Fresh from becoming a two-division champion, Angelo Leo says he would like to slug it out with Naoya Inoue at 126 pounds.
Leo, 30, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, stopped Luis Alberto Lopez of Mexico in 10 rounds to snatch the IBF featherweight title at Tingley Coliseum in his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Aug. 10.
According to Leo (25-1, 12 KOs), he would love to have a shot at facing the Japanese “Monster” in the future.
“Yes, of course. I think Naoya in a way is one of the best fighters in the world right now and I would love to take a crack at him,” Leo told BoxingScene. “I think he’s fighting at 122 pounds right now and I heard a lot of rumors that he is planning to move up to 126 in the future.”
Leo’s decision to move up to 126 after losing his WBO junior featherweight belt to Stephen Fulton three years ago paid off when he earned a one-punch knockout over Lopez to claim his IBF title. A powerful left hook from Leo dropped the champion and ended proceedings in front of Leo’s hometown crowd – where he was fighting for the first time in nine years.
Despite recording an emphatic KO win, Leo admitted to not expecting the fight to end abruptly in his favor. However, he described the decision to move up to featherweight as the best of his career, especially when his body started failing at 122.
“I moved up because 122 was just too difficult to make,” Leo said. “I felt like I was outgrowing 122 pounds and my body was asking for me to go up in weight, so that’s why we decided to go 126, and I feel a lot better there now.
“I would have to say that’s the best decision. Honestly, we weren’t really looking for the knockout. The strategy was just to go in there and to outwork them, out-point them, and if the knockout came, then it came. But for the most part, we’re looking for a decision just to go in there and win.”
Leo ruled out a possible rematch with Lopez after revealing that there was no such clause in their fight contract. His focus is to either face the undefeated four-division titlist Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs) or unify his new IBF title against fellow belt holders Rey Vargas and Rafael Espinoza.
Inoue is reportedly seeking to move up to 126 if he’s able to successfully defend his unified WBC, IBF and WBO junior featherweight titles against TJ Doheny on Sept. 3 at Ariake Arena, Koto-Ku in Japan. Should the Japanese star decide to remain at 122 after the fight, Leo could decide to unify against Vargas or Espinoza.
Leo believes facing either Vargas or Espinoza in a unification would be exciting to watch.
“I would like either Espinoza or Vargas. Espinoza is a tall fighter that throws a lot of punches, and Rey Vargas is also another tall fighter that throws a lot of punches. And I throw a lot of punches, so I think it’s a fan-friendly fight.”
Despite all these plans, Leo wants to move up in weight in the future.
“I plan on staying here for a few more fights, possibly a few more years, and then moving up to 130 pounds.”
Bernard Neequaye is a sports journalist with a specialty in boxing coverage. He wrote a boxing column titled “From The Ringside” in his native Ghana for years. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at @BernardNeequaye, LinkedIn at Bernard Neequaye and through email at [email protected].
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