Felix Verdejo Defeats William Silva in 10 Rounds

(Photo by Lauren Guillen – Double G Media)

The Theater at Madison Square Garden – In a 10 round unanimous decision, WBO Latino lightweight champion Felix Verdejo defeated opponent and former Latino lightweight champion William Silva in front of a sold-out crowd of over 5,000 spectators Saturday night.

The decision came by Judges John McKaie (99-91), Alan Rubenstein (100-90) and Robin Taylor (100-90), putting an end to Silva’s undefeated record. He entered the ring at 23-0, 14 KOs while Verdejo entered at 19-0, 14 KOs.

The victor and Puerto Rican native landed 106 of 421 total punches while Silva (São Paulo, Brazil) landed just 45 of 325. In a relatively uneventful fight Silva found himself spending most of his time defending punches while Verdejo’s key method seemed to be single punches and a few solid left hooks. At one point in the fifth round, Verdejo knocked Silva with a left hook that looked like it may have been the end of the fight.

Midway through the seventh round a barrage of boos overtook the Theater which was filled with restless Verdejo fans who were begging the fighters for more action.

However despite a lack of action, Verdejo was the one in control through all 10 rounds and easily dominated Silva in what seemed to be a relatively effortless victory. It appeared that Verdejo never had to exert himself too much and knew that he had the fight from early on.

“I felt very good during the fight. My opponent moved a lot, but I did what I had to do and got the win,” Verdejo told reporters following the fight.

The eighth rounded provided a bit of action in one sequence when Verdejo managed to land a few solid uppercuts. However, Silva’s quick movement stopped his opponent from landing anything too significant.

While obviously searching to end the night with KO, Verdejo cruised through the ninth and tenth round, despite not being able to land a big hit on Silva, who moved around quite a bit.

The win on Saturday night was Verdejo’s second since injuring his hand last spring, costing him six months of downtime.