Josh Popper was supposed to be a football player. As a standout defensive lineman at Holy Spirit High School in Absecon, Modern Jersey, and later an All-American at Rowan University, he did everything right – earning first-team All-NJAC honors, posting dominant numbers and making it to NFL mini-camps with the Arizona Cardinals and Indianapolis Colts. When professional soccer doesn’t work out, most athletes in his position find a desk job and move on.

Popper moved to Modern York and began beating people for a living.

Now 32 years venerable and with a perfect record of 5-0 with five knockouts, the Egg Harbor Township native returns to Jersey Shore on March 7 when he fights on the Boxing Insider Promotions card at Tropicana Atlantic City. It’s another homecoming for a player whose career has been anything but conventional.

Football Foundation

Popper’s sports roots run deep in South Jersey. At Holy Spirit, he was part of the 2010 team that went 12-0 and won the Non-Public Group III state championship — a team that included future NFL quarterback Joe Callahan, USC linebacker Anthony Sarao and Villanova linebacker Joe Sarnese. Popper played defense and also suited up for the Spartans basketball team, developing footwork and court awareness that would serve him well later in the ring.

At Rowan University in Glassboro, Modern Jersey, Popper became one of the NJAC’s most disruptive defenders. As a senior in 2015, he recorded 56 tackles, nine tackles for loss, five sacks and an interception, earning All-American honors and first-team All-NJAC recognition. The numbers caught the attention of NFL scouts, and Popper received invitations to rookie minicamps with the team Arizona Cardinals in 2016 and the Indianapolis Colts in 2017.

Neither period resulted in a place in the squad. But in a recent interview with Josh Hennig for… 973 ESPN South JerseyPopper described the experience as fundamental, not disappointing.

“When I graduated from college, I got the opportunity to wear an NFL helmet with two different teams, the Cardinals and the Colts. Unfortunately, it was short-lived,” Popper said. “But playing football at the highest level, or at least being around these guys and being in an environment like that, really prepares you for life.”

Passage to the Ring

After the NFL doors closed, Popper moved to Modern York and took up boxing. He began training in 2019 and quickly showed enough promise to compete as an amateur, compiling a 7-2 record that included wins at the Modern York Ringmasters and Metropolitan Championships in 2023. In February 2021, he founded Bredwinners Boxing, a Manhattan gym where he trains fighters and trainers for clients of all skill levels.

Popper turned professional in 2024 and was devastating early in his career. All five of his wins were by knockout, four were in the first round, and his last fight went to the third round – a statistic that speaks to both his strength and overwhelming athleticism that most early-career heavyweights simply cannot match.

“I like to think of myself as a very glossy boxer. I move very smoothly – I box like I’m a middleweight, but obviously I’m a heavyweight,” Popper said. “That’s something every heavyweight has to fear when they get in the ring with me: being able to match my speed, my IQ, my athleticism and my footwork. And I really pack a punch.”

At 6-foot-10, Popper has a physique that allows him to compete with larger heavyweights, but what sets him apart at this stage is the athleticism that comes with playing multiple sports. His basketball experience shows in his lateral movements; his years of football gave him an understanding of controlled aggression and leverage.

Evolution of the approach

Ahead of the March 7 event, Popper spoke with Hennig about the improvements he’s made since he last appeared on a Boxing Insider Promotions card at Tropicana in November 2025. The changes go far beyond the gym.

As for training, Popper added swimming to his conditioning program – an unusual choice for a heavyweight, but one based on sound logic. “Swimming is great for cardio exercise without putting any stress on your joints,” he explained. “It helps with arm work and breathing control. I was terrible at it at first – I could barely do a lap – but I love the challenge.”

Mental preparation has also changed. Popper admitted that his last fight on the Boxing Insider card at Tropicana, while a victory, exposed some gaps in his mental readiness. Fighting in front of a raucous hometown crowd was different from the controlled conditions of the training room, and the adjustment to it unsettled him early on.

“Last time, I was distracted by fighting in a recent place with my own audience – it wasn’t the serene room I’m used to,” Popper said. “In this camp, I sparred in different gyms, in noise, talking to people and with different partners, to build that mental toughness. I wasn’t that mentally prepared before. After the first round, I felt uncomfortable, but I managed. Now it’s about simulating chaos.”

Perhaps the most pronounced change was the nutritional one. As a heavyweight, Popper doesn’t face the weight-cutting demands of smaller fighters, but he has changed his diet to maximize results rather than just gain weight.

“I ate the same thing every day, ending with McDonald’s cookies – they apply up a lot of energy,” he said. “Now I’m working with Matter Formula in Modern York on macronutrient-based meals made with real food. I’m aiming for 235 pounds (I weigh 237 now) and planning everything accordingly. No more skipping meals. It makes a huge difference in sleep, concentration and training.”

Local connection

Popper is part of the South Jersey contingent on the March 7 Boxing Insider Promotions card. The main event will feature another Holy Spirit alumnus, Justin Figueroa, the undefeated NABF junior super welterweight champion who has become one of the most popular fighters in the region. Also in action is Lia Lewandowski, an emerging women’s boxing prospect from Berlin, Modern Jersey.

For Popper, the fight in Atlantic City carries a personal significance beyond the scope of competition. He grew up minutes from the boardwalk, played sports at area high schools, and now is back as a professional athlete, building his career on the same coast where he grew up.

“It’s an amazing moment to be from Atlantic City and to have these fights and boxing come back to Atlantic City,” Popper told 973 ESPN ahead of his November fight. “It’s a very frigid moment. Of course my mind is focused on one thing, but yes, it’s very frigid.”

What will happen next

Popper’s goals for 2026 are ambitious but measurable. He wants to have at least five fights this year, starting on March 7 and planning to return in April. The goal is elementary: raise the level of your opponent, break through the heavyweight rankings and start positioning yourself for a title shot.

“It’s about raising the level of my opponents to get into the rankings and race for a championship,” Popper said. “I really believe I can become world champion – I have the potential.”

Whether this potential will translate into a title fight will remain clear in a few years. But the building blocks are in place: an athletic foundation that few heavyweights can achieve, an excellent knockout record that demands attention, a home gym that allows him to immerse himself in the sport every day, and the kind of iterative self-improvement — from nutrition to mental preparation to cross-training — that suggests a fighter who is stern about the long term.

The heavyweight division is the most unforgiving division in boxing. Popper, a former football player who discovered the sport behind schedule and learned it quickly, is still in the earliest stages of his professional career. On March 7 at Tropicana Atlantic City, during the Boxing Insider Promotions presentation, the next chapter is written.