José ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela emphatically avenged his 2022 loss to Edwin De Los Santos, but not without a few rolling their eyes at the result. Valenzuela’s thunderous second-round knockout in the Zuffa Boxing 8 main event at the Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas, turned controversial after one of his punches was deemed illegal by some viewers, prompting the Nevada Athletic Commission to intervene.

During the final exchange, Valenzuela caught De Los Santos with a counter left hook that badly wobbled him. But as De Los Santos hit the canvas, Valenzuela landed an extra shot. Under boxing rules, punching a downed opponent is illegal, and many believed Valenzuela’s follow-up blow fell into that category. Clearing up the confusion, Ring Magazine senior insider Mike Coppinger said during the live broadcast that he had spoken with the Nevada Athletic Commission about the finish.

“I spoke to the executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Jeff Mullen, and he said they reviewed the footage from multiple angles, which determined that the punch that landed grazed the chin and then connected with the shoulder and definitely had no impact on the result of the fight,” Coppinger said during the broadcast. “They said De Los Santos was basically out from the punch that was legal. So, no foul here whatsoever. Everything is clear.”

While the commission has approved Valenzuela’s devastating finish, the replay still appears to show “Rayo” landing an extra punch that connected with his opponent’s neck. Consequently, the ending continues to draw criticism despite the clarification and may yield another twist.

According to Scott Christ, the managing editor of Bad Left Hook, De Los Santos could appeal the result to have it changed to a no-contest. However, aside from Christ, other prominent boxing pundits have yet to share their thoughts on the controversial finish at the Zuffa Boxing 8 headliner. Notably, seasoned boxing fans may recall another historic fight that became entangled in controversy stemming from illegal shots.

Boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. suffered the first loss of his career in 1997, via disqualification after landing a hard punch on Montell Griffin in the ninth round while Griffin was down. Jones’ dominant performance was marred by an infamous result, which he could only avenge five months later. 29 years later, fans have witnessed a similar incident but with a different result.

Now, while there is still more to unfold from the latest Zuffa Boxing event, José Valenzuela has already declared his next move, and the opponent he has in mind could prove to be a legacy-defining challenge.

Rayo calls out Shakur Stevenson after Zuffa Boxing 8 victory  

Despite his controversial victory over Edwin De Los Santos, José ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela isn’t interested in stretching their feud into a trilogy. Instead, he wants a marquee showdown against WBO junior welterweight champion Shakur Stevenson. Not devoid of confidence, Valenzuela insists he is the “Kryptonite” for fighters like Stevenson, who is regarded as the pound-for-pound best boxer in America.

“I want Shakur Stevenson. He’s a hell of a fighter and I would love to compete with him,” Valenzuela said after the fight. “Styles make fights. I’m a real fighter, and he’s a boxer. I believe his Kryptonite is a fighter like me. I come forward and I have a lot of heart. I can come forward from the first round to the last round.”

Well, a Valenzuela vs. Stevenson fight has all the ingredients to become a blockbuster. For the Mexican, this would mean another bout influenced by revenge, as Stevenson handed him a tentative decision defeat in 2023. And with Zuffa Boxing’s push, the promotion could definitely look to stage the fight under its banner.

However, Ryan Garcia is also pursuing a fight against Stevenson after beating Mario Barrios to capture the WBC welterweight championship. In that case, ‘Rayo’ could face some difficulty securing the fight immediately unless Shakur also shows similar interest.

While the Zuffa Boxing 8 main event ended in controversy, it has certainly generated enough traction for future storylines. And based on De Los Santos’ decision to appeal the result, fans may either get a feisty trilogy bout or a tasty clash featuring Shakur Stevenson.