BY ADAM NOBLE-FORCEY
ANGELO LEO upset the applecart at 126 kilos, coming in because the huge underdog to supply a frontrunner for Knockout of the 12 months towards Luis Alberto Lopez. The New Mexico native thrillingly claimed the IBF featherweight world title in his hometown of Albuquerque in what was meant to be a routine title defence for established champion Lopez.
Leo (25-1, 12 KOs) landed a candy left-hook, laying Lopez flat on his again within the tenth spherical in a struggle the place he had been introduced in to fill the sector towards the reigning Mexican. The 30-year-old duly turned a two-weight world champion whereas additionally wiping out arguably essentially the most harmful man within the division.
“I’ve watched it again alright,” Angelo Leo stated of his newest knockout victory. “I’ve gone over it many occasions and have loved learning it. I went in there with a chip on my shoulder to show everybody unsuitable. I felt assured, however not overconfident. We ready very effectively for this struggle. My crew and my sparring companions have been those who actually received me to that time. I pushed myself to the restrict, I used to be very ready for this struggle.”
Angelo Leo (R) touchdown a left hand on the now dethroned champion Luis Alberto Lopez (L).
Regardless of the spectacular one-punch end in what gave the impression to be an out-of-the-blue voluntary title defence, Leo was nonetheless pulling forward on the scorecards from the center rounds as Lopez began to look far much less of the champion who upset Josh Warrington in Leeds and stopped Michael Conlan in Belfast.
“I assumed that I gained the primary three rounds,” Leo defined. “I used to be considering to myself that if I maintain this up, I’ll win! I wasn’t planning to knock him out like that. The primary plan was simply to get the win and get the world title round my waist. A knockout had by no means crossed my thoughts for this struggle. He has chin, he has by no means been knocked out earlier than and even dropped earlier than.
“I had seen some defensive flaws that he had, however he knew handle them effectively. It’s his model. I didn’t suppose catching him cleanly like that may knock him out. He drops his reverse hand when he throws a punch, our objective was to attempt to catch him when he was throwing and drops his hand. We have been attempting to use him there, that’s why I used to be throwing in between the pictures.
“I take all my fights severely, however this one I added a bit bit extra. Just a bit little bit of consistency to my exercise routine and it made an enormous distinction. I had spoken to ‘Venado’s’ supervisor earlier than my final struggle with [Eduardo] Baez. He stated: ‘Get by way of that struggle and you’ll struggle Lopez.’ I’ve recognized about it for a very long time. It was on my thoughts going into the struggle earlier than this one.”
Lopez would obtain a bleed to the mind following his first stoppage defeat in a 19-year skilled profession.
“I haven’t spoken to him, however I’ve heard he’s doing quite a bit higher,” Leo added. “It was a small mind bleed, however from what they’ve instructed me he must be okay. You simply must see it for what it’s, it’s boxing. If it wasn’t him, it could be me. Boxing is essentially the most harmful sport on this planet. We do have to consider these items much more, the very fact we might get severely injured.”
Born and raised the place he would turn out to be a two-weight world champion, Leo goals to proceed New Mexico’s wealthy boxing’s heritage.
“It meant quite a bit to win like that in entrance of my very own followers,” he stated. “It’s the place I grew up. It’s the place all my family and friends stay. To exit to a crowd like that and carry out the way in which that I did, it’s every thing I’ve ever wished from my profession. It was my home that night time, however I wasn’t going to let that throw me off observe. I knew he was the champion. My essential objective was to win that world championship, it doesn’t matter the place it was at. I’ve had quite a lot of love from again house since. Johnny Tapia’s crew reached out to congratulate me and Danny Romero congratulated me as effectively. Austin Trout received in contact too, he’s a cool man.
“I do know there are quite a lot of fighters from New Mexico. There was no less than one fighter on my undercard who’s from New Mexico, too. It feels good to provide the fighters some alternatives and the large platform to struggle on a giant promotion like High Rank.”
Leo claimed the vacant WBO super-bantamweight title following a large unanimous-decision towards Tramaine Williams over 4 years in the past. He would lose his belt towards Stephen Fulton in his first defence six months later, and would shortly fall off the radar, not seeing aggressive motion for practically two and a half years. Nevertheless, Leo would resurface on ProBox TV’s Wednesday Nights Fights, transferring up a weight division to attain under-the-radar victories over Nicholas Polanco, Mike Plania and the aforementioned Baez.
“Now I’ve received a number of fights underneath the High Rank banner,” Leo continued. “I ought to have a defence by the top of 12 months, then we’ll take it from there. Presumably in New Mexico once more, however nothing is about in stone but. Being the man that I’m, I wish to struggle the very best and go down in historical past. It means I should struggle the opposite champions. The featherweight division is full of quite a lot of expertise, I’m prepared for whoever. I do know they wish to give me a defence first. Then we’ll see if we are able to unify the belts. There are quite a lot of choices on the desk.
“I wish to struggle all around the world, I’m down for any of those fights. I met Bob Arum. For 90 years previous, he’s in all places. He was very excited and proud to return and see Albuquerque, he has the historical past there with Johnny Tapia. I believe they have been fairly stunned how my struggle turned out. High Rank actually appreciated me as an opponent going into this struggle, that’s the rationale why they put it in my hometown, however regardless of it being hosted at house it was him as champion. They wished to do one thing with me however I needed to play my half. They simply anticipated a a lot totally different final result.”
The street to having Leo’s identify etched into the historical past books has been lengthy and arduous. An virtually essential ingredient for a fighter to assert world glory.
“When occasions have been arduous me and my dad must keep in my automotive typically as a result of we simply didn’t have the cash to lease a room.” Leo exclaimed. “We received a van at one level, and would keep in there. This was round 2012, after we would exit to California for sparring. It was a tough time, we didn’t have some huge cash. My dad must nonetheless take me although as a result of the sparring was significantly better. He all the time believed in me, it’s what influenced me quite a bit. His perception rubbed off on me. We all the time knew that someday we’d get there.
“We did find yourself transferring again to New Mexico with household and we received again on our toes there. We did nonetheless need that California sparring although, however we’d nonetheless keep in our automotive. Then I received a number of professional fights again in New Mexico and I had a job and stuff. However then the doorways kinda shut on us. My dad wished us to get out as a result of the fights have been probably not slicing it for me there. That’s when me and pa moved to Vegas. It’s the place the ball actually began rolling.”
The opposite featherweight belts are within the fingers of Nick Ball (WBA), Rafael Espinoza (WBO) and Rey Vargas (WBC). Whereas certainly one of boxing’s greatest superstars in Naoya Inoue might be set to affix Leo within the not-too-distant future.
“That might be an incredible struggle proper there when he strikes up from junior featherweight,” Leo stated concerning Inoue. “I need all these guys. I wish to maintain transferring ahead and problem myself the very best attainable degree. If which means going to Japan or the UK, I wish to do all of that.”
