Lopez to Enter Enemy Territory Again for Title Defense
Luis Alberto “Venado” Lopez will defend his IBF featherweight world championship against Angelo Leo on Saturday, August 10, at Tingley Coliseum in Leo’s hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The event, promoted by Top Rank in association with Legacy Boxing Promotions, will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, with Sky Sports airing it in the UK and Ireland.
Lopez's Road Warrior Journey Continues Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs), the top-rated featherweight by The Ring, has built a reputation as a formidable road warrior. The 30-year-old from Mexicali, Mexico, claimed the IBF featherweight title by defeating Josh Warrington in Leeds, England, in December 2022. His first title defense saw him stopping Michael Conlan in Belfast in May 2023. He then defeated Joet Gonzalez in September and recently knocked out Reiya Abe in the eighth round.
“On August 10, I will make it abundantly clear who the king of the featherweight division is,” Lopez stated. “I know he is the local fighter, but you already know what happens when I enter enemy territory. The ‘Road Warrior’ is back.”
Leo's Redemption Quest Angelo Leo (24-1, 11 KOs), one of six New Mexicans to win a world title, claimed the WBO junior featherweight title in 2020 but lost it to Stephen Fulton five months later. After a two-year hiatus, Leo moved up to featherweight and secured three wins, including a decision over Eduardo Baez in April.
“I’m honored to fight for my second world title, especially in my hometown of Albuquerque,” Leo said. “I know Lopez is one of the top champions in my division, and a win over him would be huge for me and my city.”
Co-Feature: All-Mexican Junior Welterweight Showdown In the 10-round junior welterweight co-feature, Lindolfo Delgado (20-0, 15 KOs) will face Bryan Flores (26-0-1, 15 KOs). Delgado, recently extending his contract with Top Rank, aims to crash the world title picture. He overcame Carlos Sanchez in March, knocking him out in the seventh round. Flores, from Juarez, Mexico, has won 22 straight fights since 2015 and defeated Shinard Bunch in April 2023.
“This is the fight and the opportunity that I’ve been waiting for,” Flores said. “Lindolfo Delgado is a tough Mexican warrior like I am, and we will give the fans a fight worthy of ESPN.”
Exciting Undercard Fights The ESPN+-streamed undercard will feature several notable matchups:
- Albuquerque natives Abraham Perez (10-0, 5 KOs) and Matthew Griego (14-0, 10 KOs) will clash in the "Duke City Civil War."
- U.S. Olympic silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr. (10-0, 10 KOs) will face Joshua Temple (13-3, 10 KOs) in an eight-round heavyweight bout.
- Lightweight Alan “Kid Kansas” Garcia (13-0, 10 KOs) will take on Donnie Reeves (9-9, 7 KOs) in an eight-rounder.
- Junior middleweight contender Vito Mielnicki Jr. (18-1, 12 KOs) will make his Top Rank debut.
- Ukrainian featherweight contender Arnold Khegai (21-1-1, 13 KOs) will fight Belmar Preciado (22-7-1, 15 KOs).
Tickets for the event go on sale Tuesday, June 18, at 11 a.m. MST via Etix.com.