ANGELO Leo will attempt a first defence of his IBF featherweight title when he fights in Osaka, Japan, against fellow two-division champion Tomoki Kameda. The pair have now weighed in for what is sure to be an intriguing battle.
A former WBO super-bantamweight champion, Leo, 25-1 (12 KOs), sensationally halted IBF featherweight titleholder Luis Alberto Lopez in what was both an upset win and a Knockout of the Year contender, claiming a world title at a second weight in style.
Nine months on, Leo faces off with Kameda, 42-4 (23 KOs), who has achieved world honours at both bantamweight and super-bantamweight, in an attempted first defence of the IBF strap on away soil.
At today’s weigh-in, both Leo and Kameda came in at 125.7lbs, receiving the go-ahead for tomorrow’s meeting, where Angelo Leo plans to introduce himself to the Japanese crowd further and possibly tee up a future showdown with Naoya Inoue, 30-0 (27 KOs), as he told Pro Box TV.
“[Fighting in Japan] introduces me to a whole new crowd, not that the Japanese audience don’t know who I am already, but they are going to know me even more this time around.
“They love me out here. It’s crazy because I am getting fans driving all of the way from Tokyo to Osaka just to meet me, it’s crazy. They are taking pictures with me, they have got pictures printed out for me to sign and it’s a good feeling.
“It’s everything that I wished for as a kid, I dreamt of these moments.”
With Inoue continuously being linked to a challenge for Leo’s featherweight crown, the American added his willingness to take on ‘The Monster’ when the undefeated superstar moves up to 126lbs.
“He is one of the best fighters, pound-for-pound, arguably the best fighter, and that is what I am in the sport for – to be the best. In order to do that, you have got to fight the best.
“If the opportunity arises [to face Inoue] after Tomoki, I am all for it.”
Leo and Kameda collide tomorrow night at the INTEX Osaka, with the victor sure to become the frontrunner to take on Inoue when he inevitably moves up to the featherweight division.
