As first revealed in April, Luis Alberto Lopez will defend his IBF featherweight title against Angelo Leo on August 10 in the latter’s hometown of Albuquerque.
Lopez (30-2, 17 KO) is arguably the top fighter in the extremely turbulent featherweight division heading into his fourth title defense. Since overtaking Josh Warrington for the belt in 2022, he has crushed Michael Conlan, turned down a surprisingly good match from Joet Gonzalez and defeated mandatory challenger Reiya Abe with contemptuous ease.
Leo (24-1, 11 KO), who briefly held the WBO super bantamweight belt, enters the ring after decent victories over Mike Plania and Eduardo Baez. He looks solid after 2.5 years on the bench and should put up a tough fight with Lopez.
“On August 10, I will completely explain who is the king of the featherweight division,” said the 30-year-old “El Venado.” “This will be the fourth defense of my world title and I am preparing for a gigantic battle against a former world champion like Angelo Leo.
“It will be a magical evening for all fans in Up-to-date Mexico. I know he’s a local fighter, but you already know what happens when I enter enemy territory. “Road Warrior is back and I will notify all the division champions.”
“I know Lopez is one of the top champions in my league and a win over him would be huge for me and my city. I’m at the peak of my career and I can’t wait to show the world what I’ve become since winning my first world title in 2020.”
In a joint fight, undefeated super lightweights Lindolfo Delgado (20-0, 15 KO) and Bryan Flores (26-0-1, 15 KO) will meet in a solid eliminator. Delgado has lingered a bit since his 2022 victory over Omar Aguilar, which should have been a breakthrough, and Flores has done the same since beating Shinard Bunch in the ShoBox main event last year, so it’s nice to have them competing against each other.
Arnold Khegai (21-1-1, 13 KO), Richard Torrez Jr (10-0, 10 KO), Vito Mielnicki Jr (18-1, 12 KO) and Alan Garcia (13-0, 10 KO) will see action on undercard. Quite a show, all things considered.