Nothing might damage him. All the things Angelo Leo threw at Luis Alberto Lopez, it appeared, the defending IBF featherweight titlist walked by.
Then, as what generally occurs in boxing, a life-altering punch happens. It unfolded progressively and got here to a thudding conclusion sq. on Lopez’s chin, knocking him out chilly earlier than his head bounced off the canvas Saturday evening on the Tingley Coliseum in Leo’s hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Similar to that, Leo fulfilled a dream, successful the IBF featherweight title in his yard by knocking out Lopez at 1:16 of the tenth spherical.
Leo (25-1, 12 knockouts) stated he had been working towards that left hook all over the place he might, from the fitness center to when he seemed himself within the mirror. Getting into the battle, Lopez (30-3, 17 KOs) was The Ring’s No. 1 ranked featherweight and Leo was ranked No. 10.
Leo was forward on two of the choose’s scorecards, 86-85, whereas one choose had Lopez forward, 86-85, on the time of the stoppage.
Lopez, who misplaced for the primary time since 2019, was making his fourth title protection, which he received in December 2022, whereas Leo received his fifth-straight bout for the reason that WBO junior featherweight title protection to Stephen Fulton.
Leo felt Lopez was underestimating coming into the battle. Lopez actually underrated Leo’s energy.
Angelo Leo nails Luis Alberto Lopez with a left. Lopez appeared to stroll by every thing Leo landed, till the tenth (Photograph by Mikey Williams/High Rank).
He paid dearly for it later.
After a feeling-out opening spherical, Leo unleashed a torrent of photographs within the second, beginning with an overhand proper to Lopez’s chin with 1:39 left within the spherical. Leo adopted with one other proper, a left to the physique, and one other proper to the facet of Lopez’s head. Leo had the hometown crowd chanting his identify, “Leo, Leo, Leo.”
Leo poked Lopez with a double jab within the ultimate minute of the second, with the “Leo” chants portray the background of his fees. It was a really sturdy spherical for Leo, who landed 24 of 49 punches, together with 11 physique photographs within the spherical.
Lopez tried utilizing his awkward, wide-open model to set Leo off steadiness. With 1:49 left within the third, Lopez popped Leo’s head again with a proper uppercut. Leo countered Lopez with a proper to the face with 1:20 remaining.
As quickly because the bell sounded to open the fourth, Leo pressed Lopez instantly. Lopez appeared to stroll by every thing Leo was throwing, standing sturdy within the pocket. With 26 seconds left within the fourth, Leo shook his head as Lopez linked on a fast mixture. Leo was attempting to win with quantity, Lopez was attempting to win with energy photographs.
LOOK AT THIS BRUTAL KO BY ANGELO LEO ONE MORE TIME 🤯 pic.twitter.com/aPy9PW697g
— High Rank Boxing (@trboxing) August 11, 2024
There have been just a few borderline photographs within the fourth to which Lopez tried drawing to the eye of referee Ernie Sharif.
Because the fifth spherical unfolded, Lopez stayed patiently within the pocket and tried catching Leo as he neared. Lopez’s proper uppercut was significantly efficient. With 25 seconds remaining within the fifth, Lopez swung a proper into Leo’s head. Lopez once more landed a proper uppercut because the spherical closed.
Exhibiting no respect for Leo’s energy by any means, Lopez walked down the hometown challenger swinging one shot at a time. He had Leo backing up—and pondering. Leo did get one good shot in, popping Lopez’s head again with a minute left within the sixth.
By way of six, Leo outlanded Lopez, 128/318 (40%) to 85/397 (21%). What punch stats don’t reveal, nonetheless, is how heavy Lopez’s photographs had been compared to Leo’s.
With 2:13 left within the seventh, Lopez once more tried to attraction to Sharif about low blows, when a Leo left hit Lopez on the waistline. Lopez again pedaled and easily stopped combating. He seemed over to Shafir, tapped his waistband along with his proper, as Leo stored punching.
Leo started displaying a minimize below his proper eye. He did maintain up effectively below Lopez’s energy photographs—and he seemed to be successful by seven.
Within the first 30 seconds of the eighth, Sharif did warn Leo, “Don’t do this, maintain them up.”
Leo was counting on the homerun punch. Leo stored chopping at Lopez, as Shafir was seemingly dropping management of the battle. He was late in getting between the fighters to interrupt them and was too late when he warned them.
With 1:38 left within the ninth, Lopez scored with proper inside. By this time, Lopez had completely no respect for something Leo tried. He walked in a straight line to the challenger, stalking Leo.
It will be a grave mistake Lopez would pay for emphatically the next spherical.
Between the ninth and tenth, Lopez was informed by his nook, “You can’t rely upon the ref, he’s on his (Leo’s) facet, okay?”
