Lightweight Felix “El Diamante” Verdejo (27-1, 17, KOs) won by first round KO against previously unbeaten Will Madera (15-1-3, 8 KOs) on Thursday night inside “The Bubble” at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. A barrage of punches finished Madera. Time was 2:59.
“I am proud of the work I put in with my trainer, Ismael Salas. The hard work is paying off,” Verdejo said. “Madera is a good fighter, but when I had him hurt, I knew I could finish him. As for what’s next, Vasiliy Lomachenko is the top guy at lightweight. We have unfinished business from when he beat me in the Olympics. That’s the fight I ultimately want.”
Unbeaten heavyweight Jared “The Real Big Baby” Anderson (5-0, 5 KOs) scored a first round knockout against Hector Perez (7-3, 3 KOs). It took Anderson 105 seconds to take out Perez with an overhand right and log his fourth first-round stoppage in five fights.
“That was too quick!” said Anderson afterward. “I got him out of there and implemented what I’ve been working on in the gym…after I hit him with the right hand, I knew it was over. He couldn’t take my power.
“I want to return as soon as possible. I leave that in the hands of my promoter, but when they give me a date, I’ll be ready. It doesn’t matter who they put in front of me. Any of these guys who have fought in the ‘Bubble,’ I’ll fight them.”
Unbeaten featherweight Martino Jules (10-0, 2 KOs) took an eight round majority decision Aleem Jumakhonov (8-3-2, 4 KOs). Scores were 76-76, 78-74, 78-74.
Lightweight Kenny Davis Jr. (3-2-1, 0 KOs) won a four round majority decision over Eduardo Sanchez (2-3, 0 KOs) Davis dropped Sanchez with a body shot at the end of round three, then hit him when he was down (which got a warning). A point was deducted from Davis for losing his mouthpiece in round four. 37-37, 38-36, 38-36.
Verdejo appears to be a pro bust. I’ve seen few prospects brought along more slowly and protected. Top rank only matches him with Lomachenko to cash out.
The under 8.5 at plus 400 was a steal
Verdejo was impressive in the abbreviated fight. His career prior to this fight has been disappointing. He showed a varied arsenal and appears to be climbing back into contention. However, we didn’t see enough of him to tell if he’s really ready to live up to the former hype.
I liked what I saw, but he had a tendency to fade during his more recent fights. I would like to see him fight against a contender next.