Wow! Santana Stops Nelson in the First Round

On September 13 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the prelims of the Saul Alvarez vs Terence Crawford card featured 37-year-old American Steven Nelson (20-2, 16 KOs) against 32-year-old Cuban Raiko Santana (13-4, 7 KOs).

The fight ended in the very first round. Santana landed a straight right hand, followed by a prolonged flurry, forcing the referee to stop the bout.

This was Nelson’s first appearance since his loss to Diego Pacheco in the winter of 2025. In his two previous fights before Nelson, Santana had earned split-decision victories.