Lightweight prospect Felix Verdejo (R) punches Sergio Villanueva on his way to a third-round knockout victory on Oct. 4, 2014. Photo by Alex Menendez/Getty Images.

Felix Verdejo made his mark as a standout prospect in 2014. He could make a transition towards contender status in 2015.

Verdejo will fight Marco Antonio Lopez on Feb. 28 in Tampa, Florida, at The Sun Dome on the campus of the University of South Florida.

The eight-round lightweight bout will headline a “Solo Boxeo Tecate” card and will be televised on UniMas.

In his last bout on Dec. 13, Verdejo (16-0, 12 knockouts) stopped Karim El Ouazghari in the fourth round. The bout came on the heels of a spectacular third-round knockout win over Sergio Villanueva on Oct. 4 in nearby Orlando.

Considered one of Top Rank’s most prized and talented prospects, Verdejo has a strong fanbase in his native Puerto Rico and his popularity has been spreading on the East Coast of the United States.

“I want to give the fans in Tampa a great fight so they can enjoy it just like the fans in Orlando have enjoyed my fights,” said Verdejo. “I’m very grateful for all the love and support that the fans in Florida have given me.”

The bout on Feb. 28 will be the last scheduled eight-round bout for Verdejo.

In his last bout on Jan. 16, Lopez (24-5, 15 KOs) knocked out Genaro Castorena in the fifth round. The win snapped a three-bout losing streak for the fighter from San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

In the eight-round co-feature bout, junior welterweight Julian Rodriguez (8-0, 7 KOs) will fight Raul Tovar (14-8-1, 4 KOs).

Francisco A. Salazar has written for RingTV since October of 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Salazar also covers boxing for the Ventura County (CA) Star newspaper, Boxingscene.com, and Knockout Nation. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing