Unbeaten Shakur Stevenson (20-0) takes on dangerous puncher Edwin De Los Santos (16-1) of the Dominican Republic in a special Thursday night presentation of Top Rank boxing on ESPN.
The fight is taking place during the inaugural Formula 1 race week on the Las Vegas strip and the vacant WBC lightweight title will be at stake.
Newark’s Stevenson enters the fight a sizable favorite. Bet MGM has him listed as a 15-1 favorite.
While most of the betting public and many boxing insiders don’t give De Los Santos much of a chance, his countryman Michel Rivera believes his compatriot is more than capable of pulling off the upset.
“I don’t think Shakur has ever fought anyone like De Los Santos. He is a very powerful puncher. He has the ability to do what it takes to beat Shakur,” Rivera told BoxingScene.com.
De Los Santos, who is promoted by Sampson Lewkowicz of Sampson Boxing, will enter the ring riding a three fight win streak. He defeated Joseph Adorno via unanimous decision in his last fight in July. His only loss came against William Foster III.
Stevenson, who is attempting to become a three-division champion, last fought in April when he stopped Shuichiro Yoshino in six rounds.
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