Women’s featherweight Iyana “Right Hook Roxy” Verduzco thought her third pro fight would take place at the end of 2024, until an unfortunate sparring session led to the realization that she required surgery.
Verduzco will now fight Lindsey Ellis in a six-round bout at Commerce Casino in Commerce, California on January 17. The bout is promoted by 360 Promotions and streamed by UFC Fight Pass.
Last year, Verduzco, who lives and trains in Los Angeles, signed with 360 Promotions. In July she won a six-round unanimous decision over Colleen Davis. She was preparing for a fight with Sarah Click until she experienced a serious health event. It happened during a sparring incident that uncovered an underlying health issue.
“I felt like I needed to use the restroom before going into the ring,” Verduzco, 23, said. “Once I started sparring and he’s hitting my body, I was in a lot of pain.” It hurt her more than usual. She’d been punched by men, but this was just a little different.
Her mom, Gloria Mosquera, is also her trainer. It is notable to point out that Verduzco has had a history of bladder related issues during sparring sessions. What happened during this particular sparring session was not out of the ordinary and her trainer (mom) encouraged her to work through it. The sparring continued as Verduzco, who holds a record of 2-0, recalled her mom telling the other fighter to hit her in the body.
After sparring, she still felt like she needed to use the restroom, but she couldn’t go.
“I went to go eat something, but my stomach was hurting. I wasn’t feeling good,” Verduzco said. “And then my stomach was swollen. I looked pregnant.”
The problem surfaced at a strength and conditioning session at Stark in West Hollywood, California. The facility is a gym, but also has doctors on site. Verduzco went to the gym and proceeded to throw up. The doctor checked her out. “You’re going to need to go to the ER, because we need to rule out that it is not your appendix,” Verduzco said.
They went to the Emergency Room.
“Then I found out it was my appendix,” Verduzco said. “The doctors told me they needed to do emergency surgery. Unfortunately, I had to cancel my last fight because of my surgery, but I healed pretty fast. Most people heal in four weeks, but I healed in two weeks.”
After healing from appendicitis, she is ready to face Ellis, 20, who turned pro last year. She fought three times amassing a record of 2-1 (2 KOs). Ellis, who hails from Pleasant View, Tennessee, is notably four inches taller than Verduzco at 5ft 8ins. Verduzco, who was a decorated amateur, is looking to move quickly in the pro ranks. There is a lot of enthusiasm around her career.
“I lost weight because of the surgery, so I just had to build my muscle again, that’s about it,” Verduzco said of her recovery. “I want to start the year off with a bang, so I’m glad I’m going to be fighting in the first month of this year.”
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