Luis Alberto “El Venado” Lopez vs Angelo “El Chinito” Leo Tale of the Tape and Undercard

Featherweight IBF World Champion, Louis Alberto Lopez, will make his 4th defense of the title against the underappreciated former WBO super bantamweight champion and current featherweight contender, Angelo Leo. 

Luis Alberto Lopez burst onto the global scene in the same way many Mexican stars do. Going to Europe and taking a belt off of the favorite in their home country. Not only did he surprise many in Leeds by defeating Josh Warrington by majority decision to obtain the IBF strap. He went to Belfast for seconds and knocked Mick Conlan out cold in his first defense. Lopez has a style and stance that makes it easy to underestimate him at first glance. He’s unorthodox to say the least, but his punch selection, odd angles, and off-beat timing make him a nightmare to contend with. That is to say nothing of his punching power and toughness which are substantial in their own right. His chin is never tucked the way most come-forward power puncher’s are. It would be normal to see this as a weakness to be exploited, but in reality, it is only a physical indicator of his supreme confidence in himself. Anyone tough enough to voluntarily adopt a nickname like “El Venado” is worth a watch, Luis Alberto Lopez is a one of a kind fighter with a style all his own. He looks to make another successful defense of his belt. Angelo Leo, presumably, has a different plan.

Angelo Leo won a hard fought, but wide, unanimous decision over undefeated Tremaine Williams to become the WBO World super bantamweight champion back in August of 2020 when there was no crowd to applaud his triumph. In January of ‘21 he came up against “Cool Boy” Steph Fulton. That night Leo came up short, also by UD. Since his lone loss, he’s gotten himself back on track by first defeating Aaron Alameda, and after a two year sabbatical, finding a new home on ProBox TV, who’s modus operandi is putting on action-packed 50/50 fights. It is in this environment that Angelo Leo was shown to truly thrive as he has become the winningest fighter on ProBoxTV. Along with that accolade he has become the most active featherweight, fighting what will be his fourth opponent since only november of last year. When discussing technique, there isn’t a lot Leo does visually to set himself apart from his peers the same way Lopez does. He doesn’t possess awe-inspiring power, or blazing hand speed. What he excels at, however, is making his opponent fight at his range, picking his shots, and using his toughness, body work, and inside game to bend his foe to his will. 

Over three years have passed since “El Chinito” could call himself a world champion and reap the rewards that come with it. On Saturday another opportunity to be at the very top of a division has presented itself in the form of an IBF title. It’s an opportunity that he is more prepared than ever to take advantage of, and this time.. there’s a crowd.

Dallas’ Opinion: I love this fight. I love watching both fighters. I’m not even going to try and make a pick, I’m just going to enjoy the show.