Keyshawn Davis vs. Edwin De Los Santos | ESPN - June 7, 2025 (OFF)

[Ruthless-RKO]

Keyshawn Davis vs. Edwin De Los Ssantos 'Almost Ready'

The next challenger for recently minted WBO lightweight champion Keyshawn Davis has surfaced.

Sampson Boxing chief Sampson Lewkowicz said ongoing deals and discussions with rival promoter Top Rank led Edwin De Los Santos, the lightweight contender he promotes, to emerge as Davis’ most worthy challenger.

“We have a very good relationship with Top Rank,” Lewkowicz told the media on Saturday. “A couple of my fighters will fight. We had no problem making the [Naoya Inoue vs. Ramon Cardenas on May 4]. So this is one. Now comes Edwin De Los Santos with Davis. God willing. We hope. We are almost ready. There will be no issue to make a fight with [Xander] Zayas [versus Sebastian Fundora]. The only thing is, [things in] boxing change not every day, but every minute.”

De Los Santos (16-2, 14 KOs) has been idle since his November 2023 snoozer and unanimous decision loss against Shakur Stevenson for the vacant WBC lightweight title. The fight headlined a Top Rank show in Las Vegas on Formula 1 weekend, and De Los Santos’ 40 landed punches were the fewest ever in a 12-round fight at the time in CompuBox history. Stevenson landed just 65 punches in the fight, as he was dealing with a shoulder injury.

The best win of the 25-year-old Dominican De Los Santos’ career came against then-undefeated upstart Jose Valenzuela in a third-round stoppage in 2022. De Los Santos is ranked No. 13 by the WBO and is not currently rated in the top 10 at 135 pounds by The Ring.

Davis (13-0, 9 KOs), a 2020 United States Olympics silver medalist, last fought in February and knocked out Denys Berinchyk inside four rounds in his first world title fight.

Davis had a standout 2024 campaign knocking out Jose Pedraza and Gustavo Lemos and notching a dominant decision win against Miguel Madueno.

[Taansend]

Cracking fight if it happens.

I've been wondering why EDLS has been idle since losing to Shakur.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

KEYSHAWN DAVIS TO DEFEND WBO LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE VS. EDWIN DE LOS SANTOS IN JUNE 7 HOMECOMING FIGHT

Keyshawn Davis is set to defend his WBO lightweight title vs. Edwin De Los Santos on June 7 in his hometown of Norfolk, Virginia, sources tell The Ring.

The deal came to fruition one day after De Los Santos posted on X that negotiations collapsed. Davis’ first title defense will headline Top Rank Boxing on ESPN.

The Olympic silver medalist won the title in February with a fourth-round TKO of Denys Berinchyk in New York. Prior to that, Davis (13-0, 9 KOs) stopped Gustavo Lemos before 10,000-plus in Norfolk in November.

Davis, 26, is The Ring’s No. 3 lightweight.

De Los Santos (16-2, 14 KOs) will end a 19-month layoff with a second consecutive title challenge.

The 25-year-old Dominican hasn’t competed since a tightly contested decision loss to Shakur Stevenson in a 135-pound title fight. Stevenson lost more rounds against De Los Santos (13 across three scorecards) than against any other opponent.

Prior to that, De Los Santos reeled off a third-round KO of Jose Valenzuela, who went on to win a title, and a decision victory over Joseph Adorno.

[Ruthless-RKO]

ABDULLAH MASON-JEREMIA NAKATHILA ESPN’S CO-FEATURE ON KEYSHAWN DAVIS-EDWIN DE LOS SANTOS CARD JUNE 7 IN NORFOLK

Abdullah Mason will return to the site of the most eye-opening night of his career for his next fight.

The Ring has learned that the undefeated lightweight contender will face heavy-handed veteran Jeremia Nakathila on June 7 at Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia.

The bout between Cleveland’s Mason (18-0, 16 KOs) and Namibia’s Nakathila (26-4, 21 KOs) will be broadcast as the co-feature of an ESPN telecast that will showcase WBO lightweight champ Keyshawn Davis and Dominican contender Edwin De Los Santos in the main event in Davis’ hometown.

