Angelo Leo knocks out Luis Alberto Lopez with one punch to win IBF featherweight title

Luis Alberto Lopez found himself on the wrong side of what could easily be called the Knockout of the Year on Saturday night.

And because of that he also lost his title.

Angelo Leo stunned Lopez with a wild knockout in the 10th round of their fight at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Saturday. Leo, who had largely dodged a solid headbutt from Lopez, countered with a clean left hook that landed squarely in Lopez’s head, sending the former IBF featherweight champion back to the mat and ending the fight immediately.

Just look:

After the knockout, Leo told ESPN’s Bernardo Osuna that pulling off that devastating punch was no accident, as he had worked extra hard to perfect it during training camp.

“That left hook, we practiced it the whole camp,” Leo said. “I practiced it for four or five months. Not in the gym, but in my room in front of the mirror. I kept throwing that left hook and it paid off in, I think it was the 10th round.”

Leo entered the night on a four-fight win streak and now holds a 25-1 record. He claimed the WBA continental featherweight title with a knockout victory over Mike Plania in January and then defended it with a unanimous decision victory over Eduardo Baez in April. As for what the newly crowned 126-pound champion will do next, he said after the bout that he’s ready to collect more belts.

“I want to fight all the champions,” Leo said, “whether it’s (WBO champion) Rafael Espinoza for a unification belt, (undisputed super bantamweight champion) Naoya Inoue, or whoever it may be.”

Lopez entered Saturday’s bout with a 30-2 career record with 17 knockouts. He first claimed the IBF featherweight title in December 2022 with a majority decision win over Josh Warrington. He has successfully defended that belt three times and had won 13 straight fights dating back to 2019 before losing.

While there have been plenty of notable knockouts this year, and there’s still plenty of time for more, Leo’s strike was as clean and effortless as it gets. He landed his shot perfectly, and there was nothing Lopez could do to stop it.