Mexico’s world champion Luis Alberto Lopez faces local Angelo Leo at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, NM on August 10. The pair battles it out in the main event live on ESPN. At the pre-fight press conference, the athletes previewed their bout and went face to face.
Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) makes the fourth defense of his IBF 126 lbs belt. Former world champion Leo (24-1, 11 KOs) looks to land title in his second weight class. The championship bout is scheduled for 12 rounds.
“I’m used to being taken to different parts of the world. London. Leeds. It doesn’t matter where I go,” Luis Alberto Lopez said. “Venado Lopez, the ‘Road Warrior,’ will always do his job. I work hard in the gym to do what I have to do. If we can end the fight early, we’ll do that. Either way, I’m coming back home as a world champion.”
“We always work on everything. We work on speed. We work on strength. We work on defense. We try to improve everything. I work really hard in the gym. So, the camp ends up really well. Angelo Leo is a former world champion. He wants to be a world champion again. So, we expect the best version of him, and it will be a war.”
Angelo Leo said: “This means the world to me. Fighting back in my hometown is something I’ve always wanted. And what better way to do it than with a title shot.”
“In my last fight, the main goal was to win. I knew everything else would fall into place with a Venado fight.”
The co-main event pits unbeaten Lindolfo Delgado (20-0, 15 KOs) against Bryan Flores (26-0-1, 15 KOs). The all-Mexican clash is scheduled for 10 rounds at junior welterweight.
“I like getting in the ring and doing things well,” Lindolfo Delgado said. “I don’t do things just to do them. And all of that has helped me. Aside from that, I also like boxing. And I’ve been taught well in the gym as well.”
“They always put really good fighters against me, and like I said, I always try to get better with each fight with every preparation. Every preparation is the same, but I try to do things a bit better. So, that’s what we did for this camp.”
Bryan Flores said: “I feel blessed. Aside from the result this Saturday, I feel like a winner already because of all the work I did in the gym. I’m confident. I come with the confidence of having done everything in the gym. Lindolfo is a great fighter and opponent for me. I know it’s going to be a difficult fight, where he can win the {WBO Latino title} as well. But I know it will be a big war on Saturday.”
On the top of prelims, Matthew Griego (14-0, 10 KOs) of Albuquerque, NM meets Gilberto Mendoza (23-18-4, 11 KOs) of San Francisco. The latter stepped in for initially announced Abraham R Perez (10-0, 5 KOs) of El Paso, Texas. The bout is scheduled for eight rounds at flyweight.
“It’s a dream come true,” Matthew Griego said. “Fighting on one of these cards for any boxer is a dream come true. It’s just the start of something.”
“I just have to go in there and put on a show. I want to be impressive. That’s what I plan to do.”
“Business as usual. We should be able to adapt to the [late-notice opponent].”
Also on the card, Vito Mielnicki Jr (18-1, 12 KOs) of Belleville, New Jersey goes up against Laszlo Toth (32-8-2, 20 KOs) of Hungary. The bout is scheduled for 10 rounds at super welterweight.
“This is what I’ve been doing since I was 7 years old,” Vito Mielnicki Jr said. “It’s all I’ve done. It’s my dream. So, for me to be on this platform, this stage, is a blessing. I’m going to take advantage of every opportunity I get.”
“I just want to continue to grow and build on what we’ve already built. And I’m excited for the next part of my journey.”
Among other bouts featured on the Lopez vs Leo undercard, LA’s Steven Navarro (2-0, 1 KOs) takes on Israel Camacho (2-11) of Mexico. The bout is scheduled for six rounds at super flyweight.