Zuffa Boxing 08 results, highlights: Jose Valenzuela avenges loss with resounding KO of Edwin De Los Santos
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Jose Valenzuela knocked out Edwin De Los Santos at 2:05 of Round 2 with a right hook in their 135-pound rematch at Zuffa Boxing 08 in Las Vegas, avenging a third-round KO loss from 2022 in which both fighters hit the canvas.
- Edwin De Los Santos broke open a slow opening round with a flush left cross before Valenzuela timed two counter left hands late in the stanza that wobbled the Dominican slugger heading into Round 2.
- Valenzuela (16-3, 10 KOs) called out unbeaten four-division champion Shakur Stevenson in his post-fight interview, saying Stevenson's "Kryptonite is a fighter like me" and preferring a "bigger fight" over a trilogy.
- Zuffa Boxing 08 headlined the lightweight rematch at the Chelsea Ballroom inside The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on Sunday, with Valenzuela now campaigning at 135 after previously holding a 140-pound title.
- Valenzuela said he fought at "probably 30% of my abilities" in their first bout four years ago and framed the result as proof a loser can "become a better fighter and human being."
- Referee Thomas Taylor did not admonish a follow-up left uppercut from Valenzuela that landed cleanly while De Los Santos was already down on one knee, and De Los Santos could not beat the count.
Why it matters: Valenzuela, a former 140-pound titleholder, made his 135-pound debut a statement performance and immediately positioned himself as a threat to four-division champion Shakur Stevenson — a fighter Stevenson beat De Los Santos by tentative decision in 2023, giving Valenzuela a direct path to a high-profile title opportunity in his new weight class.