The highly touted Mason was dropped twice in the first round by Dominican veteran Yohan Vasquez in their fight on the Davis-Gustavo Lemos undercard November 8 at Scope Arena. Mason recovered from those two knockdowns, sent Vasquez to the canvas twice, once apiece in the first and second rounds, and won their fantastic firefight by second-round knockout.

The poised, powerful, skillful Mason has won his two bouts inside the distance since the southpaw’s victory over Vasquez (26-6, 21 KOs).

The 21-year-old contender stopped Stockton, California’s Manuel Jaimes (16-3-1, 11 KOs) in the fourth round on the Davis-Denys Berinchyk undercard February 14 in The Theater at Madison Square Garden in his first fight after he came back to knock out Vasquez.

Six weeks later, Mason floored Mexico’s Carlos Ornelas (28-5, 15 KOs) three times and beat him by technical knockout at the end of the sixth round March 29 at Fontainebleau Las Vegas.

Mason will be a heavy favorite to beat Nakathila, though Nakathila’s power will at least bring some intrigue to their matchup.

Nakathila lost back-to-back bouts by knockout to lightweight contender Raymond Muratalla (22-0, 17 KOs) and junior welterweight prospect Ernesto “Tito” Mercado (17-0, 16 KOs) in 2023. The 35-year-old Nakathila has since won three straight fights in the Namibian capital of Windhoek, where Nakathila has worked full-time as a police officer.

Before his successive stoppage losses to Muratalla and Mercado, Nakathila battered former junior lightweight champion Miguel Berchelt (then 38-2) on his way to a TKO win after the sixth round in March 2022.

The card headlined by Davis-De Los Santos will be officially announced at a press conference Friday afternoon in Norfolk.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Keyshawn Davis-Edwin De Los Santos heading to Norfolk on June 7

Keyshawn Davis will make the first defense of his WBO lightweight title against Edwin De Los Santos on June 7 at Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia.

Davis improved to 13-0 (9 KOs) with his title-winning effort against Denys Berinchyk in February, stopping the former champion in four rounds, and he had scalped Miguel Madueno and Gustavo Lemos in his two fights prior to that.

Davis fought Lemos at Scope Arena, attracting a crowd of more than 10,000 fans who saw him impress last November.

Davis will be joined on the bill by his brothers, Kelvin and Keon, and a co-feature that sees shooting star Abdullah Mason paired with Jeremia Nakathila.
“Norfolk and the Seven Cities, get ready for another spectacular show,” said Davis. “My first main event at Scope Arena was like something out of a movie, and the sequel will be even better. Kelvin and Keon will set the tone, and I’ll make it a 3-0 evening for DB3.
Edwin has had a lot to say recently, but he will be awfully quiet after I get through with him on June 7.”
De Los Santos is 16-2 (14 KOs), and holds a victory over WBA 140lbs champion Jose Valenzuela, whom he stopped in three rounds.

Following a win over Joseph Adorno in July 2023, De Los Santos challenged Shakur Stevenson for the vacant WBC lightweight world title and lost a decision in a drab affair.

“I want to thank Keyshawn Davis for giving me the opportunity to become the WBO champion,” said the challenger. “Thank you to Top Rank and my promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, as well. It will be a great fight, but Keyshawn has made his first big mistake as a professional by choosing to face me. I will prove how big of a mistake it is on June 7. I will come to Norfolk in perfect shape and looking for a knockout.”

Cleveland’s Mason and Namibian banger Nakathila will meet over 10 rounds.

Mason is 18-0 (16 KOs) and one of the sport’s hottest prospects, and now a ranked contender.

Nakathila is 26-4 (21 KOs), and was defeated by Shakur Stevenson in June 2021 but rebounded and caused former champion Miguel Berchelt to retire on his stool. However, Nakathila suffered two defeats – stopped in two rounds by both Ernesto Mercado and Raymond Muratalla – before returning to Africa and notching three further victories.

