Lozada Upsets Undefeated Felix Verdejo with 23 Seconds Left at MSG
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
New York, NY (March 19th, 2018)–Going on to the tenth and final round, 23-0 Felix ‘El Diamante’ Verdejo was ahead in his 10 round lightweight bout with Antonio ‘Canitas’ Lozada Jr. on the cards at Madison Square Garden Theatre on Saturday, March 17, 2018. Lozada Jr. knew he would have to finish Verdejo to win. Verdejo paid the price for 13 months of inactivity, going down, not throwing punches, and getting stopped with 23 seconds left in the final round. Lozada, 39-3 with 33 knockouts, Tijuana, Mexico, with six years more experience and an active fight record, sent San Juan, Puerto Rico prospect Verdejo to the cleaners. Lozada might have also stolen Verdejo’s pending world title opportunity bout against current WBO World Lightweight champion Raymundo Beltran.
Lozada would have won the bout 96-93 and 95-94 on two scorecards with the knockdown if the bout had gone to the cards. Referee Eddie Claudio stopped the bout with 23 seconds left after the medical commission signaled the bout had to end. Verdejo was running, getting hit, but not throwing punches at the end. Verdejo, with Tommy Gallagher in his corner, had outboxed Lozada in the majority of rounds. Lozada, with pure instinct in mind, presumed he would not get the decision over the favored prospect, and finished him. It ain’t over till it’s over. The fat lady sang. Much like the University of Virginia, ranked a number one seed, lost to 16th ranked University of Maryland Baltimore County in the March madness N.C.A.A. basketball tournament. Boxing had its televised moment of madness too, as Lozada overturned the apple cart and scored the upset in the final seconds.
Result: Antonio Lozada Jr. TKO 10 Felix Verdejo (2:37)
Verdejo was down in the tenth round. Ringside doctor stops contest during the round.
Referee: Eddie Claudio
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