By Jake Donovan

An HBO-televised doubleheader featuring Terence Crawford and Felix Verdejo in separate bouts will play in front of a standing-room only audience.

Expectations for the February 27 show at Madison Square Garden Theatre to be completely sold out midway through fight week. As of Wednesday morning, Top Rank announced less than 100 tickets were left at the box office for this weekend's show.

"With 83 ticktets left at the box office (as of Wednesday morning) and nothing being retuned from the fighters who took consignment tickets, we obviously expect a sell out on Saturday night," Carl Moretti, vice president of operations for Top Rank informed BoxingScene.com.

The main event pits Crawford - who makes his MSG debut - in the second defense of his super lightweight title as he faces Hank Lundy. In the evening's chief support, Felix Verdejo faces William Silva in a 10-round battle of unbeaten lightweights.

Crawford (27-0, 19KOs) gained near-universal recognition as 2014 Fighter of the Year, a 12-month campaign that included his first career title win as well as back-to-back sold out shows in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. The year that was in 2015 wasn't quite as kind, only getting two fights, neither of which particularly moved the needle the way he did 12 months prior. It did, however, include a title win in a second weight class, as the former 135 lb. king moved up in weight to knock out Thomas Dulorme in six round to win the super lightweight title in Arlington, Texas.

Six long months later came his second - and final - fight of 2015, stopping Dierry Jean in 10 one-sided rounds, once again in front of a capacity crowd in Omaha. The win put him in the running for a possible crack at Manny Pacquiao, but was instead passed over for his close friend and former two-division champ Timothy Bradley, Jr.

Part of the moving on process involved expanding his brand, particularly on the East Coast. Top Rank played it smart, pairing him up with Verdejo (19-0, 14KOs), a fan favorite in New York, Orlando and back home in Puerto Rico. Saturday night will mark his fifth career appearance on MSG property and sixth overall fight in New York City.

His last MSG appearance - a 10-round win over Ivan Najera last June - was telling in terms of his local appeal. Most of the crowd began to file out shortly after his fight, despite the fact that he was only the co-feature. Nicholas Walters headlined the show, but his 12-round win over Miguel Marriaga played mostly to empty chairs and to the backs of fans heading for the exit, of the belief that their night ended the moment Verdejo - a 2012 Puerto Rico Olympian - registered the 18th win of his young career.

More remarkable of his performance that evening was that he went in with his right hand already damaged, only getting worse by fight's end. It was enough to where surgery and the natural healing process put him on the shelf for six months - canceling a planned Halloween return in Kissimmee, Florida before being greenlighted for a homecoming in San Juan last December.

Saturday's show is part of an amibitious schedule that calls for Verdejo to ultimately fight four times in the span of just six months. Two of the four will come at Madison Square Garden Theatre, As long as he keeps winning and remains healthy, his fight on Saturday will be followed by an April 16 headliner in Puerto Rico and then a return to MSG on June 11, possibly headlining his first show at the venue on a NYC weekend dedicated to the Puerto Rican Day Parade.

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