Angelo Leo is proud to be from Albuquerque, which produced two of his boxing idols growing up: the colorful Hall of Famer Johnny Tapia and Danny Romero.
However, perhaps ironically, Leo had to leave his hometown and head due west about 600 miles to follow in their footsteps. Las Vegas is where he and father/trainer Miguel Leo decided he needed to be to take the next step in his career.
Smart move.
Leo (19-0, 9 KOs) ended up on Team Mayweather and now is on the precipice of realizing a dream. He fights Tramaine Williams (19-0, 6 KOs) for the vacant WBO junior featherweight title in the main event Saturday at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., the first post-lockdown show for Showtime and PBC.
“I’m really excited,” he said on The PBC Podcast. “This is really a dream come true. I’ve worked my whole life for this opportunity. And now it’s come. It’s time to seize the moment.”
That’s what the Leos did when they decided to move their lives to Las Vegas. Leo had a successful amateur career, finishing with a reported record of 65-10 and building sound fundamentals, and was based in Albuquerque when he started his pro career.
[vertical-gallery id=12380]
Then he outgrew the town in terms of boxing and headed out in March 2017. Father and son had a both a gym and a certain all-time great in mind when they made the move.
“We really weren’t getting the fights we wanted,” Leo said of Albuquerque. “… The promoters weren’t able to put out the money we needed to fight out there, the sparring wasn’t there. We felt Vegas was the place to be.
“Vegas is the mecca of boxing. Why not be where the best are training?”
The Leos moved in with a friend for a few weeks and then found an apartment of their own, not far from the Mayweather Boxing Club. Soon the young 122-pounder was working out at the gym and it wasn’t long before he caught the eye of the man himself, future Hall of Famer Floyd Mayweather.
Mayweather liked what he saw, signed Leo to a promotional contract and now they’re on a roll.
“Floyd put me in there to spar with Gervonta Davis,” Leo said. “I looked pretty good against Gervonta. From there, he always had his eye on me, watching me train, watching me spar. That was basically how it all kind of happened.”
Leo’s principal mentor is his dad, who has guided him every step of the way in his career. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have a second set of eyes on you, especially when those eyes belong to Mayweather.
Leo said Mayweather gives him tips on everything boxing related, which continues to make him a better fighter.
“We have a real good relationship,” Leo said. “He always gives me good advice. Every time he walks into the gym, he gives me pointers, advice on things I need to work on and all that. We keep it strictly boxing.
“You know, it’s an honor to work with him. I’m really blessed to have him in my corner.”
So what has he gleaned from the master?
“Mainly his worth ethic,” Leo said. “It’s just incredible the way he works, the way he’s able to outwork his opponents. That’s what I’ve learned from him. The one who works the hardest – and the one with skills – is the one who wins.
“Basically, that’s what Floyd has. He has the skill and the worth ethic to go with it.”
Leo, No. 1 in the WBO rankings, had better have the ability to adjust on the fly. He was scheduled to fight No. 1-ranked Stephen Fulton for the title on Saturday. However, Fulton tested positive for COVID-19 days before the fight and had to pull out.
No. 6 Williams, scheduled to fight Ra’eese Aleem on the card, replaced Fulton as Leo’s opponent.
Fulton has a bigger name than Williams but they are similar in that they’re both undefeated, both good, athletic boxers and have comparable experience. One significant difference: Fulton fights from an orthodox stance, Williams is a southpaw.
Leo doesn’t seem fazed.
“It’s the same focus, the same mindset to go out there and do my job and get the the ‘W,’” he said. “It’s a minor adjustment since he’s a southpaw. Tramaine is undefeated as well. He’s no pushover. I’ll come in with the same mentality. …
“These things happen in boxing. I just have to stay focused.”
Leo has never had a problem with focus, as his record indicates. He needs just one more victory – on Saturday night – to realize his dream of becoming a world champion. The fight with Fulton could come after that, assuming Fulton has recoved.
Then, as he put it, “the sky’s the limit.”
“It would mean a lot to me,” said Leo, referring to the title. “This is what I’ve worked so hard for. Becoming world champion is one of my dreams. Doing that would take me one step closer to what I want to be.
“The sky’s the limit for me right now. I want to become a multiple-time world champion, pound-for-pound. I’m going to take this as far as I can.”