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Leo to defend title in Japan on May 24
Albuquerque native Angelo Leo, left, here battling Luis Alberto Lopez at Tingley Coliseum on Aug. 10, is scheduled to defend the IBF featherweight title he won that night on May 24 against Tomoki Kameda in the latter’s hometown of Osaka, Japan.
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Albuquerque native Angelo Leo is scheduled to defend his IBF featherweight title against Japan’s Tomoki Kameda on May 24 in Kameda’s hometown of Osaka, Japan, a Top Rank, Inc. spokesman confirmed late Saturday night.
Leo (25-1, 12 knockouts) would be defending the title he won via a spectacular knockout of then-champion Luis Alberto “Venado” Lopez on Aug. 10 at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque.
Kameda (42-4, 23 KOs) is the mandatory challenger for the IBF featherweight belt.
Leo, who lives and trains in Las Vegas, Nevada, tentatively was scheduled to defend against Kameda on March 22. But the fight has been pushed back, perhaps because Top Rank has cards scheduled in Tokyo in both January and February.
Top Rank promoted the Aug. 10 card in conjunction with Albuquerque’s Legacy Promotions, and Lopez is a Top Rank contract fighter. Top Rank is exercising its contractual option to promote Leo’s title defense against Kameda.
Initially, Top Rank applied for a permit with the New Mexico Athletic Commission to promote a card at the Rio Rancho Events Center, presumably headlined by a Leo title defense, in January. Top Rank then withdrew the application.
Leo said in an interview last month that he welcomes the opportunity to defend the title against Kameda in Osaka.
