With Angelo Leo’s next title defense, he wants to secure his name among the best in New Mexico boxing.
Leo will be aiming to make the second defense of his featherweight title against Ra’eese Aleem on Saturday at Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia.
Leo, 26-1 (12 KOs), is a two-division titleholder who won his 126lbs strap against Luis Alberto Lopez in 2024. The 31-year-old Leo fought once last year, defeating Tomoki Kameda by majority decision in Japan. Now Leo, originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, wants to be known as one of the greats from his state – which launched fighters such as Johnny Tapia, Danny Romero, Bob Foster and Austin Trout – while continuing to defend his title.
“It is an honor to be considered amongst the best from New Mexico,” Leo told BoxingScene.
Aleem, 23-1 (12 KOs), not unlike Leo, was compelled to strike out from his hometown and try his luck in Las Vegas, with the dream of fighting for a title one day. Aleem, a 35-year-old from Muskegon, Michigan, has been highly ranked since a 2021 win over Vic Pasillas at junior featherweight. He never got a chance to challenge for a belt before losing to Sam Goodman in 2023. This past November, he moved up to featherweight and traveled to Japan to defeat Mikito Nakano via a unanimous decision. That victory set the stage for him to be Leo’s mandatory challenger.
“He earned his spot,” Leo said. “I am here to honor that, as champion. I am here to honor that and respect that.”
The two are familiar. They sparred during Leo’s first title run at junior featherweight. Aleem was brought into Leo’s camp ahead of his fight with Stephen Fulton Jnr.
“He is a good fighter. He seems like he took the solo route in developing his career and his skills,” Leo said. “He does it his way. With that being said, he can be a little awkward. Other than that, he has a high work rate, as we have seen in the past.”
Featherweight is a division that is in the process of rebuilding. Outside of his upcoming fight against Aleem, you have a new wave of titleholders. WBO titlist Rafael Espinoza is the longest-reigning belt holder, having captured his title in December 2023. The WBC titleholder is Bruce Carrington, who won the belt in January, and the WBA titlist is Brandon Figueroa, who stopped Nick Ball in February to pick up his belt.
“The featherweight division is a good breeding ground for some legacy fights, and to establish my legacy,” Leo said. “[Legacy] is everything to me, because when it is all said and done, that is all you really have. One hundred years from now when they are looking at the history books, my name will be etched in those books.”
Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.
