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Angelo Leo becomes WBO super bantamweight champion
Angelo Leo became the new WBO junior featherweight world titlist with a unanimous-decision victory over Tramaine Williams in the main event of a Premier Boxing Champions card last Saturday.
Williams, a slick southpaw, gave Leo problems to start the fight, but by the middle rounds it was Leo's steady pressure and relentless attack to the body that slowly wore down Williams.
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The judges at Mohegan Sun Casino & Resort in Uncasville, Connecticut, scored the fight 117-111, 118-110 and 118-110 in favour of Leo.
Leo (20-0, 9 KOs) is not a power puncher, but instead throws punches in bunches. He crowded and smothered Williams (19-1, 6 KOs) to a point where Williams was just staving off Leo, more than actually fighting him. While Williams was effective in the first few rounds, boxing from the southpaw stance and throwing quick straight left hands, he was soon overwhelmed by Leo, who never stopped coming.
“First few rounds, I was just feeling him out,” Leo said after the fight. “Getting his timing, getting the feel of him. I felt him loosening up, breaking down and that's when I started putting the pressure on him a little bit more.
“That was the key factor in this fight, the body work and the pressure.”
Fight week was anything but typical for Leo as he also had to overcome a late change of opponent. He was originally slated to face Stephen Fulton, but Fulton tested positive for COVID-19 and was ruled ineligible to fight.
Williams, who was scheduled to fight in the co-main event against Ra'eese Aleem, stepped in for the title opportunity. So instead of facing a well-schooled right-hander, Leo was tasked with facing a slick southpaw on late notice.
Leo handled this adversity and just simply overwhelmed Williams with a committed effort to win his first world title.
“It feels good," Leo said. "It still hasn't sunken in, yet. It feels surreal.”
