Angelo Leo and Ra’eese Aleem previewed their bout and came face-to-face at the press conference. The two fighters square off this Saturday, May 9, at Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia. Leo puts his IBF featherweight title on the line.
Leo (26-1, 12 KOs) of Albuquerque, New Mexico, makes the second defense of his title following a decision victory over Tomoki Kameda last May. The 27-year-old champion said he respects his next opponent and is focused on pursuing unification bouts against other top fighters.
“I respect Ra’eese Aleem and everything he’s done to earn this opportunity,” Leo said. “My whole career, I’ve wanted to fight the best available competition. I want the unifications. I want the toughest fights. I want to go through every level of this sport and prove myself against all of them. That’s what legacy is to me.”
Aleem (23-1, 12 KOs) of Muskegon, Michigan, is coming off a decision victory over Mikito Nakano in their title eliminator bout last November. The 35-year-old former interim WBA super bantamweight champion said he is looking to pull off an upset and claim the belt.
“I earned this spot through years of hard work, sacrifice, setbacks, and staying dedicated to the grind when people counted me out,” Aleem said. “Now the opportunity is here, and I’m coming to take that belt.”
The press conference on Thursday also featured fighters on the Leo vs Aleem undercard.
In the co-feature, Philadelphia’s Atif Oberlton (15-0, 13 KOs) faces Boston-based Carlos Gongora (22-3, 17 KOs) of Ecuador in a light heavyweight bout.
A heavyweight contest pits Pryce Taylor (11-0, 7 KOs) of Brooklyn against Calvin Barnett (7-4, 4 KOs) of Port Orange, Florida.
In other bouts:
- Ashleyann Lozada (3-0, 1 KO) vs. Debora Anahi Dionicius (36-7, 6 KOs), super bantamweight
- Casey Dixon (6-0, 5 KOs) vs. Matthew Nore (2-0, 1 KO), super middleweight
- Julio Gomez (7-3-2, 6 KOs) vs. Gabriel Triminio (3-1), lightweight
- Hakim Lopez (15-1, 9 KOs) vs. Ashton Sykes (6-13, 2 KOs), super middleweight
- Morgan Griggie (8-1, 5 KOs) vs. Rodrigo Solis (4-10, 2 KOs), welterweight
- Jaquan McElroy (5-0, 2 KOs) vs. Rudy Reveles (2-2, 1 KO), bantamweight
- Garrett Rice Jr. (3-0, 1 KO) vs. Yesner Talavera (15-21-1, 4 KOs), lightweight