Fibroso
06-14-2015, 02:09 PM
Felix Verdejo outclasses Ivan Najera to remain unbeatenhttp://a1.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/media/motion/2015/0614/dm_150614_najera_verdejo/dm_150614_najera_verdejo.jpg&h=376&scale=crop&w=943&location=origin
NEW YORK -- Lightweight sensation Felix Verdejo, viewed by many as boxing's next major Puerto Rican star -- following in the footsteps of fighters such as Felix Trinidad and reigning middleweight champion Miguel Cotto --- took the next important step in that evolution as he routed Ivan Najera in a wide unanimous decision on Saturday night at the Theater at Madison Square Garden.
Verdejo made his HBO debut and fought for the first time in a featured bout on the eve of New York's annual Puerto Rican Day Parade, a date Top Rank developed for Cotto and one Verdejo is destined to take over.
Punch stats
Punches
Verdejo
Najera
Landed
194
101
Thrown
487
333
Percent
40%
30%
-- Courtesy of CompuBox
The 2012 Puerto Rican Olympian and 2014 ESPN.com prospect of the year did not disappoint the crowd of 3,321, which was dotted with Puerto Rican flags. He scored two knockdowns and easily outpointed San Antonio's "Bam Bam" Najera, 22, in the Nicholas Walters-Miguel Marriaga co-feature.
Two judges had it a 100-88 shutout and one had it 99-89. ESPN.com also had it for 100-88 for Verdejo, 22, who was never in any trouble. Not bad considering Verdejo said he hurt his left hand in the first round.
"This is one of the toughest opponents I have faced. He kept coming," Verdejo said. "I dropped him twice but he kept coming."
The fight began with a measured pace as they felt each other out before Najera tried to turn it into a brawl in the second round by going right at Verdejo and throwing punches with everything he had. But Verdejo slipped them and began to fire his own shots. He landed several hard left hooks, one of which got through cleanly and sent Najera into the ropes.
Verdejo (18-0, 13 KOs) had mild swelling on the outside of his left eye and Najera (16-1, 8 KOs) round his right eye by the end of the second round.
Verdejo went after Najera hard in the fourth round and was unloading powerful combinations after Najera clearly upset him by hitting him after a break. He nearly knocked Najera down with a left hook as the crowd went wild.
Verdejo got the crowd even more amped up in the fifth round when he landed a thunderous left uppercut that dropped Najera to his rear end. He got up quickly, but Verdejo was all over him landing heavy leather for most of the rest of the round. Najera took a beating in the round yet was smiling at Verdejo.
Verdejo, who plans to go down to the 130-pound junior lightweight division, scored another knockdown on a clean left hook a tick before the end of the seventh round.
Verdejo continued to dish out a beating in the eighth round as he lashed him with a two-handed attack. Najera showed enormous heart to last as long as he did.
"His punches come out of nowhere," Najera said. "He's tough, he's technically slick and he counters good."
NEW YORK -- Lightweight sensation Felix Verdejo, viewed by many as boxing's next major Puerto Rican star -- following in the footsteps of fighters such as Felix Trinidad and reigning middleweight champion Miguel Cotto --- took the next important step in that evolution as he routed Ivan Najera in a wide unanimous decision on Saturday night at the Theater at Madison Square Garden.
Verdejo made his HBO debut and fought for the first time in a featured bout on the eve of New York's annual Puerto Rican Day Parade, a date Top Rank developed for Cotto and one Verdejo is destined to take over.
Punch stats
Punches
Verdejo
Najera
Landed
194
101
Thrown
487
333
Percent
40%
30%
-- Courtesy of CompuBox
The 2012 Puerto Rican Olympian and 2014 ESPN.com prospect of the year did not disappoint the crowd of 3,321, which was dotted with Puerto Rican flags. He scored two knockdowns and easily outpointed San Antonio's "Bam Bam" Najera, 22, in the Nicholas Walters-Miguel Marriaga co-feature.
Two judges had it a 100-88 shutout and one had it 99-89. ESPN.com also had it for 100-88 for Verdejo, 22, who was never in any trouble. Not bad considering Verdejo said he hurt his left hand in the first round.
"This is one of the toughest opponents I have faced. He kept coming," Verdejo said. "I dropped him twice but he kept coming."
The fight began with a measured pace as they felt each other out before Najera tried to turn it into a brawl in the second round by going right at Verdejo and throwing punches with everything he had. But Verdejo slipped them and began to fire his own shots. He landed several hard left hooks, one of which got through cleanly and sent Najera into the ropes.
Verdejo (18-0, 13 KOs) had mild swelling on the outside of his left eye and Najera (16-1, 8 KOs) round his right eye by the end of the second round.
Verdejo went after Najera hard in the fourth round and was unloading powerful combinations after Najera clearly upset him by hitting him after a break. He nearly knocked Najera down with a left hook as the crowd went wild.
Verdejo got the crowd even more amped up in the fifth round when he landed a thunderous left uppercut that dropped Najera to his rear end. He got up quickly, but Verdejo was all over him landing heavy leather for most of the rest of the round. Najera took a beating in the round yet was smiling at Verdejo.
Verdejo, who plans to go down to the 130-pound junior lightweight division, scored another knockdown on a clean left hook a tick before the end of the seventh round.
Verdejo continued to dish out a beating in the eighth round as he lashed him with a two-handed attack. Najera showed enormous heart to last as long as he did.
"His punches come out of nowhere," Najera said. "He's tough, he's technically slick and he counters good."