Shakur Stevenson vs De Los Santos fight breakdown
Pound for pound star Shakur Stevenson clashes with the self-proclaimed ‘boogeyman’ of the division, Edwin De Los Santos
Former featherweight and super-featherweight world champion Shakur Stevenson (20-0, 10KO) meets Edwin De Los Santos (16-1, 14KO) for the vacant WBC lightweight title. It’s the main event of the evening headlining at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, midweek on Thursday 16th November.
Both fighters are looking to put on a great performance that can put them in a position to start fighting the other top contenders in the 135-pound division.
Shakur Stevenson has an extensive amateur background winning silver in the 2016 summer Olympics and has been vocal about his sparring sessions with world champions such as Terence Crawford, Vasily Lomachenko and Devin Haney.
He is considered by many one of the most skilled fighters in the world today and has proven he has what it takes to beat top level competition.
Prior to the lightweight division, he captured titles in two other weight classes. The first was the WBO featherweight title in 2019 after defeating Joet Gonzalez, he then unified the super-featherweight division in 2022 with his victory over Oscar Valdez.
Since then he has proven why he belongs in the lightweight division with his most recent TKO victory over lightweight contender Shuichiro Yoshino. In the one-sided fight, Shakur showcased his impenetrable defense and well-timed punches which ultimately was what ended the fight in the sixth round.
November 16th will be a showcase fight, not only does it present the opportunity of capturing the lightweight title it presents the opportunity for Shakur to start to call the shots as the lightweight champion and get the big PPV fights against PPV stars like Gervonta Davis to prove that he’s the best fighter in the world.
The Olympic silver medalist isn’t known for his power, he breaks opponents down with sharp fast counter punches and has mastered the art of hitting whilst not being hit which he showed in his fight in 2021 against former Junior lightweight champion Jamel Herring. In this fight he showcased how brutal his style can be by staying in the pocket and pummeling Herring with punches until the ref stopped the fight in the 10th round.
It will be interesting to see how he faces off with De Los Santos, who hits exceptionally hard and has 14KOs out of 16 wins. Despite having a controversial loss on his record, the powerful Mexican claims he is the most avoided fighter in the 135-pound division and is the only fighter that was calling out two-weight champ Stevenson.
Although he has never had a 12-round fight De Los Santos is a boxer-puncher who is comfortable in the middle of exchanges and counters his opponents with hard explosive punches. He showcased these skills against former unbeaten Lightweight contender Jose Valenzuela who he stopped in the third round. Not only did he win the fight by knockout, but he showed that he could overcome adversity by rising from the floor himself after being knocked down and then going onto win the fight.
This is a fight where the hard-hitting lightweight wants to shock the world and prove that he is the best fighter in the 135-pound division. This fight also means a lot to him because he comes from humble beginnings in Dominica and boxing was his way of making it out of poverty. A victory on Thursday would mean that his dream of being a world champion would be fulfilled and could change his family's lives.
Betting Odds
Shakur Stevenson is favorite to win at –1200, whilst De Los Santos is underdog at +600
Predictions
In Shakur Stevenson's last fights he has showcased his ability to stay in the pocket and counter punch his opponents, whilst also outworking them. He hasn’t faced an opponent that has been able to penetrate his defense and all his fights have been one sided. It’s hard to see how Edwin De Los Santos can figure out the puzzle of Shakur Stevenson. However, he does have explosive power in both hands which could be the key to breaking that defense.
The Dominican is also not just a puncher, he can box very well, which means the punches he throws will be calculated shots which may be able to catch Shakur Stevenson off guard and hurt the former Olympian and as both fighters have the ability to stay in the pocket and box, it leaves more of a window for De Los Santos to make ‘sugar’ Shakur taste his power. This fight could show fans how Stevenson takes a punch and faces adversity.
If De Los Santos can’t hurt the American, I think the fight will start to turn in Stevenson’s Favour and we will see a boxing clinic put on further proving why the Newark stylist is finding it hard to get the big fights.
Verdict: Shakur Stevenson to win on points via unanimous decision.
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