Lopez was additionally informed to create far, creating area to attach with the uppercuts.
Then, proper after a break with 1:58 left within the tenth, Leo, from out of nowhere, unfurled a textbook left hook catching Lopez proper on the chin knocking him out. The punch was blunt. Emphatic. Explosive. Leo seemed down on the fallen Lopez, admiring his punishing blow as he walked away. Sharif stood over the supine Lopez counting, whereas ringside officers started spilling into the ring earlier than Sharif might end the rely.
Within the co-feature, between undefeated junior welterweights Lindolfo Delgado and Bryan Flores, Delgado received by 10-round split-decision scores of 95-93 and 96-92, outdistancing the one card in favor of Flores, 96-92.
Delgado (21-0, 15 KOs) received due to a pair of 10-8 rounds, one within the third, off the knockdown, and within the seventh, off the purpose deduction for Flores’ low blows.
Flores (26-1-1, 15 KOs) had outlanded Delgado, 104 to 100, though Delgado linked at a better proportion, 100/354 (28%) to Flores’ 104/471 (22%).
Within the opening rounds, Flores was the extra aggressive, backing up Delgado, a 2016 Mexican Olympian. Delgado started selecting up his rhythm within the third, catching Flores with a clubbing proper to the facet of the pinnacle sending him down with 1:59 remaining within the spherical. It marked the seventh time in Flores’ profession that he had been knocked down.
Lindolfo Delgado remained undefeated with a split-decision, 10-round victory over Bryan Flores (Photograph by Mikey WIlliams/High Rank)
Within the opening seconds of the fourth, Flores surprised Delgado with an overhand proper. The third-round knockdown appeared to get up Flores, who resorted to coming ahead as he had within the first two rounds. With :48 seconds left within the fourth, Flores plowed Delgado with a sweeping proper on the again of Delgado’s left ear. Delgado couldn’t get out of the best way of Flores’ rights.
Within the first minute of the sixth, Flores landed a one-two on Delgado’s head. Halfway by the spherical, Delgado attacked the physique, forcing Flores to again up.
Presumably sensing he was behind, Delgado got here at Flores to begin the seventh. About 40 seconds later, it was Delgado hitting Flores with lead rights, however referee Robert Velez felt Flores was throwing low blows and deducted some extent with 1:46 left within the spherical. Delgado’s sturdy seventh, with the purpose deduction, positioned him again into the battle.
With 1:23 left within the eighth, Flores plowed Delgado with a giant left that smacked Delgado sq. within the face. Every fighter might get out of the best way of one another. Flores tagged Delgado with a left uppercut within the closing minute of the ninth, which Flores countered by touchdown a proper to the pinnacle. The fighters went at it inches aside, their foreheads seemingly seared collectively.
Because the tenth opened, the battle might have gone both method. With 2:21 left within the battle, Flores crushed Delgado with an overhand proper. With 1:23 left, Delgado popped Flores’ head again with a proper uppercut. The 2 ended the battle like they fought your entire battle, relentlessly swinging at one another.
Vito Mielnicki Jr.’s High Rank debut started sturdy with a second-round victory over Laszlo Toth (Photograph by Mikey Williams/High Rank)
On the undercard, Albuquerque native Matthew Griego (15-0, 10 KOs) beat late alternative Gilberto Mendoza (23-19-4, 11 KOs) for the second time, successful an eight-round unanimous resolution at flyweight. Griego defeated Mendoza by six-round unanimous resolution in June 2022.
Junior middleweight Vito Mielnicki Jr. (19-1, 13 KOs) made a really impactful High Rank debut with a second-round disqualification victory at 1:39 over Laszlo Toth (32-9-2, 20 KOs), when Toth’s nook entered the ring to cease the scheduled 10-rounder.
Featherweight Albert Gonzalez (10-0, 6 KOs) stopped Damian Alcala (8-5, 2 KOs) at 2:51 of the third spherical in a scheduled six-rounder.
Light-weight Alan Garcia (14-0, 11 KOs) remained undefeated by stopping Maickol Lopez Villagrana (16-6, 8 KOs) at 2:34 of the third spherical of a scheduled eight-rounder.
In a scheduled six-round bantamweight weight, Steven Navarro (3-0, 2 KOs) stopped Israel Camacho (2-12) with a left hook to the physique at 2:14 of spherical one. Within the opening bout of the present, featherweight Arnold Khegai (22-1-1, 14 KOs) stopped Belmar Preciado (22-8-1, 15 KOs) on the finish of the ninth spherical of a scheduled 10-rounder.
Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter who has been working for Ring Journal/RingTV.com since October 1997 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Affiliation of America.
