ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Angelo Leo set out to become a two-division world champion in his hometown tonight, and he did it in emphatic fashion.
Leo captured the IBF featherweight world title with a one-punch knockout in the 10th round against Venado Lopez Saturday evening at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Leo boxed intelligently as Venado pushed forward confidently with his hands down. Undeterred, Leo moved his feet to set up short combinations.
Despite Venado (30-3, 17 KOs) connecting occasionally, Leo (25-2, 12 KOs) returned fire often with quick combinations and hard counters in the middle rounds when Venado was off balance.
The Mexican powerhouse seemed unfazed by Leo’s punches, but a perfect left hook put Venado flat on his back in the tenth, ending the fight at 1:16.
Leo, the former WBO junior featherweight world champion, joins fellow Duke City natives Johnny Tapia and Danny Romero in earning world titles in two weight classes.
Leo said, “This means the world to me, fighting back in my hometown. I’ve been yearning for this moment. Like I said, what better way to do it than with a world title shot and with a knockout?
“That left hook, we’ve been practicing in camp for four, five months. Not 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.
“I want to fight all the champions, whether it be Rafael Espinoza for a unification bout. Naoya Inoue, whoever it may be.”
Delgado Survives Brutal War of Attrition
Mexican Olympian Lindolfo Delgado (21-0, 15 KOs) triumphed over another tough compatriot tonight, but it wasn’t easy. The 29-year-old junior welterweight edged Bryan Flores (26-1-1, 15 KOs) via a 10-round split decision in tonight’s co-feature.
Delgado fought at a measured pace, dropping Flores with a counter right hand in the third. But Flores began to land rights of his own and pushed Delgado to the ropes in the middle rounds.
In round seven, Flores was deducted a point for hitting below the belt, and Delgado upped his offense in the eighth to try to impede Flores’ momentum. The two went tit-for-tat with left hooks and short right hands at close range for the remaining two rounds.
One judge had it 96-92 Flores, while Delgado prevailed by scores of 96-92 and 95-93.
Delgado said, “The victory was not easy, but I enjoyed it a lot. I enjoyed every round of it, as we had to stay focused in each moment to win the fight.”
“He came with a strong will to win, and aside from that, he throws his punches with force. But we managed to get the victory. I would like a world title opportunity next.”
Flyweight: Albuquerque native Matthew Griego (15-0, 10 KOs) took care of late replacement opponent Gilberto Mendoza (23-19-4, 11 KOs), securing a wide unanimous decision by scores of 80-72 3x.
Junior Middleweight: “White Magic” had a magical Top Rank roster debut. Vito Mielnicki Jr. (19-1, 12 KOs) turned away Laszlo Toth (32-9-2, 20 KOs) in the second round, officially earning a disqualification after Toth’s corner entered the ring following a knockdown. Mielnicki stunned Toth at the end of round one, and he finished the job with a left hook. The official time of the DQ was 1:39.
“I thought it was a knockout, not a DQ,” Mielnicki said. “Xander Zayas, we could get that going in New York soon, probably in another year. Let’s get that going. I heard him call my name. I’d love that.”
Featherweight: 22-year-old powerhouse Albert Gonzalez (10-0, 6 KOs) earned a third-round stoppage against Damian Alcala (8-5, 2 KOs). Gonzalez hurt Alcala with a counter right hand, which set up the first knockdown. Seconds later, Alcala collapsed again following a series of unanswered blows, which forced Rocky Burke to end the contest at 2:51.
Lightweight: In his fourth appearance of 2024, Alan “Kid” Kansas Garcia (14-0, 11 KOs) authored a third-round TKO over Maickol Lopez Villagrana (16-6, 8 KOs). Garcia’s short right hands, which he threw to the head and body, overwhelmed Lopez, who was dropped three times before his corner halted the action at 2:34.
Bantamweight: Los Angeles product Steven “Kid Dynamite” Navarro (3-0, 2 KOs), one of the sport’s emerging prospects, stopped late replacement foe Israel Camacho (2-12) in the opening round. Navarro dropped Camacho twice with body blows before referee Wes Melton waved off the one-way assault.
Featherweight: WBO No. 3 featherweight contender Arnold Khegai (22-1-1, 14 KOs) continued his march to a world title shot, shutting down Colombian veteran Belmar Preciado (22-8-1, 15 KOs) en route to an eighth-round TKO. Preciado’s corner stopped the fight following the conclusion of the round.
