Jose Valenzuela defeated Edwin De Los Santos by second-round knockout at The Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas, on Sunday evening, broadcast live on Sky Sports and Paramount+. This was a rematch of their 2022 encounter, which ended in a stoppage for De Los Santos.
Both came out gunslinging in round one, with De Los Santos drawing first blood. Rayo came back well, hurting his man on a few occasions before the ultimate key moment in round two that ended matters.
Valenzuela improved his record to 16-3 (10 KOs), while De Los Santos fell down the pecking order at 17-3 (15 KOs).
Even though the right hook did most of the damage, Valenzuela landed a little scraping shot as De Los Santos hit the canvas. Is there a case for complaint from the loser’s team?
After five furious rounds of action, these two are clearly well matched. De Los Santos was completely neutered by Shakur Stevenson in 2023, and a later fight with Keyshawn Davis was scrapped when Keyshawn failed to make weight. The Dominican’s heavy-handed style makes for exciting fights, but he can be outboxed.
Speaking afterwards to Sky Sports/Paramount Plus, Valenzuela said, “I can’t help but think about Shakur Stevenson. That’s a guy I’ve always wanted to fight, he’s a hell of a fighter. I’d love a fight with him. That’s a fight that really moves me.
“That’s what boxing’s about. Competing with each other. Styles make fights and I think I’m a perfect style for Stevenson.”
Having exorcised the demons of their first fight, Valenzuela will carry on pursuing the big boys. While he is a good puncher and competent at world level, I don’t think the Seattle-based banger has the nous or creativity to trouble the very best. De Los Santos won’t be getting that chance either unless he can rebuild with a few victories to re-enter the mix.
Unbeaten featherweight contender Omar Trinidad defeated former world champion Jerwin Ancajas by unanimous decision. In a well-matched battle of contenders, Cain Sandoval moved forward at the expense of puncher Brandun Lee, winning a majority verdict. Floyd Diaz, Tony Hirsch Jr, Damoni Cato-Cain, Brady Ochoa and Jakhongir Zokirov all won their bouts.
