Verdejo's December Return Depends on Healing Process

By Jake Donovan

The disappointment over Puerto Rico's Felix Verdejo being forced to withdraw from an October 31 headlining appearance at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee was felt on many levels. Chief among them was Verdejo himself, who was looking forward to his scheduled bout versus Brazil's Josenilson dos Santos in a bout that was due to air live on UniMas.

“I’m very sad about all this,” Verdejo (18-0, 13KOs) said of having to drop out of what was a sold-out show after reaggravating an old hand injury during a workout session last Thursday. “I wanted to give back all the love the fans in Kissimmee have given me, with a good fight, but they deserve the best of me and in order to give my best inside the ring, I need to be 100% ready.”

Verdejo has a history with hand injuries, the latest coming in June following a 10-round decision over Ivan Najera in New York City. The win came on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day Parade, with Verdejo twice dropping Najera and fighting like a guy who wanted to close the show.

It didn't happen, nor has any other fight since then as he underwent successful hand surgery - at least to the point of returning to the gym in hopes of a ring return in the fall and one more in December.

The working theory was that the unbeaten boxer would move forward with plans to appear on a December 11 show at home in Puerto Rico. Tentative plans suggested simply rescheduling the fight in place with dos Santos, with the bout to be paired up on a truTV telecast alongside a super bantamweight clash between former four-division champ Nonito Donaire and Mexicos' Cesar Juarez.

However, the 22-year old contender  - who represented Puerto Rico in the 2012 London Olympic - is unable to commit until his hands fully heal.

"Look, I'd love to say yeah, the kid's gonna fight in December; unfortunately for Felix Verdejo, I'm not a doctor," Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum - whose Top Rank company promotes both aforementioned shows - told Boxingscene.com over the weekend. "He was ready to fight next week, and look what happened.

"Once we get the all clear from Felix that his hand is all better, we can revisit the best possible scenario for when he can return. He's a terrific young kid, and the Puerto Rican fans absolutely adore him. Of course we want him back in the ring as soon as possible. But he has to be healthy for that to happen, and that's just not in anybody's control."

The worst case scenario is that Verdejo sits out the remainder of 2015. His rehealing process potentially impact the drawing power of the Decemeber 11 truTV as well as the Halloween edition of Solo Boxeo Tecate in Kissimmee; however, both shows will still proceed as otherwise planned.

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox