Felix Verdejo Dominates Ivan Najera: Puts Boxing World on Notice

By Travis “Novel” Fleming

Saturday night, live from the Madison Square Garden Theatre in New York, on the HBO undercard of Nicholas Walters vs Miguel Marriaga, was another fighter who in a few years will likely have his name alongside Walters, Terrence Crawford, and Vasyl Lomachenko on the pound for pound list of the future in Puerto Rico’s Felix Verdejo, 18-0, 13 KO’s. Verdejo seems poised to take the torch from Miguel Cotto, Iike Cotto did from Felix Trinidad, as the next superstar from the boxing crazed island of Puerto Rico.

Like Walters, in the main event, Verdejo showed that he can do it all. His opponent was no pushover. Ivan Najera, 16-0, 8 KO’s, came into the fight undefeated as well, and he is a tough customer who took some monstrous punches and kept coming, but Verdejo showed he was a class above. Verdejo out boxed and out slugged Najera, impressing in his first major card appearance on HBO. I think we saw Verdejo throw every punch possible in boxing, he has an incredible punch variety. He has a bit of mean streak too, when his opponent lands he instantly fires back with bad intentions. He’s a very good counter puncher, goes to the body, has good power, great ring generalship and above all he has the composure and patience of a wily veteran at only 22 years old. Verdejo made it look easy against hungry, undefeated prospect Ivan Najera. He controlled every round, winning a shutout decision over ten rounds and knocking Najera down in rounds 5 and 7.

This kid is going to be a star, and he will likely get a title shot within a year. He’s a very big lightweight who could fill out to welterweight in no time, so don’t be surprised to see him move up in weight, collecting belts along the way. I just hope he remains a lightweight long enough for Nicholas Walters to move up from featherweight, because a fight between these two would be an intriguing battle of prototypical boxer/punchers.

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