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Boxing: Leo title defense coming? Looks that way
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The Albuquerque fight scene has been abuzz the past few days with reports that Duke City native Angelo Leo will come home to defend his IBF featherweight title in February.
True? So it appears — but with the necessary asterisk that, hey, it’s the boxing business and anything can happen. Or not.
The buzz began with a post from Leo himself, saying, “Back in action soon.”
In succeeding days, Albuquerque combat-sports veteran Donald Sanchez and online boxing writer Andy Rivera chimed in.
“Oh man. The cat is kind of out of the bag,” posted Sanchez, who has formed a working partnership with Santa Fe promoter Pat Holmes. “… Can’t wait to fully execute something huge for New Mexico.”
Sanchez made it clear that Leo was front and center in that “something huge:”
“Angelo Leo — world title defense … say tuned.”
And further: “A Sanchez & Holmes production.”
A bit later, Rivera posted, “Angelo Leo possible defense in February 2026.”
When the Journal called Holmes, he had little to say on the record. But yes, he said, he and Sanchez are working on “something big to come to Albuquerque, and we’re looking at February.”
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Leo (26-1, 12 knockouts) won the IBF title via a spectacular 10th-round knockout of then-champion Luis Alberto Lopez on an Aug. 10 2024 card, promoted by Top Rank, Inc., at Tingley Coliseum.
He successfully defended the title on May 24 with a victory by majority decision over Tomoki Kameda in Osaka, Japan, on a Japanese promotion.
Leo is under contract to ProBox, a Florida promotional firm headed by Gary Jonas. Top Rank has options to exercise on Leo as per the Albuquerque native’s contract for the Lopez fight.
It’s unclear at this point whether or how ProBox, or Top Rank, would be involved in this proposed Leo title defense in Albuquerque.
TWO TO PUERTO RICO: On Friday, two days after the pairing was announced, Albuquerque’s Holly Holm and El Paso’s Stephanie Han were in Puerto Rico promoting their scheduled Jan. 3 bout on a Most Valuable Promotions card in San Juan.
Han’s WBA lightweight title will be at stake.
The Holm-Han fight is a co-main event below a main event matching Puerto Rico’s Amanda Serrano and Mexico’s Erika Cruz.
IT’S OHKAY WITH HIM: Holmes, who staged a successful pro boxing card at Ohkay Casino Hotel on Nov. 1, said he’ll promote another card there on Jan. 31.
Ohkay Owingeh, formerly San Juan Pueblo, is located just north of Española.
Holmes has staged at least 10 pro boxing cards in New Mexico but until Nov. 1 had not done so since February 2020. He’d grown tired of the headaches, he said, and wasn’t sure he’d promote again.
Now, he’s sure.
THE INN CROWD: El Paso middleweight Jorge Tovar (12-0, nine KOs) is scheduled to risk his unbeaten record on Saturday against Georgia’s Eric Moon (11-6-1, six KOs) in the main event of a pro boxing card at the Inn of the Mountain Gods in Mescalero.
Two New Mexicans, Albuquerque welterweight Shaun Henson and Gallup heavyweight Ronald Baca, are listed on the undercard.
Baca (9-4-5, three KOs) is matched against El Paso’s Marcos Duran (2-1, two KOs). Henson (2-5, two KOs) is scheduled to face Damian Muñoz (2-1, two KOs) of Levelland, Texas. Both bouts are scheduled for four rounds.
Of interest: Cruz Reyes (0-1) of Muleshoe, Texas, is scheduled to face William Salgado (pro debut) of Corpus Christi, Texas, in a super bantamweight four-rounder — a week after Reyes’ own pro debut — a loss by unanimous decision to Albuquerque’s Jorge Villarruel on Holmes’ card at Ohkay Hotel Casino.
