Lightweight contender Felix Verdejo was hospitalized on August 7 afternoon in his native Puerto Rico.
According to Puerto Rican police, Verdejo was taken to a hospital in the Rio Piedras area of San Juan, Puerto Rico's capital city, after being involved in a motorcycle accident .
"He's being treated for head trauma and lacerations to the face, head and his whole left arm, and he is in stable condition," Carl Moretti of Top Rank, Verdejo's promoter, told ESPN.com. "They have him sedated. We are waiting for further details on his condition. There is no reason to speculate on anything. Our prayers are with him, and we are hoping he makes a speedy recovery."
In his last fight, the 23-year-old Verdejo (22-0, 15 KO) knocked out Juan Jose Martinez in the fifth round. That fight was televised on HBO from Madison Square Garden in New York on June 11, the eve of the annual Puerto Rican Day parade in the city.
He was looking at a possible 135-pound world title shot in his next fight against England's Terry Flanagan (31-0, 12 KO). Both sides were negotiating a fight and had until September before a purse would be ordered for the fight. The timetable for negotiations is now up in the air following the accident.
Moretti said Top Rank and Flanagan promoter Frank Warren have been negotiating the bout, which Top Rank was hoping would be the co-main event of Manny Pacquiao's return from retirement on Nov. 5 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. An opponent for that fight is yet to be determined. Moretti said that there was progress for a Verdejo-Flanagan fight, but things have now come to a standstill.
"We were getting closer to the fight with Flanagan for Nov. 5," Moretti said. "But at this point who knows what will happen. We are more concerned with Verdejo and his recovery."
There is no indication of how long Verdejo will be in the hospital or how truly serious the injuries are.