After experiencing a significant layoff, Edwin De Los Santos is scheduled to make his return to the squared circle as he’s set to challenge the WBO world lightweight champion Keyshawn “The Businessman” Davis (13-0, 9 KOs) on Saturday night, June 7th.
(Credit: Top Rank)
For the champion Keyshawn Davis, this will be the second time he headlines an event in his hometown of Norfolk, Virginia. The challenger, Edwin De Los Santos, will be making his second attempt at winning a world title as he plans on invading the defending champion’s homecoming and playing the role of spoiler.
The Dominican boxer Edwin De Los Santos grasp the public’s attention back in September 2022 when he accepted a last minute fight against the then rising undefeated lightweight contender Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela. In the opening round of the contest, De Los Santos decided to skip the feeling out process.
De Los Santos immediately pressed forward and landed a number of hard power punches. He continued the attack in the second round, but he was knocked down when Valenzuela caught him with a counter left hook.
De Los Santos got up and seconds later he scored a knockdown of his own when he landed a flurry of hard shots. De Los Santos evened the score in regards to knockdowns, but he lost a point due to the fact that he punched Valenzuela while he was down.
Early in the third round, De Los Santos floored Valenzuela for a second time when he landed a big left hook. Valenzuela was able to get up, but later in the third, De Los Santos forced the referee to stop the contest when he landed a series of punishing shots.
After participating in an exciting fire fight in 2022, De Los Santos participated in the most non-eventful fight of 2023 when he faced Shakur Stevenson. In a match for the vacant WBC lightweight title, Stevenson took little risk as he was reluctant to engage, and managed to dance his way to victory.
Now the 25-year-old southpaw Edwin De Los Santos (16-2, 14 KOs) is on the verge of getting a second shot at a world title. Going into his fight against the WBO champion Keyshawn Davis, the challenger Edwin De Los Santos feels confident and motivated.
From a historical standpoint, back in June 1968, Carlos Cruz defeated Carlos Ortiz via split decision and became the first Dominican lightweight world champion. If Edwin De Los Santos can defeat Davis on June 7th, he will become the second Dominican boxer to win a world title at lightweight.
During his appearance on the Broadway Joel Podcast, De Los Santos acknowledged the fact that he feels very confident, and the self-assurance stems from his observation of his opponent.
“Look, I’ve seen a couple of videos, and they’ve touched him, little punches, and he doesn’t like it. I mean the reaction I’ve seen is like weird, like soft,” De Los Santos stated.
Edwin De Los Santos, is a skilled boxer-puncher who has power in both hands. He believes if he’s able to land his shots, the power will overwhelm Davis.
The challenger De Los Santos believes Keyshawn Davis’s only path to victory is to run like Shakur did. During his interview, De Los Santos gave a stern warning in regards to if Davis runs and decides to stop when he stated, “If he stops, there he dies.”
Last Updated on 05/20/2025
