Boxing: Leo title defense coming? Looks that way
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The sa国际传媒官网网页入口 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 鈥� but with the necessary asterisk that, hey, it鈥檚 the boxing business and anything can happen. Or not.
The buzz began with a post from Leo himself, saying, 鈥淏ack in action soon.鈥�
In succeeding days, sa国际传媒官网网页入口 combat-sports veteran Donald Sanchez and online boxing writer Andy Rivera chimed in.
鈥淥h man. The cat is kind of out of the bag,鈥� posted Sanchez, who has formed a working partnership with Santa Fe promoter Pat Holmes. 鈥溾�� Can鈥檛 wait to fully execute something huge for New Mexico.鈥�
Sanchez made it clear that Leo was front and center in that 鈥渟omething huge:鈥�
鈥淎ngelo Leo 鈥� world title defense 鈥� say tuned.鈥�
And further: 鈥淎 Sanchez & Holmes production.鈥�
A bit later, Rivera posted, 鈥淎ngelo Leo possible defense in February 2026.鈥�
When the Journal called Holmes, he had little to say on the record. But yes, he said, he and Sanchez are working on 鈥渟omething big to come to sa国际传媒官网网页入口, and we鈥檙e looking at February.鈥�
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 sa国际传媒官网网页入口 native鈥檚 contract for the Lopez fight.
It鈥檚 unclear at this point whether or how ProBox, or Top Rank, would be involved in this proposed Leo title defense in sa国际传媒官网网页入口.
TWO TO PUERTO RICO: On Friday, two days after the pairing was announced, sa国际传媒官网网页入口鈥檚 Holly Holm and El Paso鈥檚 Stephanie Han were in Puerto Rico promoting their scheduled Jan. 3 bout on a Most Valuable Promotions card in San Juan.
Han鈥檚 WBA lightweight title will be at stake.
The Holm-Han fight is a co-main event below a main event matching Puerto Rico鈥檚 Amanda Serrano and Mexico鈥檚 Erika Cruz.
IT鈥橲 OHKAY WITH HIM: Holmes, who staged a successful pro boxing card at Ohkay Casino Hotel on Nov. 1, said he鈥檒l promote another card there on Jan. 31.
Ohkay Owingeh, formerly San Juan Pueblo, is located just north of Espa帽ola.
Holmes has staged at least 10 pro boxing cards in New Mexico but until Nov. 1 had not done so since February 2020. He鈥檇 grown tired of the headaches, he said, and wasn鈥檛 sure he鈥檇 promote again.
Now, he鈥檚 sure.
THE INN CROWD: El Paso middleweight Jorge Tovar (12-0, nine KOs) is scheduled to risk his unbeaten record on Saturday against Georgia鈥檚 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, sa国际传媒官网网页入口 welterweight Shaun Henson and Gallup heavyweight Ronald Baca, are listed on the undercard.
Baca (9-4-5, three KOs) is matched against El Paso鈥檚 Marcos Duran (2-1, two KOs). Henson (2-5, two KOs) is scheduled to face Damian Mu帽oz (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 鈥� a week after Reyes鈥� own pro debut 鈥� a loss by unanimous decision to sa国际传媒官网网页入口鈥檚 Jorge Villarruel on Holmes鈥� card at Ohkay Hotel Casino.
