Turning Stone Casino, New York - Felix "El Diamante" Verdejo 2.0 is off to a smooth start. Verdejo (26-1, 16 KOs), in his first fight since linking up with noted trainer Ismael Salas, outboxed Manuel Rey Rojas (18-4, 5 KOs) over 10 rounds in the lightweight co-feature by scores of 99-91, 98-92 and 97-93.
Verdejo has now won three in a row since the lone defeat of his career and, at 26 years old, is entering what should be his physical prime.
Also on the card, Abraham "El Super" Nova (18-0, 14 KOs) had a dominant Top Rank debut, knocking out Mexican veteran Pedro Navarrete (30-25-3, 19 Kos) in round four of a scheduled eight-round lightweight bout. Nova has now won four in a row via stoppage.
Former junior lightweight world title challenger Christopher "Pitufo" Diaz (25-2, 16 KOs) shut out former junior featherweight world title challenger Adeilson dos Santos (19-8, 15 KOs) in an eight-round featherweight bout. All three judges scored it 80-72.
