The junior welterweight co-feature Lopez-Leo & Lindolfo Delgado-Bryan Flores will air LIVE Saturday starting at 10pm ET/7pm PT.
ALBUQUERQUE, NM (8 August 2024)— Mexico’s Road Warrior is ready to risk his title again on enemy soil.
Venado Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) will defend his IBF featherweight world title against Angelo Leo (24-1, 11 KOs) on Saturday, August 10, at Tingley Coliseum in Leo’s hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Lopez won his world title in December 2022 by defeating Josh Warrington away in Leeds, England. His first title defense, a knockout of Michael Conlan in May 2023, came in front of a sold-out crowd in Conlan’s hometown of Belfast.
In the 10-round fight in the junior welterweight division Lindolfo Delgado (20-0, 15 KOs) and Bryan Flores (26-0-1, 15 KOs) will face off in an all-Mexican showdown.
Venado-Leo and Delgado-Flores will be broadcast LIVE on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
The preliminary fights, which will be streamed exclusively on ESPN+, begin at 5:50 p.m. ET/2:50 p.m. PT and feature the Albuquerque native Matthew Griego (14-0, 10 KOs) in the fight against a late replacement opponent Gilberto Mendoza (23-18-4, 11 KOs) in an eight-round flyweight rematch. Griego defeated Mendoza by six-round unanimous decision in June 2022.
Junior middleweight contender Vito Mielnicki Jr. (18-1, 12 KOs) will make his Top Rank debut in a 10-round fight against Laszlo Toth (32-8-2, 20 KOs).
Supported by Top Rank in association with Legacy Boxing Promotions, tickets are on sale via Etix.com.
That’s what the fighters said at the press conference on Thursday.
Venado Lopez
“I’m used to being taken to different parts of the world. London. Leeds. It doesn’t matter where I go. Venado Lopez, the ‘Road Warrior’, will always do his job. I work hard in the gym to do what I need to do. If we can stop the fight early, we will. Either way, I’m coming home a world champion.”
“We’re always working on everything. We’re working on speed. We’re working on power. We’re working on defense. We’re trying to improve everything. I’m training really hard in the gym. So the training camp is ending really well. Angelo Leo is a former world champion. He wants to be world champion again. So we expect the best version of him and it’s going to be a fight.”
Angelo Leo
“This means everything to me. Fighting back in my hometown is something I’ve always wanted. And what better way to do that than with a title fight?”
“In my last fight, the main goal was to win. I knew that in a fight against Venado, everything else would fall into place.”
Lindolfo Delgado
“I like getting in the ring and doing things well. I don’t just do things for the sake of doing them. And all of that has helped me. Besides that, I also like boxing. And I’ve learned a lot in the gym too.”
“They always put really good fighters against me, and like I said, I always try to get better with every fight and every preparation. Every preparation is the same, but I try to make things a little bit better. And that’s what we did for this camp.”
Bryan Flores
“I feel blessed. Apart from the result this Saturday, I already feel like a winner because of all the work I’ve done in the gym. I’m confident. I come with the confidence of having done everything in the gym. Lindolfo is a great fighter and opponent for me. I know it will be a difficult fight where he can also win the {WBO Latino title}. But I know it will be a big fight on Saturday.”
Matthew Griego
“It’s a dream come true. It’s a dream come true for any boxer to fight on one of these cards. It’s just the beginning of something.”
“I just have to go in there and put on a show. I want to make an impression. And that’s what I plan to do.”
“Business as usual. We should be able to prepare for the {short-notice opponent}.”
Vito Mielnicki Jr.
“This is what I’ve been doing since I was seven years old. This is all I’ve done. It’s my dream. For me, it’s a blessing to be on this platform, this stage. I will take every opportunity I get.”
“I just want to continue to grow and build on what we have already built. And I’m excited about the next part of my journey.”
Saturday, August 10
ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ (10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT)
Venado Lopez vs. Angelo Leo, 12 rounds, Lopez’s IBF featherweight world title
Lindolfo Delgado vs. Bryan Flores, 10 rounds, vacant WBO Latino junior welterweight title
ESPN+ (5:50 p.m. ET/2:50 p.m. PT)
Matthew Griego vs. Gilberto Mendoza, 8 rounds, flyweight
Vito Mielnicki Jr. vs. Laszlo Toth, 10 rounds, junior middleweight
Albert Gonzalez vs. Damian Alcala, 6 rounds, featherweight
Alan Garcia vs. Maickol Lopez Villagrana, 8 rounds, lightweight
Steven Navarro vs. Israel Camacho, 6 rounds, Bantamweight
Arnold Khegai vs. Belmar Preciado, 10 rounds, featherweight