Also on the Norfolk show, Keyshawn’s older brother, Kelvin Davis, 15-0 (8 KOs), sees 10-round action at junior welterweight, and younger brother, Keon Davis, 2-0 (1 KO), boxes over six rounds at welterweight. Together, the Davis Brothers are known as DB3.

Troy Isley, a 14-0 (5 KOs) middleweight contender and Olympic teammate of Keyshawn, will compete in a 10-rounder.

“Keyshawn Davis is a generational talent, someone who is a tremendous representative for Norfolk and the Seven Cities,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “Keyshawn is always asking for the most dangerous opposition, and Edwin De Los Santos qualifies as such. He’s a worthy contender intent on silencing another passionate, sold-out crowd at the historic Scope Arena.”

[Ruthless-RKO]

Press Release

Kelvin “Nite Nite” Davis looks for a measure of family retribution when he fights the crafty Nahir “Woo” Albright in a ten-round junior welterweight bout on Saturday, June 7th in front of Davis' hometown fans at Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. Davis-Albright paces the undercard on a bill headlined by Kelvin’s younger brother, Keyshawn Davis, who will be defending his WBO lightweight title against Edwin De Los Santos. Keyshawn fought Albright in October 2023 in Texas, initially winning a majority decision before a positive post-fight marijuana test changed the verdict to a no-contest. Davis-De Los Santos and the lightweight co-feature between Abdullah Mason and Jeremia Nakathila will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. Davis-Albright and additional undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+.

“Albright is a good opponent for this point in my career, but he can’t hang with us,” Davis said. “He thinks he accomplished something with Keyshawn by taking him ten rounds, but I’m here to show him he can't play with the Davis name.”

Davis (15-0, 8 KOs), a 6'1" southpaw, turned pro in December 2020 and signed with Top Rank the following year. He went 3-0 last year, warming up the capacity crowd at Scope Arena in November when he knocked down Yeis Solano in the eighth round of a unanimous decision victory. Davis kept busy in March with a fourth-round KO over Jose Marruffo.

Albright (16-2, 7 KOs) has never been stopped as a pro and holds a July 2023 victory over 2016 U.S. Olympian Karlos Balderas. Less than three months after besting Balderas, he gave Keyshawn the most challenging fight of his pro career.

ADDITIONAL UNDERCARD BOUTS

In other ESPN+-streamed undercard action:

Dominican middleweight knockout artist Euri Cedeno (11-0-1, 10 KOs) aims to extend his KO streak to five when he faces Ecuador’s Abel Mina (18-3-1, 9 KOs) in a ten-rounder. Cedeno represented his homeland at the 2021 Olympics and already has six first-round knockouts on his ledger.

Middleweight Troy Isley (14-0, 5 KOs) will face Etoundi Michel William (16-1, 12 KOs) in a ten-rounder. Isley hails from Alexandria, Virginia, and hopes a win over William in front of the home state fans propels him to a world title shot later this year.

Cleveland-born welterweight Tiger Johnson (15-0, 7 KOs) returns in a ten-rounder against an opponent to be named. Johnson was a highly decorated amateur who turned pro in November 2021 after representing Team USA at the 2021 Olympics.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Sampson Boxing, tickets are on sale via Ticketmaster.com.

[Ruthless-RKO]

EDWIN DE LOS SANTOS SEES KEYSHAWN DAVIS AT ‘A MUCH LOWER LEVEL’ THAN SHAKUR STEVENSON

Edwin De Los Santos isn’t as impressed by Keyshawn Davis’ recent run as much of the boxing world.

In fact, the Dominican southpaw doesn’t consider Davis even close to the best opponent of his career. That distinction, according to De Los Santos, undoubtedly belongs to Shakur Stevenson.

De Los Santos sensed Stevenson became wary of engaging with him once the unbeaten WBC lightweight champion felt his power early in their 12-round title fight 18 months ago. Stevenson’s skills are nonetheless undeniable, which is why De Los Santos anticipates a more entertaining, winnable fight versus Davis on June 7 at Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia, Davis’ hometown.

“Obviously, he’s at a much lower level than Shakur Stevenson,” De Los Santos told The Ring. “Keyshawn has a lot of power, but in terms of boxing Shakur is on another level.”

