Felix Verdejo makes his Philly Debut Dec. 13 at the 2300 Arena

Philadelphia, PA—Sensational lightweight Felix Verdejo, the latest in a long line of outstanding Puerto Rican boxers, makes his Philadelphia debut Saturday evening, Dec. 13, when he takes on Karim El Ouazghari, of Barcelona, Spain, in the scheduled eight-round main event at the 2300 Arena.
 
      The Verdejo-Ouazghari fight, along with an eight-round super middleweight contest featuring Jesse Hart, of Philadelphia, will be televised as part of Top Rank’s Solo BoxeoTecate series on UniMas.  The delayed telecast will begin at 11pm (EST).  First of seven prelims begins at 6.45pm.
 
     The 21-year-old Verdejo (left), an outstanding amateur, represented Puerto Rico in the 2012 Olympics.  He lost a 14-9 decision in the quarter-finals to eventual Gold Medalist Vasyl Lomachenko, of the Ukraine, who currently is the WBO featherweight champion.  Verdejo’s overall amateur record was 106-17.
 
     Verdejo turned pro late in 2012 and is 15-0, 11 K0s.  He boxed eight times in 2013 and this will be his seventh fight in 2014.
 
     In his last outing Oct. 4, Verdejo scored a spectacular one-punch third-round knockout over 32-fight veteran Sergio Villanueva, of Mexico, in front of a standing-room-only crowd at the Bahia Shrine Temple in Orlando, FL.
 
     Verdejo turned pro in Las Vegas and he has boxed in Puerto Rico, New York, Florida and China.  This will be his first fight in Philadelphia, but his second in Pennsylvania.  He won a six-round decision over Guillermo Delgadillo, of Walla Walla, WA, on Aug. 10, 2013, at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem.
 
     “I want to be a role model for the kids, the same way Felix Trinidad was for me,” Verdejo said. 
     The 34-year-old Ouazghari is 16-5-2, 4 K0s.  In his most ambitious start, he lost a 12-round decision to John Murray for the European lightweight title in London. 
     
The 25-year-old Hart is 15-0, 12 K0s.   His father, Eugene “Cyclone” Hart, was one of the hardest-hitting middleweights of his time, compiling a 30-9-1 record with 28 K0s from 1969 to1981. 
 
     “Top Rank looks forward to co-promoting this great event with our long-time friend and legendary Hall-of-Fame promoter J Russell Peltz in the City of Brotherly Love, “ said Carl Moretti, Vice President of Boxing Operations at Top Rank.  “Felix Verdejo and Jesse Hart are two of the best young prospects in the Top Rank stable and we are sure the fight fans of Philadelphia will feel the same after watching their performances.”
 
                   
  

ABOUT DECEMBER 13

 
     The Verdejo-Ouazghari tops an eight-bout card at the 2300 Arena.  First fight is 6.45 pm.  Tickets priced at $50 and $75 are on sale at the offices of Peltz Boxing (215-765-0922) and at Wanamaker’s Tickets (215-568-2400).  They also can be purchased on line at www.peltzboxing.com and at www.wanatix.com.     UniMas will televise the Verdejo-Ouazhari fight as part of Top Rank’s Solo Boxeo Tecate series.  The delayed telecast begins at 11pm (EST).  The card is being promoted by Top Rank, Peltz Boxing Promotions, Inc., and BAM Boxing.  The 2300 Arena, formerly known as the New Alhambra, has hosted consistent professional boxing from 2004 thru 2012 when it was later known as the Asylum Arena.  Boxing cards there have been televised by ESPN 2, CN8, Univision and the NBC Sports Network.  Fighters who have boxed there includeDanny Garcia, Bronco McKart, Omar Sheika, Demetrius Hopkins, Mike Jones,Teon Kennedy, Bryant Jennings, Gabriel Rosado, Jesus Soto-Karass, Ronald Cruz, Israel “Pito” Cardona, Derek Ennis, Steve Cunningham and Edner Cherry.
 

