Stevenson and De Los Santos meet for vacant title

Shakur Stevenson and Edwin De Los Santos meet for the vacant WBC lightweight title on Thursday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The title became vacant after Devin Haney was stripped of the title.

The unbeaten two-division champion and 2016 Olympic silver medallist, Stevenson (20-0; 10), goes into the fight as the favourite. Stevenson has received pound-for-pound recognition in the top ten recently.

He has scored wins over capable fighters like Jamel Herring, Oscar Valdez and former Olympic gold medallist Robson Conceicao.

The 26-year-old Stevenson from Newark, New Jersey, is now fighting in his third weight class.

Stevenson was scheduled to meet Frank Martin for the vacant title until the unbeaten fighter pulled out before signing the contract.

Devin Haney, the former undisputed lightweight king, was scheduled to defend against Stevenson, his WBC mandatory opponent, but then won against Vasiliy Lomachenko, deciding not to face Stevenson.

Haney was given a choice by the WBC to defend his title against Stevenson or vacate and move up in weight to challenge WBC 140-pound champion Regis Prograis in December.

The 24-year-old De Los Santos (16-1; 14) from the Dominican Republic, made his pro debut in August 2013 and fights from the southpaw stance.

In his most recent fight in July this year he won the Continental Americas WBC Continental lightweight title.

He has not fought at the same level as Stevenson who goes into the fight as the overwhelming favourite.

In the co-featured bout, Emanuel Navarrete (38-1; 31) of San Juan Zitlaltepec, Mexico, defends his WBO junior lightweight title against Robson Conceição (17-2, 8) of Salvador, Brazil.