HOUSTON, TEXAS – JUNE 19: Angelo Leo looks on prior to facing Aaron Alameda during their … More
Getty Images
In the wee hours of the morning in the United States—but live in Osaka, Japan—IBF featherweight champion Angelo Leo (25-1, 12 KO) will defend his title against Tomoki Kameda (42-4, 23 KO) in the main event of a Pro Box TV card.
While we’re talking about smaller weight classes and a fight at a non-prime time in the United States, this fight has the potential to be a banger. Leo’s highlight-reel KO over Luis Alberto Lopez in August 2024 won KO of the Year with several publications. It also captured a second world title for Leo.
Kameda is a former world champion with mounds of experience. He’s never been stopped in his career, and it’ll be interesting to see if Leo can score another emphatic victory. Here’s a look at all of the viewing info:
Here is a look at the entire card.
Main Event
Angelo Leo (25-1-0) vs. Tomoki Kameda (42-4-0)
- Weight Class: Featherweight
- Title on the Line: IBF World Featherweight Title
Co-Main Event
Pedro Taduran (17-4-1) vs. Ginjiro Shigeoka (11-1-0)
- Weight Class: Minimumweight (Strawweight)
- Title on the Line: IBF World Minimumweight Title
Undercard
Vencent Lacar (9-0-0) vs. Ryo Mandokoro (5-0-0)
- Weight Class: Super Flyweight
- Scheduled Rounds: 8
Hiroki Hanabusa (14-4-5) vs. Matcha Nakagawa (17-2-2)
- Weight Class: Featherweight
- Scheduled Rounds: 8
Raymond Poon KaiChing (10-3-1) vs. Shuri Oka (4-1-0)
- Weight Class: Flyweight
- Scheduled Rounds: 8
Herbert Matovu (7-1-0) vs. Mitsuro Brandon Tajima (12-1-0)
- Weight Class: Heavyweight
- Scheduled Rounds: 8
Sukrit Nakpreecha (6-2-0) vs. Daigoro Marumoto (1-0-0)
- Weight Class: (Not Specified – Likely Catchweight or Lower Tier)
- Scheduled Rounds: 6
Leo, 31, says he and his team came over to Japan more than a week ahead of the fight to get adjusted to the time change and other cultural differences.
“The time change is not a problem anymore and I’m being received really well out here in Japan,” Leo told Pro Box TV in an interview ahead of Saturday’s fight. “A lot of people are taking pictures with me. All the boxing fans and the Japanese media are… they’re really enjoying my presence out here. I’m getting fans, you know, driving all the way from Osaka to Tokyo just to meet me. It’s crazy. They’re taking pictures with me, they got pictures already printed and I’m just signing them up. It’s a good feeling—it’s everything I wished for when I was a kid.”
Leo is a native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and currently lives in Las Vegas, so he has decided to defend his title in a location that is completely foreign to him—and his opponent is obviously no slouch.
Kameda, 33, was born in Osaka, and he still lives there. So, it goes without saying, the crowd will be a pro-Kameda bunch. Even with that potential advantage, Leo believes he will have the upper hand as he had in a previous sparring session.
“I can’t take nothing away from him,” Leo said of his opponent. “He’s an ex-world champion. We have some history in the past, sparring him at Mayweather Boxing Club… I think we sparred in 2018, and then again in 2021. It was good work. I think he was getting ready for a fight, but I think I got the better of him. And you guys will see this time around—not how easy it will be—but how I’ll handle it.”
It’s an interesting fight, and the winner could be a future opponent for Naoya Inoue if the Japanese superstar decides to make the leap to featherweight. Be on the lookout for results from the fight and scorecards.
