Last Saturday night, Felix Verdejo celebrated Puerto Rico Day a few hours early with a brutal beating of Juan Jose Martinez
The 23-year-old Verdejo came off two lackluster victories, albeit unanimous decisions. He admitted heading into the bout he needs to impress at the Garden to set up some lucrative lightweight fights. Did he ever, stopping Martinez 2:40 into the fifth round.
In what has become a tradition for Puerto Rican fighters started by such champions as Felix Trinidad and Miguel Cotto, Verdejo dominated his Mexican opponent with sharp rights and precise jabs. No punch was sharper or more damaging than a massive right late in the fifth round.
The unbeaten Verdejo then set upon Martinez against the ropes and pummeled him until referee Michael Ortega stopped it.
Verdejo now is 22-0 with 15 knockouts and has become the Caribbean island's hottest prospect. This was one of his most impressive victories, perhaps helped by Martinez's style that made him an easy target.
"He was tailor made for me, he stood in front of me, right there. It was my kind of fight," Verdejo said.
Verdejo, 134 pounds, opened a cut under Martinez's right eye in the third round as the heavily Puerto Rican crowd of 4,545 in the Theater at Madison Square Garden cheered lustily.
They cheered even louder at the end, then Verdejo grabbed a Puerto Rico flag and waved it in the ring.
Why was Verdejo so good this time?
"I trained a lot harder and I have adjusted to the pressure I felt in previous fights," he said. "I lost my focus in those fights, and I had to work much harder in this fight to regain it."
