Newly crowned IBF featherweight champion Angelo Leo 25-1 (12) is going to be hard to beat for the Knockout of the Year after starching Luis Alberto Lopez 30-3 (17) with a powerful left hook in the 10th round of their championship fight at the Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Saturday night.
Fighting in front of his home crowd, the 30-year-old Leo blew open what was close fight on the judges’ cards when he slammed home his vaunted left hook a minute into the 10th.
Mexico’s Lopez, 30, was out cold before he hit the canvas.
“That left hook, we’ve been practicing all camp, for four or five months,” Leo said. “I’ve been practicing it, not just in the gym, but in my room, in front of the mirror. I just kept throwing that left hook and it paid off in the 10th round.”
The official time of the stoppage was 1:16.
Judges Esther Lopez and Fernando Villarreal both had Leo leading 86-85 at the time of the stoppage, while judge Zachary Young had the same score for Lopez.
It was a tremendous performance from Leo, who consistently made Lopez miss and made him pay for his mistakes. According to CompuBox, Leo landed 203 of 487 of his total punches at 42% compared to 142 of 586 at 24% for Lopez. Leo landed 150 power punches while Lopez landed 116.
Leo has been steadily rebuilding his career since he lost his WBO super bantamweight title to Stephen Fulton 21-1 (8) in 2021. A move up to the 126-pound weight class and three straight fights for three wins on ProBox TV moved him into a position to challenge Lopez.
Those bouts have afforded him the opportunity to retool game with just the right amount of visibility.
“A lot of that had to do with maturity,” said Leo of the road back to the top. “My experience in the boxing game. My experience in life. All of that played a factor. I became more self-aware of what I needed to work on in my training and in my style. I improved in all that, I improved on my punching power.
“Of course, I moved up in weight to 126. I got more zip on my punches now, rather than at 122. I just feel a lot better at 126. I feel a lot sharper. I hired a strength and conditioning coach. Our training sessions are a lot more intense than back then. Everything is a lot more intense so we’re ready to go.”
Undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue 27-0 (24) may look to move up featherweight next year to conquer another division and if he does, Leo will be waiting for him.
“I want to fight all the champions,” Leo said. “Whether it be Rafael Espinoza for a unification bout, Naoya Inoue – whoever it may be.”
Impressive left hook by Leo, definitely a strong contender for Knockout of the Year.
Leo’s dedication to practicing his left hook paid off in that fight. Great strategy.
Leo showed great improvement in his punching power and accuracy. Exciting to see him develop.
Leo’s move up to the featherweight division seems to have been a wise decision. He looks stronger at 126.
Leo’s performance against Lopez was really impressive. His defense and counterpunching were on point.
Exciting to hear that Leo is willing to take on all champions in the division. Looking forward to seeing those matchups.
Leo’s focus on his training and style improvements really showed in the fight. Well done.
Leo’s knockout in the 10th round was brutal. Definitely a strong statement from the new champion.
Leo’s journey back to the top after his title loss shows true resilience. Impressive comeback.
Leo’s fight against Lopez was a clear demonstration of his skills and determination. Exciting times ahead for him in the division.