Felix Verdejo vs Willian Silva Preview February 27th
Unbeaten Felix Verdejo of San Juan, Puerto Rico will be defending his WBO Latino Lightweight Championship against hard-hitting and undefeated Willian Dos Santos Silva of Brazil this Saturday, February 27th at New York’s famous Madison Square Garden. The bout can be seen in Canada and the U.S. live on HBO while fans in the UK can catch all of the action on BoxNation. This fight is on the undercard of the Terence Crawford vs Hank Lundy WBO Super Lightweight title tilt. Silva formerly held the title which Verdejo now holds.
Verdejo vs Silva Betting Odds
Here are the winner odds from online sportsbook 5dimes.eu
- Willian Silva +3500
- Felix Verdejo -8500
My Pick
The 22-year-old Verdejo enters the bout with a perfect record of 19-0 along with along with 14 Kos. He’s stopped eight of his last 10 foes and will be defending his title for the third time this Saturday. He won his crown by stopping Marco Lopez in the fifth round back in April of 2014 and then dealt former undefeated contender Ivan Najera a decision loss during his first title defence. Verdejo then fought again in December and stopped Josenilson Dos Santos inside two rounds with a second-round knockout.
Verdejo turned pro back in 2012 and has fought 67 rounds since then, but he hasn’t faced any legitimate top-10 boxers as of yet with his toughest opponents being Lopez along with Oscar Bravo and Sergio Reyes. He has dynamite in his fists with a current knockout ratio of 74 per cent. The 28-year-old Silva has fought 114 rounds since turning pro in 2006 and also has good power with a 61 per cent knockout ratio. But like Verdejo, Silva hasn’t stepped up in class as of yet. He also has a perfect record and will climb into the ring with a mark of 23-0 with 14 Kos.
Silva has great size for a lightweight as he’s 6-feet-1-inch tall and has a 71-inch reach. He last fought in December and stopped Bayan Jargal in the third round. The champion is just 5-foot-9, but has a slightly longer reach at 71.5 inches. Verdejo is hoping to one day earn a world title shot, but will need to step up the class of opposition if he gets past Silva. Verdejo likes to stay active and fights every few months, which is a fine idea for a young boxer. The youngster has a lot of potential and is regarded by most experts to be Puerto Rico’s next big boxing star.
Verdejo’s power and skills have seen most of his fights end early and that’s basically the reason he hasn’t got many rounds under his belt up to now. He has a lot of speed and mobility with an excellent uppercut and is also adept defensively. Of course, he has a lot of potential, but he’ll need to take on the best in his division to become a legitimate star. He’s taking the right route by staying busy, but sooner or later he’s going to have to step up the level of competition.
Prediction……
Anything can happen when two power punchers get together, so both Verdejo and Silva are going to need to display solid chins. Silva has a pretty good height advantage of four inches and that may help him. It’s hard to say what’s going to happen in this bout since Silva’s a relatively unknown quantity. He doesn’t have the skills of Verdejo, but if he can combine his power with a good defence it could be a competitive bout. Verdejo is expected to win here and he’ll likely do so with a stoppage somewhere along the line.
This fight could be closer than most fans think if Silva has a solid chin.
Play: Verdejo -8500 @ 5dimes.eu
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Felix Verdejo betting • Willian Silva betting