ESPN will televise Davis-De Los Santos as its 12-round main event two weeks from Saturday night. Davis (13-0, 9 KOs, 1 NC) and De Los Santos (16-2, 14 KOs) will fight for the WBO 135-pound championship Davis won by knocking out previously unbeaten Ukrainian Denys Berinchyk in the fourth round of their one-sided championship match February 14 in The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Davis, 27, is ranked second among The Ring’s lightweight contenders, one position ahead of Stevenson (23-0, 11 KOs). De Los Santos, 25, is not listed in The Ring’s top 10, primarily due to inactivity.

De Los Santos, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, will fight for the first time on June 7 since a forgettable fight with Stevenson that invited intense criticism because it consistently lacked action. Stevenson, a three-division champion from Newark, New Jersey, defeated De Los Santos by four points apiece on the cards of judges Tim Cheatham and Steve Weisfeld, both of whom scored their fight 116-112, and two points according to judge David Sutherland, who credited Stevenson with a 115-113 victory.

Davis is more mindful of offense than Stevenson, which makes De Los Santos optimistic about satisfying fans.

“I think it’ll be more interesting,” De Los Santos said, “because he’s not gonna rely on [boxing] as much as Shakur Stevenson.”

Davis, who won an Olympic silver medal in August 2021 in Tokyo, has scored back-to-back quick knockouts of Berinchyk (19-1, 9 KOs) and Gustavo Lemos (29-2, 19 KOs). Argentina’s Lemos came in 6½ pounds overweight for their November 8 bout at Scope Arena, yet Davis insisted on moving forward with their fight and annihilated Lemos, who was stopped in the second round after Davis dropped him three times.

De Los Santos would’ve ended his long layoff sooner if not for a blood clot in his left leg that prohibited him from training for three months late last year. He returned to the gym in January and happily accepted this title shot last month.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

KEYSHAWN DAVIS WON'T BE ABLE TO CONTINUE IF I CONNECT, SAYS EDWIN DE LOS SANTOS

It’s getting a little tiresome at this point.

Edwin De Los Santos has seen the threatening interviews, the dismissive and flippant words from the fans, and he’s certainly paid attention to oddsmakers. In short, not many are giving him a chance against Keyshawn Davis on June 7.

Those dubious voices are repeating the same things. De Los Santos is good. Very good, even, but fighting for a world title comes at a troubling time.

Following his close but clear loss to Shakur Stevenson in 2023, De Los Santos was forced to the sidelines due to a blood clot in his left leg. Although he was finally cleared by doctors, he spent over a year and a half out of the ring. During that time, Davis made a name for himself. He’s knocked over countless contenders and now finds himself as the WBO lightweight champion.

All around the board, De Los Santos knows that Davis is one of the best fighters on the planet. Beating him won’t be easy. However, his best path to victory might be one that doesn’t involve any help from the judges.

“If I connect, I don’t think the fight will continue because it will end right there,” De Los Santos told spam.com during a recent interview.

The former Olympic silver medalist turned world champion has the lightweight division in the palm of his hands. Fans praise him, pundits revere him, and Bob Arum, his current promoter, has gone as far as to say that he’s this era’s version of Sugar Ray Leonard.

The admiration is heartwarming, but De Los Santos has no intentions of patting Davis on the back. When fight night comes, he plans on getting the job done, no matter what he brings to the table.

“Really, I don’t worry about what plans he’s has. I’m gonna figure him out in the fight.”

[Ruthless-RKO]

Fight week!!

[Petercattermole]

Is this NOT on Sky Sports in England-

[goose 5]

I think Davis will look terrific in this bout. I don't like Edwin's layoff, at all.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Cent0089]

For how long will Stevenson, Davis, and G. Davis avoid to fight each other ?

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

What an idiot.

That’s his reign ended

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

[margaret thatcher]

is f@cking everyone a ring ambassador these days

[Ruthless-RKO]

is f@cking everyone a ring ambassador these days

Quite a few ini?

Wonder what the criteria was.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Shocking by Davis.