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Add FightsATW on GoogleOne of the biggest issues with modern-day boxing is that fighters don’t step into the ring often enough to stay on fans’ minds. Sometimes the business side of the sport is the reason, while other times an injury can sideline you for an extended period. The latter is the case with lightweight contender Edwin De Los Santos (17-2, 15 KOs).
The 26-year-old De Los Santos from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, fought only once since his unanimous decision loss to Shakur Stevenson in November 2023. De Los Santos wouldn’t return to the ring until 21 months later, when he scored a first-round TKO over Eliot Chavez in December. The lack of activity led fight fans to wonder whether De Los Santos was inactive due to the statistically poor 2023 fight against Stevenson or an undisclosed injury.
“Outside of boxing, that time was difficult,” De Los Santos told FightsATW. “I had an illness for about a year and a half that kept me from fighting. It was something that could have been fatal. I never lost faith. I’m young, and I kept moving around until I recovered, and then I began training for a fight again.”
While recovering from the undisclosed illness, De Los Santos said he learned that when opportunities present themselves, you have to take advantage of them because “we can be good today, but tomorrow we just don’t know.”
De Los Santos took that fight in December to knock the rust off. Afterward, he felt ready to compete at the highest levels again, and with his previous contractual obligations complete, he needed a manager to help him navigate it all. Enter Adrian Clark, CEO of Fighters First Management.
“Once I was free from my previous deals, I began to listen to offers and to those who wanted to work with me. Many people approached me, but the person I felt really good about was Adrian (Clark). It was the way he explained things to me, and thank God, everything is working out perfectly. That’s why I decided to sign with him.”
Now that his representation was all worked out, it was time for De Los Santos to sign with a promoter. The first announcement would be in March, with a startup company, Throwback Boxing Promotions, founded by former WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. De Los Santos would then move toward signing with a major promotion to get him busy as soon as possible and as often as possible.
“Offers would later come in from different promoters, and he (Adrian Clark) explained what each one offered. I was already interested in signing with Zuffa (Boxing) once they got going, but I still wanted to hear the offers the other promoters had sent. Adrian told me that the best deal (from what was sent) was the Zuffa one. Based on everything in the contract compared to the other promoters, Zuffa was the best option for me. So I decided to sign with Zuffa at that point.”
Now that De Los Santos had his team solidified, it was time to find an opponent, and why not kick off the new Zuffa deal with the Jose Valenzuela (15-3, 9 KOs) rematch. On May 8, Zuffa Boxing announced De Los Santos vs. Valenzuela 2 to headline the Zuffa Boxing 08 show on June 28 at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in Nevada. Two weeks after the announcement, De Los Santos and Valenzuela had a faceoff in Las Vegas. So three and a half years after their fight, did De Los Santos see anything different in Valenzuela’s eyes when they met in May? “100 percent, I believe he was nervous,” said De Los Santos.
De Los Santos then headed to the Poconos, where he held training camp led by trainer Chelo Betancourt, despite reports that they were no longer working together. De Los Santos, like Valenzuela, is preparing to deliver his best on June 28, live on Paramount+. As he mentally prepares for the fight, has De Los Santos seen anything different from Valenzuela since their first meeting in 2023?
“To be honest, he has changed his style a bit, but it depends on the opponent he faces,” he said. “I’ve seen him limit himself in fights, so there is nothing I need to worry about.”
Although De Los Santos is not one to make a prediction, he did give fans something to think about while ensuring there isn’t a repeat of that terrible Stevenson fight.
“I don’t like making predictions,” said De Los Santos. “I’ll be focused as usual. I train to fight for ten rounds, but if I land a solid punch, the fight will be over in whichever round.”
“Stay tuned, as “La Granada” has returned. I do not want to disappoint the fans as I did in the Shakur (Stevenson) fight. This fight will be much more interesting.”
The lightweight division is full of big names, and a win for De Los Santos could lead to an even bigger fight in the future if boxing politics doesn’t play a part. Is De Los Santos well enough to compete at a high level, or will we see a diminished version of him on June 28? We are a little over a week away from finding out.
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