Keyshawn Davis Vs. Edwin De Los Santos Undercard

Forbes

05-06-2025

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - JULY 05: Abdullah Mason poses on the scale during a weigh-in ahead of their ... More Lightweight bout against Luis Lebron of Puerto Rico (not pictured) at Prudential Center on July 05, 2024 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by)
One of the rising stars in boxing's lightweight division puts his unbeaten record and WBO title on the line on Saturday, June 7, when Keyshawn Davis heads to his hometown of Norfolk, Virginia, to face Edwin De Los Santos in a bout scheduled for 12 rounds. We look at the undercard for the Davis vs. De Los Santos fight card.
The Davis vs. De Los Santos card is presented by Top Rank and airs on ESPN and ESPN+. The undercard begins at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN+, while the two-fight main card airs on ESPN and ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET.
Keyshawn Davis vs. Edwin De Los Santos - 12 Rounds - WBO lightweight title
Abdullah Mason vs. Jeremia Nakathila - 10 Rounds, NABO & NABF Lightweight Championships
Kelvin Davis vs. Nahir Albright - 10 Rounds, Junior Welterweight
Tiger Johnson vs. Janelson Bocachica - 10 Rounds, Welterweight
Troy Isley vs. Etoundi Michel William - 10 Rounds, Middleweight
Keon Davis vs. Michael Velez-Garcia - Six Rounds, Welterweight
Euri Cedeno vs. Abel Mina - 10 Rounds, Middleweight
Deric Davis vs. Naheem Parker - Six Rounds, Lightweight
Patrick O'Connor vs. Marcus Smith - Four Rounds - Cruiserweight
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 14: Abdullah Mason knocks down Manuel Jaimes in the second round ... More during their lightweight fight during their welterweight fight, during their heavyweight fight at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on February 14, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by)
The NABO and NABF lightweight title fight between Abdullah Mason (18-0 with 16 KOs) and Jeremia Nakathila (26-4 with 21 KOs) will air with the main event on ESPN on Saturday night in Norfolk.
Mason enters Saturday's event as the No. 2 ranked lightweight in the WBO. The WBC has him at No. 4, while the IBF has him slated in as the No. 15 fighter at 135 pounds. The 21-year-old. who turned pro in 2021 is coming into his matchup opposite Nakathila on the strength of eight straight knockout wins. His most recent victory came in April when he stopped Carlos Ornelas in the sixth-round. The win came on Mason's 21st birthday.
Nakathila is ranked by the WBO at No. 11. The 35-year-old is on a three-fight winning streak. His most recent win came in November 2024 when he defeated Tafadzwa Mushando via first-round knockout.
Nakathila made his US debut in 2021 when he faced Shakur Stevenson in the main event of a Top Rank card in Las Vegas. Stevenson handed Nakathila his first professional loss in that matchup, beating him via 12-round decision.
The betting odds of this matchup favor Mason.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 14: Abdullah Mason punches Manuel Jaimes during their lightweight ... More fight during their welterweight fight, during their heavyweight fight at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on February 14, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by)
'We both are in the same division, and I just got the news in my last interview that I'm ranked number two in the WBO, and he's the champion in that sanctioning body. So, it's looking very very possible that me and him would uh, cross paths,' Mason stated when asked if he was interested in facing Saturday's main event competitor Keyshawn Davis.
'Anybody in the lightweight division. Any of the champions, Keyshawn Davis, Tank Davis, Shakur Stevenson, Raymond Muratalla,' Mason said about who he'd be interested in meeting with a win over Nakathila. 'You know it's four champions and I'm creeping up on all of them. So, any opportunity that is thrown my way, I'm ready for it.'
"The brighter they are the easier they fall and the bigger they come the harder they fall," Nakathila told The Ring. "This is boxing and when I am at my best, I've got chance against anyone, I will be ready.
"I respect all my opponents and there is no difference when it comes to Mason. I rate him very highly as a prospect and I will handle him as just another boxer in front of me."
Saturday, June 7, 2025
Undercard: 5:00 p.m. ET
Main Card: 9:00 p.m. ET
Scope Arena in Norfolk, VA
Undercard: ESPN+
Main Card: ESPN. ESPN+
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 14: Keyshawn Davis punches Denys Berinchyk during their WBO ... More lightweight title fight during their junior bantamweight fight during their lightweight fight during their welterweight fight, during their heavyweight fight at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on February 14, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by)
The 26-year-old Davis is widely regarded as one of the bright, young stars in boxing. After winning a silver medal at the 2020 Olympics, Davis had his first pro fight in February 2021, picking up a second-round TKO win.
He won his first title in his seventh outing, picking up the WBO Inter-Continental lightweight belt with a unanimous decision win over Juan Carlos Burgos in 2022. A little more than two years later, after picking up five more wins (and a no contest for a failed drug test for marijuana), he stepped into the ring against the unbeaten Denys Berinchyk for the WBO lightweight title that Berinchyk had won in May 2024.
Davis dominated Berinchyk during their meeting at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In the third round of that contest, Davis scored a knockdown via a left to the body. Berinchyk, bleeding from the nose, got back to his feet for an eight-count after that blow. However, in the fourth round, Berinchyk was unable to regain his feet after another powerful left to the body, giving Davis the title.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 16: Edwin De Los Santos waits for the start of a fight for a vacant WBC ... More lightweight title against Shakur Stevenson on November 16, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Stevenson won the vacant title by unanimous decision. (Photo by)
The 25-year-old De Los Santos opened his pro career with 13 straight wins and 12 knockouts. His unbeaten run came to a halt in January 2022 when William Foster III beat him via split decision. De Los Santos bounced back from that setback with three wins (two via knockout).
In November 2023, De Los Santos got a chance to fight for a title when he faced Shakur Stevenson for the vacant WBC lightweight crown. Stevenson won that contest via unanimous decision, beating De Los Santos by scores of 116-112 x 2 and 115-113. De Los Santos struggled to land in that contest, connecting on just 13 percent of the punches he threw.
ESPN has Davis ranked as the No. 3 lightweight behind Stevenson (No. 2) and Gervonta 'Tank' Davis. De Los Santos is the No. 14 ranked fighter according to the WBO.
We will have more on the Keyshawn Davis Vs. Edwin De Los Santos fight card as fight night nears.