Marauding Mexican Luis Alberto Lopez makes the fourth defense of his IBF featherweight title against former champ Angelo Leo at the Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on August 10. The 12-round bout, plus undercard action, will be broadcast by ESPN+ in the U.S.
WATCH: Luis Alberto Lopez vs. Angelo Leo, exclusively on ESPN+
Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is rated No.1 by The Ring at 126 pounds. He won the IBF title by dethroning Josh Warrington in 2022 and has followed up with wins over Michael Conlan, Joet Gonzalez and Reiya Abe.
The huge fights have eluded him thus far, but the champion will be hoping for a spectacular showing that can propel him into the superfight league.
“Like all Mexicans, I do my job in the ring, and I like to throw punches,” said Lopez recently. “I don’t mind getting hit in order to hit. We work to be able to do all of that in the ring. If we have to move around, we’ll do that. If we have to brawl, we can brawl. If the fight ends early, we can end it early. I do my job. I will prepare for that. And I’m happy that people like my work.”
Leo (24-1, 11 KOs) won the vacant WBO super bantamweight title in 2020 when he outpointed Tremaine Williams. However, his time at the top was short-lived after he was outpointed by American slickster Stephen Fulton in his first defense. Since then, Leo has moved onto the featherweight division and earned this title shot by posting four straight wins.
The Sporting News provides odds and a final prediction on this intriguing world title fight.
Luis Alberto Lopez vs. Angelo Leo betting odds
Per BetMGM, Lopez is the -600 favorite while Leo is the +450 underdog. The draw is +1800.
Luis Alberto Lopez vs. Angelo Leo trends
There are no trends available for this fight. The Sporting News will update this section once the information is available.
- Lopez via KO/ TKO/ Tech. Dec/ DQ: N/A
- Lopez via decision: N/A
- Leo via KO/TKO/Tech. Dec/ DQ: N/A
- Leo via decision: N/A
Luis Alberto Lopez vs. Angelo Leo prediction, best bets
The popular opinion is that Lopez will smash his way through Leo and march on to a superfight against Naoya Inoue in 2025. I’m not so sure.
Lopez is a terrific fighter, but he’s not invincible. The Mexican star dethroned Englishman Josh Warrington on a tight majority decision, and Joet Gonzalez also took rounds off him.
Going further back, Lopez’s two losses came at the hands of Abraham Montoya and Ruben Villa, who are hardly household names.
Leo is durable, full of ambition and he’s clever. Capable of fighting on the inside and the outside, the challenger counterpunches well and he’s always piping fit. He’ll know that Lopez is bringing the heat, and his main goal will be to defuse the bomb over 12 rounds.
As well as all that, Leo has the home advantage in Albuquerque and that might be enough to get him over the line for a surprising points triumph.
It’s a risk, but it’s worth the bet.
Sporting News prediction: Leo UD 12 (Per BetMGM: +450)
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