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As you may have heard by
now, there isn't much of an undercard this Saturday night at Madison Square
Garden before Sergio Martinez defends his middleweight crown versus Miguel
Cotto. But if there is anyone worth watching before the evening's main event,
it's lightweight Felix Verdejo, who faces Engelberto Valenzuela right before
the HBO Pay-Per-View broadcast begins.
As the baton was passed from
Felix Trinidad to Cotto, it is expected that Verdejo will be the next great
fighter from the boxing-mad island of Puerto Rico. With Cotto in the twilight
of his accomplished career, simply put, Verdejo is the future.
Since turning professional
in late 2012 after representing his country in the last Olympic Games, Verdejo (for
these very reasons) has been strategically placed on big cards in locations
such as Orlando (when Cotto headlined there last October) and Macao, China (when
Manny Pacquiao faced Brandon Rios a month later). He's made his share of
appearances on UniMas like any other blue-chip prospect but it's clear he's
being groomed for much bigger things.
“I'm very happy, thankful to God for this opportunity and I'm very happy with
my promoter Top Rank for giving me a chance to be on such a great card,” said
Verdejo through Jason Marquez on Tuesday afternoon. “I'm very happy at the
point I'm at right now and the fights I've been getting and very happy with the
way Top Rank has been growing my career.”
Verdejo is a friendly and
engaging individual, who is also extremely modest and respectful. He's still at
the stage where he's thanking his promoters instead of trying to sue them. But
it's that smile and the boyish good looks - alongside a lethal left-hook - that
have Rican's conjuring up images of “Tito” Trinidad. There is a certain
charisma to “Diamante” that is undeniable. Boxing, which will inevitably have
to deal with the departures of Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, needs a few
Verdejos to carry the business into the future. There might be a temptation to
rush the process.
“We have to remember he just
turned 20 years old, so at the end of the day, if we remember he's 20 years old
- this is a marathon and not a sprint - then it's not hard to hold him back,”
said Carl Moretti of Top Rank Promotions, which handles his career. “But you
just want him to progress. We had a tough start to the year with the early
knockouts and a pull-out in his last fight with the late replacement. But we’re
hoping to get rounds on Saturday night and then he'll fight again in August and
we’ll step up the opponent depending on how many rounds and how he looks. We'll
go from there.”
Verdejo, a lean 5’9”, is
just now growing into his body and developing his “man strength.” You can
easily project him being a welterweight in a few years. This will be his fourth
bout in 2014 and he continues to polish his professional skill set. When asked
of the biggest technical improvement he's made thus far, Verdejo states, “I've
gotten better on my side-to-side movement and also in not getting too anxious in
the fights, staying relaxed.”
There are still many
questions in the air about Verdejo: Can he take a shot to the whiskers? Can he
go late rounds? How will he handle stardom? He is clearly being tabbed as the
heir apparent for Cotto and counted on as the next franchise fighter for Top
Rank. You could already argue that he is an attraction. Recently, Puerto Ricans
have had more suspects than prospects (remember the forgettable “Team Puerto
Rico”?) but Verdejo just might be the real thing.
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| Photo © Gardy Lopez |
This much is clear: he's
already a popular entity. Last weekend, he was mobbed at the Bronx Cultural
Festival where he conducted an open workout. Top Rank's Gardy Lopez, says, “People
went crazy over him.” Lopez, who accompanied Verdejo to this event, says the
fighter was not only mobbed by the public but received great exposure from the
Puerto Rican media outlets on the scene.
“When he spoke to the people
on stage, I was there with him and it was like a sea of people on the street,” recalled
Lopez, who is Puerto Rican and resides there. Verdejo was taken aback by the
reception he received. “I'm very happy with the way the Puerto Rican fans
showed up for me at the Bronx. It was incredible.”
And he is very aware of his
countrymen’s expectations. “Definitely,” states Verdejo. “They're anxious for a
new star, the person that carries our flag in boxing. Yeah, they show me that
they want me to be that guy.”
But for now, Verdejo is
still that understudy, that guy serving an apprenticeship to the headline
performers as he learns his craft. But the time could be coming soon when his
name is much higher on the bout sheet in bold letters. When asked where he sees
Verdejo in one year, Moretti says, “I see him on a show at the Madison Square
Garden in the Theater or in the upstairs arena in a televised bout.”
“Time will tell; I'll just keep
doing my job,” said Verdejo, who has a mark of 12-0 (9). “When it's my turn,
it's my turn. It'll be an incredible opportunity.”
SOE
My latest contribution to SportsOnEarth.com
details the ramifications of Richard Schaefer's resignation from Golden Boy
Promotions on Floyd Mayweather:
Speaking of which, here is
the statement from Oscar De la Hoya on the future of Golden Boy, post-Schaefer:
“Golden Boy Promotions is
moving ahead on all fronts. We look forward to continuing and expanding our key
position in the boxing world and to providing the public with the very best the
sport has to offer.”
TNR
The latest episode of “The
Next Round” with Gabe Montoya and Yours Truly:
NEW YORK FLURRIES
So should Martinez vs. Cotto
be billed “Brace Yourself”?...By the time you read this, I might already be at
Jimmy's Corner...“Hungry Investors” is a very good show; I've locked it into my
rotation...The pressure is on Colin Kaepernick to be an elite QB week-in and week-out
now with his new deal...
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