New Featherweight Champion Angelo Leo ‘Would Love A Crack’ At Naoya Inoue

New IBF featherweight world champion Angelo Leo has said he would “love a crack at” Naoya Inoue when the Japanese superstar moves up to the 126lbs division.

Leo (25-1-0 12 KO) became a two-weight world champion earlier this month when he defeated IBF title holder Luis Alberto Lopez in a 10th-round stoppage in front of his home fans in Albuquerque. The punch that ended the bout is a contender for Knockout of the Year.

Speaking in the ring after the fight at Tingley Coliseum, the American outlined his plans to challenge the rest of the featherweight division’s champions while also name-dropping undisputed super-bantamweight star Inoue.

In a recent interview with Boxing Scene, Leo reiterated his desire to face Inoue, who he expects will soon make the move up to featherweight. Inoue is booked for at least one more fight at 122lbs and will take on TJ Doheny on September 3 in Tokyo.

“Yes, of course. I think Naoya in a way is one of the best fighters in the world right now and I would love to take a crack at him,” Leo said. “I think he’s fighting at 122 pounds right now and I heard a lot of rumors that he is planning to move up to 126 in the future.”

Leo held the WBO’s super-bantamweight world title when he won the vacant belt with a wide points decision against Tramaine Williams in August 2020. The Albuquerque native lost it in his first defense to Stephen Fulton five months later and made the step up to featherweight.

Leo has adapted well to the heavier weight, reeling off five successive wins, culminating in the sensational knockout of Lopez on August 10.

“I moved up because 122 was just too difficult to make," he said. "I felt like I was outgrowing 122 pounds and my body was asking for me to go up in weight, so that’s why we decided to go 126, and I feel a lot better there now. I would have to say that’s the best decision.”

The fight against Lopez was close and competitive, with two judges giving Leo the edge by one round, and the third scoring the Mexican one ahead going into the 10th round. A knockout would have been the only way to conclusively declare a winner, and Leo delivered one in stunning style – although, the 30-year-old admits he wasn’t preparing for a stoppage.

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“Honestly, we weren’t really looking for the knockout,” Leo said. “The strategy was just to go in there and to outwork them, out-point them, and if the knockout came, then it came. But for the most part, we’re looking for a decision just to go in there and win.”

While a lucrative showdown with Inoue appears to be his priority, Leo said he is also staring down the rest of the 126lbs division, in particular unification bouts against WBO champion Rafael Espinoza and WBC title holder Rey Vargas. Nick Ball holds the WBA belt.

“I would like either Espinoza or Vargas,” he said. “Espinoza is a tall fighter that throws a lot of punches, and Rey Vargas is also another tall fighter that throws a lot of punches. And I throw a lot of punches, so I think it’s a fan-friendly fight.”

Having recently climbed to featherweight, Leo said he’s not planning to stay in the division permanently, adding: “I plan on staying here for a few more fights, possibly a few more years, and then moving up to 130 pounds.”