Félix Verdejo

Félix Verdejo was a Puerto Rican boxer who competed at the 2012 London Olympics, losing in the quarter-finals to eventual gold medalist Vasyl Lomachenko (UKR). Verdejo turned professional shortly after the Olympics.

Verdejo won his first 23 bouts as a pro, winning the WBO Latino lightweight title in 2015, and holding it until 2017. He was finally defeated in March 2018 by Antonio Lozada. Verdejo then won four consecutive fights, before losing a fight against Masayoshi Nakatani in December 2020 for the WBO Inter-continental lightweight crown. That was effectively the end of Verdejo’s boxing career, leaving him with a pro record of 27 wins (17 by KO) and 2 losses.

In April 2021 he was named a person of interest in the death of Keishla Rodríguez, whose family stated that she was pregnant with Verdejo’s child. On 28 July 2023, a jury found Verdejo guilty in the kidnapping and murder of Rodríguez, and her unborn child. In November 2023 Verdejo was sentenced to life in prison for his crimes.