The finish quickly became one of boxing’s most debated moments. Slow-motion replay showed Valenzuela throwing a left after the knockdown, leading to disagreement over whether the sequence should have been ruled a foul regardless of whether it affected the outcome.
Nevada officials have already reviewed the incident and declined to change the result. Executive director Jeff Mullen told Mike Coppinger that the commission examined multiple replay angles and concluded the follow-up punch grazed De Los Santos’ chin while primarily connecting with his shoulder. Mullen added that the commission believed the legal right hand that scored the knockdown had already decided the fight.
Clark said his appeal is about enforcing boxing’s rules consistently and protecting fighters.
“Rules are rules. It doesn’t matter where the shot landed or how hard it was,” Clark said. “When a fighter is on a knee or down, it is illegal to hit him. Edwin was robbed of the opportunity to recover from the blatantly illegal shot.”
Clark acknowledged that the punch which initially knocked De Los Santos down was legal but questioned how the sequence was handled afterward.
“It’s my job to make this appeal. The punch that knocked him down was a good shot by Valenzuela. However, if De Los Santos was out, the referee would have immediately waived the count and called the fight. Everyone watching that fight knows that is a foul.”
Clark said the appeal extends beyond the outcome of a single fight.
“My petition is based around the protection of fighters. If the commission for the state that lands a majority of the big fights says that an illegal shot has no bearing on the outcome of a fight, that’s a problem for the sport.”
He also pointed to the rivals’ first meeting in 2022, when De Los Santos was penalized for striking Valenzuela after the former WBA junior welterweight champion had gone through the ropes.
“A situation similar to this occurred in their first fight,” Clark said. “Edwin landed a punch after Valenzuela was through the ropes. The difference is, the foul was recognized, called, Edwin was deducted a point, and Valenzuela had time to recover.”
Despite the appeal, De Los Santos said he is not dwelling on the controversial finish and hopes to settle the rivalry in the ring.
“I will let the appeal go through the proper channels, but I am not going to focus on the illegal hit,” De Los Santos said. “I got caught with a good shot. I was stunned, but not hurt. I won’t make any excuses. Eventually I’m going to get the opportunity to fight him again.”
The commission has already ruled that the knockout will stand, but Clark is asking Nevada to reconsider the incident, arguing that a punch thrown after a fighter is down should be judged as an illegal blow regardless of whether officials believe it changed the final outcome.
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