Luis Alberto Lopez found himself on the wrong end of what could easily be called the “Knockout of the Year” on Saturday night.
And because of that he also lost his title belt.
Angelo Leo stunned Lopez with a wild knockout in the 10th round of their fight at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Saturday. Leo, who had largely dodged a headshot from Lopez, countered with a clean left hook that landed squarely in Lopez’s head, sending the former IBF featherweight champion back to the mat and ending the fight immediately.
Just look:
Leo began the night on a four-fight winning streak and now has a near-perfect 25-1 record. He claimed the WBA Continental featherweight title with a knockout win over Mike Plania in January and then defended it with a unanimous decision victory over Eduardo Baez in April.
Lopez entered Saturday’s bout with a 30-2 career record with 17 knockouts. He first claimed the IBF featherweight title in December 2022 with a majority decision win over Josh Warrington. He has successfully defended that belt three times and had won 13 straight fights dating back to 2019 before losing.
While there have been plenty of notable knockouts this year, and there’s still plenty of time for more, Leo’s strike was as clean and effortless as it gets. He landed his shot perfectly, and there was nothing Lopez could do to stop it.
