3 hrs ago
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Edwin De Los Santos and Jose Valenzuela engaged in a vicious three-round firefight when they first met nearly four years ago.
They’ll get to slug it out a second time when they headline Zuffa Boxing 08 in a 10-round lightweight bout Sunday in Las Vegas.
The original encounter took place on September 4, 2022, when Valenzuela dropped De Los Santos in the second round but went down himself 30 seconds later and again in the third in what quickly became a one-sided beat down. That's when referee Ray Corona stopped the brutal battle to save Valenzuela from further damage.
Valenzuela (15-3, 9 KOs) is 3-3 over his last six fights. The uneven results include a split decision victory over Isaac Cruz for the WBA 140-pound title in August 2024 and a unanimous decision over Diego Torres last time out in his Zuffa Boxing debut in February.
The Torres win came after a one-sided decision loss to Gary Anutanne Russell in March of last year.
De Los Santos (17-2, 15 KOs), meanwhile, hasn’t mounted any momentum following his career-best win against Valenzuela, fighting just three times ever since. One of the outings was a dull and forgettable decision loss against Shakur Stevenson for a lightweight title in November 2023.
De Los Santos was also supposed to challenge Keyshawn Davis for a 135-pound belt last June, but Davis missed weight badly and the fight was canceled.
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THEY SAID IT
Jose Valenzuela: “I expect a dangerous De Los Santos, just like he showed up the first time. De Los Santos is good, fast, strong, dangerous and has been talented his whole career. That's what I am preparing for.
“Any fighter who gets hit with an accumulation of punches is going to be in trouble, and that's what happened.
“I was a young prospect, a kid coming in with my head up high, knocking people out. I checked off every box when it comes to fighting under bad conditions. Everything I shouldn't have done before a fight, I did, and I paid the price. I didn't train properly. My abilities, too, in the ring. I was just reckless. I didn't have a good jab. I was standing too tall. I was just trying to catch him with big shots. It was bad all around.
“I should have known better. Maybe the people around me should have known better. But it's OK. He did his thing, and it wasn't a fluke, and I unfortunately suffered the consequences. Things happened, and I took a tough loss; it helped me. It was a great lesson and I grew from it as a person and fighter, and I am a much more dangerous fighter now.”
Edwin De Los Santos: “Valenzuela is a good fighter, and I don't take any credit away from him. He's a dangerous fighter, depending on the opponent. I think it's going to be a very good fight. I didn't show as much in the first fight, and they don't know what I am going to come with next. I am 100 percent again, and am ready to put on a show. It should be the fight of the night.
“I wanted this rematch to prove that it wasn't a night of luck, as some people have said. For those who watched the fight correctly, they saw that I dominated Valenzuela. But he received all of the opportunities afterward to build himself back up. That's why I signed with Zuffa Boxing, because they don't protect anyone – fighters get what they deserve.”
WEIGHTS
Edwin De Los Santos: 134.5 pounds
Jose Valenzuela: 134.5 pounds
WHAT ARE THE ODDS?
Jose Valenzuela is listed at -115, and De Los Santos is -110, according to DraftKings, in what essentially amounts to a pick 'em fight.
MUST-SEE ON THE UNDERCARD
In the co-main event, Omar Trinidad (20-0-2, 14 KOs) makes his second Zuffa Boxing appearance when he meets former junior bantamweight titleholder Jerwin Ancajas (38-4-2, 25 KOs) in a 10-round featherweight fight.
Kicking off the main card is Cain Sandoval (17-1, 15 KOs) vs. Brandun Lee (30-0, 23 KOs) in a 10-round welterweight bout. Sandoval hopes to bounce back after suffering his first career loss in January against Julian Rodriguez. Lee is making his Zuffa Boxing debut.
Other preliminaries:
- Floyd Diaz (14-0, 3 KOs ) vs. Andres Teran (18-2, 13 KOs), 10 rounds, bantamweight
- Jaybrio Pe Benito (7-0, 5 KOs) vs. Tony Hirsch Jr. (8-0-2, 4 KOs), 8 rounds, lightweight
- Damoni Cato-Cain (9-1-2, 7 KOs) vs. Vernon Brown (14-2-1, 10 KOs), 8 rounds, welterweight
- Brady Ochoa (9-0-1, 2 KOs) vs. Adrian Serrano (6-0-2, 3 KOs), 6 rounds, lightweight Rematch
- Jakhongir Zokirov (1-0, 1 KO) vs. Zachary Spiller (5-0, 4 KOs), 6 rounds, heavyweight
LOCATION
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Chelsea Ballroom
HOW TO WATCH
The main card will stream live on Paramount+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET. A five-fight preliminary card begins on Paramount+ at 5 p.m. ET.
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