Venado Lopez peppered Angelo Leo with a left-handed jab but left his chin exposed and it cost him dearly.
Leo made him pay by detonating a crushing counter left hook around the guard to instantly sleep Lopez in a "KO of the Year" candidate for an electric 10th-round knockout to become the new IBF featherweight world champion on Saturday night.
The victory emphatically ended Lopez's 13-fight win streak and was extra savory for Leo considering he became a two-division world champion at Tingley Coliseum in his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
"This means the world to me, fighting back in my hometown," Leo said. "I’ve been yearning for this moment. Like I said, what better way to do it than with a world title shot and with a knockout?"
He added: “That left hook, we’ve been practicing in camp for four, five months. Not in the gym, but in my room in front of the mirror. I just kept throwing that left hook. And it paid off in the 10th round."
Prior to the explosive KO, Leo was gaining momentum with flurries and stiff counters which paved the way toward landing the biggest punch of his career flush on Lopez's chin.
Now, Leo sees bigger fights in his future.
“I want to fight all the champions, whether it be Rafael Espinoza for a unification bout," he tacked on, "Naoya Inoue, whoever it may be.”
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