In the Ruiz vs Ortiz PPV opener, Edwin De Los Santos (15-1, 14 KOs) scored an upset third-round TKO when he dropped previously undefeated Jose Valenzuela (12-1, 8 KOs) three times before referee Ray Corona called off the fight 1:08 into the round.
“Valenzuela is a fighter that I feel has been protected and I wanted to show everyone what I am capable of,” De Los Santos said.
“The plan was not to introduce myself as much, but when I saw how he was fighting, I was ready to go toe to toe.
“Mexican fighters love to fight like this, but he was open for me to attack.”
“I didn’t expect De Los Santos to be as aggressive as he was in the fight,” Valenzuela said. “He gave it as well as he took it.
“I just want to focus on getting back in the ring and redeem myself.”
Edwin Santos
A late replacement who officially stepped in to face Valenzuela this week, De Los Santos looked good from the start, staggering Valenzuela in the first round.
However, Valenzuela was able to survive the round. Early in the second round, Valenzuela stumbled again, but was able to turn the momentum around temporarily, landing a powerful left hook that dropped De Los Santos.
After getting to his feet, De Los Santos was able to regain momentum with a series of right hooks that dropped Valenzuela hard.
De Los Santos was penalized by the referee for taking an extra shot while Valenzuela was down, giving Valenzuela extra time to recover and get through the round.
De Los Santos looked like the freshest fighter heading into the round and could drop Valenzuela again early in the frame. Valenzuela was again able to get back to his feet, but after a follow-up flurry from De Los Santos, the referee stepped in and officially called off the fight.
“I faced a ranked fighter tonight and he was up for the task,” De Los Santos said. “Now I want the same name that everyone wants. I love Gervonta Davis.
joey spencer
Prior to the pay-per-view, the prelims live on FOX, and FOX Deportes featured rising undefeated junior welterweight Joey Spencer (16-0, 10 KOs) winning a career-best ten-round unanimous decision over Kevin Salgado (14- 1-1, 9 KOs).
“He’s a hard-hitting counter-puncher, so we wanted to control the distance,” Spencer said. “I feel very strong. I’m proud of the work we put into my conditioning, which showed in the fight. I’m getting better as I get more experience, which helps me stay more composed in these fights.
“I will continue to add to my game as I get more comfortable. I’m definitely working on getting better as an offensive fighter.”
In his first 10-round fight as a professional, the 22-year-old Spencer turned down what many considered the toughest opponent of his career, taking a 79-54 advantage in punches to give him the win.
Salgado from Mexico proved to be a tough test for Spencer as he continued to push through to the final bell. After ten rounds, all three judges saw it in Spencer’s favor with scores of 99-91 twice and 100-90.
“I have a few ideas of who I want to fight next,” Spencer said. “Tony Harrison, Tim Tszyu, Erickson Lubin and Sebastian Fundora are all the guys I want to fight.
“I want to face the best. There is a champion in the division, and we have to fight each other to get to him.”
Ra’eese Aleem
In live action on FS1 and FOX Deportes, undefeated super bantamweight contender Ra’eese Aleem (20-0, 12 KOs) showcased his considerable boxing ability by winning a unanimous decision over Mike Plania (26-2, 13 KOs). in their 10-round Duel.
“The fight was everything I expected it to be,” Aleem said. He is a very tough fighter and a great competitor.
“I just wanted to fight a smart fight because we know it’s dangerous. Although I didn’t feel its power, I knew it could hit. I just wanted to take my time and let everything fall into place.”
Aleem scored a knockdown early in the second round to jump to the lead and control the action, displaying an impressive and varied attack highlighted by several left hands.
After closing out the show with a dominant tenth and final round, Aleem won the decision by scoring 100-89 three times.
“It’s time for ‘scared boy’ Stephen Fulton Jr. to come out of hiding and sign the contract,” Aleem said.
“Let’s get in there so he can give him his first loss. It would be a closer fight than tonight, but I still hope to dominate and get the victory.”
TGB Promotions promoted the event.