JOSE SNIPER PEDRAZA DISPLAYS VICIOUS BODY ATTACK WHILE DEFEATING VILLANUEVA ON HBO LATINO

NEW YORK, June 10, 2013 - This past Saturday at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, highly touted Puerto Rican prospect, Jose "Sniper" Pedraza (13-0, 9 KO's) made an impressive HBO Latino debut by defeating tough Mexican, Sergio Villanueva ( 25-3-2, 13 KO's ) by scoring a 7th round TKO.

The 24 year old ambidextrous fighter was able to establish the pace of fight from the opening bell. In the middle rounds Pedraza was fighting from both stances, southpaw to conventional, confusing his opponent while landing clean shots. Pedraza's body attack was superb throughout the entire match and in the fifth round he managed to send Villanueva to the canvas.  As the body attack continued the bout was halted in the seventh round at the 2:59 mark when Pedraza dropped Villanueva twice, prompting the intervention of his corner right after Villanueva beat the 8 count. 

"I was surprised with my opponent's heart.  He never backed down and was able to recover too.  I kept boxing without losing focus, until we achieved the victory," said Pedraza, who is promoted by Gary Shaw Productions, Universal Promotions and DiBella Entertainment. "I want to thank God for this victory, my promoters and HBO."

"The body work Pedraza displayed against Villanueva showed me he's becoming a complete fighter," said Gary Shaw. "I see him improving on his craft with each fight. His stock is rising and his talent will be seen again soon."

In 2011, Pedraza captured the WBC Youth super featherweight champion over African Herbert Quartey by way of technical knockout in the fifth round.

During his amateur boxing career, Pedraza represented Puerto Rico in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and won a gold medal at the Central American and Caribbean Games in 2010. He won silver medals at the 2009 World Championships in Milan and at the 2010 Pan American Games in Ecuador, among other achievements.

JOSE SNIPER PEDRAZA ADDED TO DAWSON-STEVENSON CARD

Photo by Mario Vayas

NEW YORK, June 3, 2013 - Highly touted Puerto Rican boxer Jose "Sniper" Pedraza (12-0, 8 KO's) is ready to return to the ring after defeating veteran Mexican Gerardo Zayas by TKO in the first round last February in Puerto Rico.

Pedraza is fighting Mexico's Sergio Villanueva (25-2-2, 13 KOs) on Saturday, June 8, as part of an HBO Latino special broadcast starting at 12:15am ET (Sunday) at the Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

"This is another great opportunity to showcase my God-given talent to those watching on HBO," said Pedraza. "My goal is to come out victorious and use superior boxing skills to defeat my opponent. I'm looking forward to giving the fans a fan-friendly fight."

"Pedraza is a special fighter who can bring excitement to all Puerto Rican fans around the world," saidGary Shaw. "He's gaining great experience each time he steps in the ring. He's got a bright future."

"We are very pleased that Pedraza is having great exposure on June 8, in Canada. He will impress the fans in attendance and those watching on TV because Pedraza is one of the best technically pure professional boxer you'll ever see, and he's also getting stronger with each fight," said Javier Bustillo, President of Universal Promotions.

"It's great that Jose Pedraza has an opportunity to showcase his talents on HBO Latino in a tough matchup against Sergio Villanueva. We expect big things from Jose," said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment.

In 2011, Pedraza captured the WBC Youth super featherweight champion over African Herbert Quartey by way of technical knockout in the fifth round.

During his amateur boxing career, Pedraza represented Puerto Rico in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and won a gold medal at the Central American and Caribbean Games in 2010. He won silver medals at the 2009 World Championships in Milan and at the 2010 Pan American Games in Ecuador, among other achievements.

Pedraza is a member of "Team Puerto Rico", which is a collaboration between Gary Shaw Productions, DiBella Entertainment and Universal Promotions, made with the goal of gathering the best of Puerto Rico's boxing talents.

This boxing event will be headlined by WBC light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson facing Adonis Stevenson and co-featured by Yuriorkis Gamboa against Darley Perez in a 12-round lightweight bout. Both fights will be televised live on HBO BOXING AFTER DARK® beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.