion — has built his reputation on relentless body work passed down through the family. In his last Atlantic City appearance, Leonardo delivered a sixth-round TKO of Frank Gonzalez, steadily breaking his opponent down before the referee waved it off. At 24, with a style that rewards patience from the crowd, Leonardo is becoming one of the card’s most reliable draws.
Lewandowski Steps Up in Competition
South Jersey’s Lia “Rogue” Lewandowski (3-0, 1 KO) takes on veteran Indeya “Azucar” Rodriguez (6-8-3, 1 KO) in a six-round light flyweight bout that represents a clear step up. Lewandowski, a Drexel University graduate with a double major in Global Studies and Political Science, didn’t begin training in combat sports until 2020 but rose quickly through the amateur ranks, reaching the top five nationally at 114 pounds with USA Boxing. The 27-year-old from Berlin, New Jersey, turned professional and has won all three outings since.
Rodriguez, with 17 professional fights on her record, is the most experienced opponent Lewandowski has faced. As BoxingScene recently profiled, Lewandowski expects to move to eight-round bouts after this fight and has her sights set on a world title. A strong showing against a battle-tested opponent would go a long way toward validating that timeline.
Sanchez, Solis Round Out the Card
Pleasantville’s Julio “Julez” Sanchez III takes on Christopher Williams, adding another South Jersey name to a card heavy with local talent. Undefeated super welterweight Jacob Riley Solis (7-0-1, 6 KOs) of New York City meets Jeremy Ramos. Solis, who started boxing at age nine in Los Angeles County, has stopped six of his eight opponents since turning professional and has become a Boxing Insider Promotions regular across both the Tropicana and Sony Hall cards.
The Full Card
- Justin Figueroa (14-0, 11 KOs) vs. Gilbert Venegas Jr. (11-2, 6 KOs) — super welterweight
- John Leonardo (12-1-1, 6 KOs) vs. Edgar Joe Cortes — super bantamweight
- Lia Lewandowski (3-0, 1 KO) vs. Indeya Rodriguez (6-8-3, 1 KO) — light flyweight
- Jacob Riley Solis (7-0-1, 6 KOs) vs. Jeremy Ramos — super welterweight
- Josh Popper (5-0, 3 KOs) vs. Dillon Pumphrey — heavyweight
- Julio Sanchez III vs. Christopher Williams
Tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster. The full card streams live and free from the Tropicana Showroom on the BoxingInsider YouTube channel — no paywall, no subscription, just boxing the way it should be.
