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Healthy Felix Verdejo to return on Apr. 25

Fighters Network
11
Mar
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.

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.

After suffering an injury that postponed his 2015 debut, lightweight Felix Verdejo is eager to make his ring return.

Verdejo will fight Marco Antonio Lopez on Apr. 25 at the Coliseo Mario Morales in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.

The 10-round bout will headline a Top Rank card and will be broadcast on UniMas, beginning at 11 p.m. ET/ PT.

Verdejo was originally scheduled to make his 2015 debut on Feb. 28 in Tampa, Florida. During training camp for that bout, Verdejo suffered an injury to his left hand. An MRI showed swelling of the metacarpal ligament tendon in his left hand.



A doctor ordered Verdejo to not have any contact for three to four weeks, prompting the unbeaten fighter to withdraw from the Feb. 28 bout.

Verdejo (16-0, 12 knockouts) will be fighting in his first 10-rounder as a pro.

“For me, there is nothing better than representing Puerto Rico, honoring my flag and bringing joy to my island,” said Verdejo.

“Puerto Rico’s favorite son returns to the island and his fans on April 25 for his 2015 debut, and the first title fight of his promising career (the bout is for a regional WBO belt),” said Carl Moretti, who is the Vice President of Boxing Operations for Top Rank. “We know this will be a great night of boxing headlined by ‘El Diamante.'”

In his last bout on Dec. 13, Verdejo stopped Karim El Ouazghari in the fourth round in Philadelphia. The 21-year-old fought seven times in 2014, winning six of them by knockout.

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

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, Boxingscenec.com, and Knockout Nation. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing

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