By Jake Donovan

It’s been six months between Orlando (FL) appearances for Felix Verdejo. Anticipation of his return was felt at the box office, as event handlers at the Bahia Shrine Temple were forced to turn away fans and lock the doors after the venue was sold out and at Standing Room Only capacity on Saturday for his 3rd round knockout of Sergio Villanueva.

There’s very good news for those who didn’t make it in time to catch a glimpse of the rising lightweight prospect: they won’t have to wait another six months for his return. Plans are in place to bring Verdejo (15-0, 11KOs) back for his final fight of 2014.

“We’re bringing him back in December,” confirmed Carl Moretti, Vice President of Boxing Operations for Top Rank. “It’s going to somewhere (in the Orlando area), but he’s coming back in December.”

The success at the box office far surpassed that of his previous appearance at the venue, a remarkable statement considering his 1st round knockout of Ivan Zavala in April played to a room at 90% capacity. The bout came six months following his debut in Orlando, appearing on the undercard of Miguel Cotto’s knockout win over Delvin Rodriguez last October at the Amway Center.

"This area is thriving for boxing," noted Cotto, the reigning middleweight king who was on hand for Saturday's show in support of several of his fighters under the Promociones Miguel Cotto banner. "It's great to see so many people come out here and support us."

Overall, Verdejo – who represented Puerto Rico in the 2012 London Olympics – has seen 12 of his 15 pro fights take place in Puerto Rico and the two most heavily-populated Puerto Rican areas in the United States, Orlando and New York City.

A return to Central Florida in December will mark his seventh straight fight following that formula.

“It means a lot to me,” Verdejo said of the experience and of the opportunity to come back before year’s end. “There are a lot of Puerto Ricans here who are boxing fans and follow my career very closely. I’m honored and very happy to have that kind of support.”

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com, as well as a member of Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox