Felix Verdejo was late to the main event in tonight’s Top Rank Boxing on the ESPN broadcast, and the Puerto Rican fighter, who was once expected to be a big star in the sport, made the most of it.
Verdejo (27-1, 17 KO) crushed Will Madera in the first round, dropping and stopping his opponent at 2:59.
Verdejo, 27, hurt Madera (15-1-3, 8 KO) in a flurry, and then dropped him after pushing Madera, undefeated (but largely unproven, to be fair) to the corner , where Verdejo got a lead to the uppercut right, a right hand following up and a left hook to knock Madera down hard.
Madera did not get up and referee Robert Hoyle stopped the fight.
This was Verdejo’s second fight with acclaimed coach Ismael Salas, following a January victory over Manny Rojas, where Verdejo worked 10 uninspiring rounds. Determination and desire have long been the questions about Verdejo, but tonight he displayed a true killer instinct.
“In terms of technical and tactical work, we explicitly worked on certain things in the camp, but more importantly, I was just listening to him,” Verdejo told Bernardo Osuna after the fight. “He said to me: ‘Stay stable, stay calm, go out and do what you know how to do. Keep that punch out there, use that front hand to set up the chases. I did it and came out with the victory. “
Verdejo emphasized that while he won a quick victory, he did not do so with reckless abandon.
“I took my time. I came here established, I wanted to measure what I had, how hard it hit, “he said. “Once I found out, I did, I released my hands, but always under control, and the knockout came.”
Verdejo was once seen as a top prospect in the sport and was a treasured signing for Top Rank at the 2012 Olympics, but an annoying loss to Antonio Lozada in 2018 was followed by a series of performances that garnered mixed reviews at best of cases though I was getting wins.
After this performance, there will be speculation that Verdejo is “back” to what everyone thought it could be, and he is saying it himself.
“Stay ready, because Félix Verdejo is back, and I am ready to fight the best. That’s my message to all of them: get ready. “
And as for the 2012 Olympics, where he lost to amateur legend Vasiliy Lomachenko, but showed many promises in defeat, Verdejo would still like some revenge.
“The one who weighs the most 135 pounds is Vasiliy Lomachenko. He is the best in the division, but the most important thing is that we have unfinished business and I want to get a rematch of what happened at the Olympic Games.”
If Verdejo has really started putting it back together, he’s absolutely someone to watch the 135lbs, which is a really fun weight class right now with Lomachenko, Teofimo Lopez, Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia, Jorge Linares, Luke Campbell, Richard Commey, maybe Gervonta “Tank” Davis if he stays at 135, and other quality fighters. Verdejo is not old and has not passed the point where he could still capitalize on his skill and be the best fighter he was supposed to be. It could be very interesting in the future, and that feels good to say.
Martino Jules MD-8 Aleem Jumakhonov
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Mikey Williams / Top Rank
This ran into the role of co-feature. Jules is a 23-year-old left-handed featherweight from Allentown, Penn., And he showed a bit of skill here, but also a bit of unease as this fight progressed, with Jumakhonov not leaving, giving Jules a bloody nose and bring some blood. pressure with which Jules had some problems.
BLH scored this 76-76, which is also what one of the judges had, but that was canceled by two 78-74 cards in favor of Jules, keeping him undefeated at 10-0 (2 KO). He’s certainly not a grade A prospect or anything, but in the early rounds you could definitely see some skill in the young fighter, things that hopefully can be polished and fine-tuned and perhaps give him a chance to climb the ladder. But lack of drilling power could also be an important factor for him.
As for Jumakhonov (8-3-2, 4 KO), this is a 27-year-old fighter, originally from Tajikistan and now based in California, who has the kind of tool established to be a possible fan favorite in the B-shows. like the Golden Boy Thursday night series, a guy who could try and maybe even expose some perspectives for a few years.
Jared Anderson TKO-1 Héctor Pérez
This fight was postponed but it happened tonight, second fight on The Bubble for both of them. Anderson, of course, is a legitimate heavyweight prospect, a 20-year-old blue chipper from Toledo, and he crushed Pérez from Puerto Rico here, knocking him down and arresting him at 1:45. Perez came down and showed no intention of getting up, so referee Russell Mora suspended him after an eight count, making him a TKO.
Anderson (5-0, 5 KO) entered the third round the last time on June 9, but returned for demolition of the first round here. Everyone is fully aware that he is FAR from being a contender, as Perez (7-3, 3 KO) is what the French call “pas très bien”, but there is at least a little bit of speculation about what kind of steps to take. Could do for the next year or so.
“Anyone who’s good, anyone,” Anderson said when asked about potential opponents he could wrestle with as he develops. “I want Olympians, I want former world champions, challengers, everything. Anyone I can get, really.
The heavyweight division is definitely not without breakdowns that continue to advance and fight, so you’ll find plenty of willing opponents as you go.
Kenny Davis Jr MD-4 Eduardo Sánchez
Generally speaking, these are two guys who, fighting each other, would never make it to the biggest national television, but they did, and he blessed them, put up a damn four-round junk.
After a fairly even first round, Sánchez shot out in the second, landing 43 of 130 shots in the round. That work rate seemed to overwhelm Davis again in the third, until Davis scored with a heavy blow to the body that put Sanchez on the canvas at the end of the round.
But Davis also hit Sanchez while he was depressed, earning him a warning to start the fourth and final round, and then Davis lost a point for missing his spokesman a second time, causing the scores to be awkward at 37-37. , 38-36, and 38-36, the last two going the Davis way and giving him his third consecutive victory. BLH was also 38-36 Davis for what it’s worth.
The 24-year-old lightweight Davis now has 3-2-1 (0 KO), while Sánchez, 28, falls to 2-3 (0 KO). And really, congratulations to these two guys. Possibly they got their only shot at an ESPN card, and put up a good fight.
