By Francisco Salazar
On a 'Solo Boxeo Tecate' broadcast that aired on August 15, host Ernesto Amador asked Felix Verdejo, who was sitting ringside in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, if he was ready for his ring return on October 31.
The question caught Verdejo, and boxing fans who tuned in to the broadcast, off guard. Verdejo seemed unaware that is the target date when he would return to the ring.
Following his June 13 win over Ivan Najera in New York City, Verdejo traveled to Los Angeles to have a procedure done on his last hand to remove bone spurs.
While the boxing world awaits the ring return of Verdejo, the likelihood of the popular fighter from Puerto Rico fighting on that date could be more realistic than hype.
"Felix could return to the ring in late October or early November," Top Rank Vice President of Operations Carl Moretti told BoxingScene.com recently. "That is if and when doctors give the okay for him (Verdejo) to start hitting the pads."
Top Rank has not officially announced when Verdejo will return to the ring. Boxrec lists Verdejo as fighting in Kissimmee, Florida on October 31, but the date and location could be wrong.
Verdejo has fought a few times in the Orlando area, not far from Kissimmee, to partisan crowds.
Verdejo (18-0, 14 KOs) is in his hometown of San Juan, Puerto Rico, mostly doing conditioning work. It is not known when Verdejo has or will begin working with mitts.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for RingTV since September of 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (CA) Star newspaper, RingTV, and Knockout Nation. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing
