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Edwin De Los Santos talks overcoming scary health scare, embracing underdog role against Keyshawn Davis
Edwin De Los Santos is just a couple of days away from challenging for Keyshawn Davis’ WBO lightweight world championship on Saturday at Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia.
The Dominican Republic fighter previously fell short in his attempt to become a lightweight world titleholder as he lost to Shakur Stevenson via unanimous decision back in November 2023. The bout was harshly criticized for its low output as neither boxer tallied double digits in punching in each of the 12 rounds, forcing De Los Santos to simply move on from the forgettable fight.
“There was really nothing to learn in this fight,” De Los Santos told DAZN News over a recent Zoom session. “It was just a marathon. It wasn’t anything boxing-related that I could learn.”
What followed the bout, though, served as an invaluable learning lesson for the 25-year-old De Los Santos — not only in boxing, but in life.
While routinely running one fall morning last year, De Los Santos felt a sharp sensation he had not experienced before.
“I told my trainer I had a weird pain in my left leg,” he said. “It was uncomfortable.”
Instead of stopping the session, De Los Santos worked through the discomfort. But the pain did not relent.
“At night at home, I saw that the pain was growing,” he said. “In the morning, I couldn’t take it anymore.”
De Los Santos rushed to see his doctor on that October 8 day. He had a blood clot as revealed by an ultrasound which he had undergone just in time.
“My doctor says if I had waited two or three days,” he continued, “it would have gone to my heart or lung and could have killed me.”
Though just 25, the scare put De Los Santos on priceless notice.
“You have to be careful,” he offered. “You have to take care of yourself. Death knows no age.”
Surviving the frightening ordeal has only increased the urgency of De Los Santos heading into this fight with Davis, an all-action champ who bundles pointed sweet science skills with power.
“Life can’t be predicted but we’re not thinking about that,” De Los Santos said, putting the blood clot experience in his rearview mirror. “We’re going to be very ready to score a huge upset.”
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It is a luminescent time for boxing in the Dominican Republic.
WBC middleweight titleholder Carlos Adames, WBC super lightweight champ Alberto Puello and WBA junior flyweight titleholder Erick Rosa are all world champions from DR.
De Los Santos is well aware of the only Dominican fighter to win the lightweight world title — Carlos Cruz back in June 1968.
The fighting pride from Santo Domingo would like nothing more than to follow suit.
“For me to be the next champion,” he said, representing DR, “would be very big.”
To accomplish that, De Los Santos (16-2, 14 KOs) will have to overcome odds as the sizeable underdog against Davis (13-0 with 1 no contest, 9 KOs) and in the latter's hometown of Norfolk, Virginia — a challenge that the gutsy Dominican fighter is more than up for.
“I asked my promoter when they were mentioning or talking to me about the Keyshawn fight, ‘look could it be in New York City?’” De Los Santos said, pointing toward the Big Apple’s large Dominican population and the support he would likely receive. “I’ve always wanted to fight there. They told me it would actually be in Virginia and I said ‘no, that’s fine. We can do the rematch there because I know I’m going to win.’”
De Los Santos added: “[Davis] preferred to go [to Norfolk, VA] to satisfy his people. But we’re going to go there to ruin his night in front of all of his people.”
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