Mike Coppinger says the Nevada Athletic Commission ruled there was no foul play in Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela’s controversial second-round knockout of Edwin De Los Santos after viewing the finish from multiple camera angles.
“I spoke with Jeff Mullen, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. He said they reviewed footage from multiple angles, and they determined that the punch that landed, grazed the chin and really connected to the shoulder and certainly had no impact on the outcome of the fight. De Los Santos was basically out of the punch (right hook) that was there, and everything is legal on that, whatever was on there. X.
The finish immediately became one of the biggest talking points of Sunday’s Zuffa Boxing event at the Chelsea Ballroom inside The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Valenzuela threw a left hand after De Los Santos had already fallen to the canvas, leading many fans to argue the follow-up punch should have resulted in a disqualification rather than a knockout victory.
The commission disagreed. After reviewing several replay angles, officials determined that the decisive blow was the legitimate right hook that initially floored De Los Santos. They concluded that the follow-up shot mainly hit the shoulder while only grazing the chin and had no impact on the outcome of the lightweight contest.
Many fans remain unconvinced. While the commission focused on whether the punch changed the outcome, critics argued that the follow-up punch itself was illegal because it was thrown after De Los Santos was already on the canvas and unable to defend himself. They believe that action alone should have led to disqualification or, at the very least, disciplinary action instead of letting the knockout stand.
The win improved former WBA light welterweight champion Valenzuela’s record to 16-3 (10 KOs) and marked his second straight victory since losing his 140-pound title to Gary Antoine Russell in March 2025. De Los Santos dropped to 17-3 (15 KOs) after losing for the second time in November by unanimous decision in Steven. 2023.
Despite the ongoing debate among fans, the commission’s review means the result will stand, with no further action expected.
Click here to subscribe to our FREE newsletter
Related Boxing News:
Last updated on 2026/06/29 at 16:45
![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://netblogsport.com/nsac-rules-no-foul-in-rayo-valenzuelas-controversial-de-los-santos-strike/&media=https://netblogsport.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Rayo-vs-De-Los-Santos942.jpg&description=Mike Coppinger says the Nevada State Athletic Commission has ruled there was no foul in Jose "Rayo" Valenzuela's controversial second-round knockout of Edwin){kind=link}