Los Angeles – 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) twice 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, he was ready to go toe to toe. Mexican fighters love to fight like this, but he was open for me to attack.”
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, though 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.
“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.”
De Los Santos looked like the fresher fighter heading into the round and was able to 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.”
