Boxing

Keyshawn Davis To Face Edwin De Los Santos In First Title Defense

Keyshawn Davis is returning to his hometown of Norfolk, Virginia to face Edwin De Los Santos.

Nathaniel Marrero

Keyshawn Davis
Keyshawn Davis / IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire

Keyshawn Davis isn't getting eased into his title reign in his first title defense.

The Ring's Mike Coppinger first reported on Wednesday that Davis will make the first title defense of his WBO lightweight title against Edwin De Los Santos on June 7 at the Scope Arena in Davis' hometown, Norfolk, Virginia.

Fight Freaks Unite's Dan Rafael later reported that Top Rank President Carl Moretti and De Los Santos' promoter Sampson Lewkowicz are working to finalize the deal.

“I’m working on stuff with Sampson,” Moretti told Rafael. “It’s a work in progress but I hope we wrap it up soon.”

Rafael also reported that De Los Santos has already signed his bout agreement to face Davis.

MORE: Jake Paul Claims Failed Gervonta Davis Fight Was Scheduled, Says Announcement Coming Next Week

Davis (13-0, 9 KOs, 1 NC) rose from highly-touted prospect to champion on Feb. 14 when he stopped Denys Berinchyk in the fourth round with a vicious combination to the body. With the win, Davis tied Hall of Famer Oscar De La Hoya for the third-fewest fights needed to become a world champion in the lightweight division.

De Los Santos (16-2, 14 KOs), a hard-hitting southpaw, hasn't fought since an abysmal decision loss to Shakur Stevenson in one of the worst title fights you'll ever see on Nov. 16, 2023. De Los Santos also holds a third-round stoppage victory over former WBA junior welterweight champion Jose Valenzuela on Sept. 4, 2022.

Davis last fought in his hometown on Nov. 8, dropping Gustavo Lemos three times en route to a third-round stoppage victory.

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Nathaniel Marrero
NATHANIEL MARRERO

Nathaniel Marrero is a writer for the Boxing, Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Ravens On SI sites. He's also written for the Orlando Sentinel and MLB.com, and was a part of UCF's sports show, Hitting The Field. He attended UCF and graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism in 2023. Twitter/X: Nate_Marrero