Angelo Leo nabs homecoming defense versus Lerato Dlamini
Nov 11, 2025 • 1:16 PM ET
ProBoxTVIBF featherweight champion Angelo Leo will defend his belt on February 21 in his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, on ProBoxTV, BoxingScene has learned.
Leo, 26-1 (12 KOs), will meet South Africa’s Lerato Dlamini, 21-3 (12 KOs), in Leo’s second defense since capturing the title in August 2024 by knocking out then-champion Luis Alberto Lopez in the 10th round.
Leo and Dlamini are both 31. Dlamini is the No. 8-ranked contender with the IBF.
The challenger engaged in two split-decisions with Japan’s Tomoki Kameda recently, winning the first in 2023, then losing the rematch last year.
By virtue of his triumph, Kameda, 42-5, landed a May title shot at Leo, losing in Osaka, Japan by majority decision.
The bout is the second championship fight to be staged on ProBoxTV after super-featherweight Lamont Roach Jnr successfully defended his belt last year.
ProBoxTV is also planning a high-profile March card in Southern California headlined by unbeaten super-middleweight contender Lester Martinez.
“We look forward to bringing another championship fight to this platform,” ProBoxTV Chairman Garry Jonas told BoxingScene of the Leo-topped card. “This is consistent with our promise to up our game.
“Angelo is excited to stage a title fight in front of his hometown, just like we’re excited to keep putting championship bouts on ProBox.”
Jonas also owns BoxingScene.
Leo has only lost to WBC featherweight champion Stephen Fulton, who is fighting for O’Shaquie Foster’s WBC super-featherweight belt December 6 in San Antonio.
Lance Pugmire has been a full-time boxing writer for nearly 20 years, serving now as BoxingScene’s U.S. Senior Writer and assistant producer for ProBoxTV’s “BoxingScene Today.” Pugmire capped a near 20-year career at the Los Angeles Times (sports investigations, NHL/MLB beat work, law enforcement/courts and boxing/UFC) to join The Athletic, and then USA Today. Pugmire’s stint at The Times started with the first Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez fight and the Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather Jnr then-record pay-per-view, leading through a slew of ringside assignments at major bouts, including Mayweather-Pacquiao, Mayweather-Canelo and the Canelo-Golovkin trilogy. Lance’s appreciation for boxing is rooted in his admiration and appreciation for the fighters, gladiators who have proven to be the most forthcoming and candid of all the athletes he has interviewed over a career dating to 1990. Lance was honored to be named the 2022 winner of the Boxing Writers Association of America Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence and he’s collected many BWAA writing awards in categories ranging from breaking news to deep-dive long features.
