Edwin De Los Santos was too much for José Valenzuela from the opening bell.
The Dominican lightweight prospect landed hard, accurate shots almost at will, knocking his Mexican opponent down twice and stopping him 1:08 into the third round of a scheduled 10-round bout on the Andy Ruiz Jr.-Luis Ortiz undercard. on Sunday in Los Angeles. .
De Los Santos (15-1, 14 KOs) was able to connect with his quick, punitive jab and sharp combinations from the opening bell, putting Valenzuela (12-1, 8 KOs) on his heels.
The Mexican fought bravely, but couldn’t avoid De Los Santos’ punches or land enough to turn the tide.
The second round was a wild one, as both fighters went down. De Los Santos also lost a point for hitting Valenzuela while he was down.
None of that mattered though, Valenzuela was clearly hurt when the bell rang for the start of Round 3. And De Los Santos took advantage, dropping Valenzuela once again.
Valenzuela was able to get to his feet but was in trouble. All it took was a strong combination to the head to convince referee Ray Corona to stop the fight.
Valenzuela, a rising contender, will now have to rebuild. Meanwhile, De Los Santos made a big statement on a big stage. He can expect to be ranked after this fight.
