Win in August gives Leo encouragement

ABQ native fights in defense of title

Stephen Fulton Jr., in the opinion of most, will prove to be the best boxer Angelo Leo has faced.

That’s why Leo, despite the WBO super bantamweight title he holds, is the underdog entering Saturday’s championship bout against Fulton at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Of that opinion, Albuquerque’s Leo is not totally convinced. He says Tramaine Williams, the man Leo convincingly defeated for the title in August, might actually be a better fighter than Fulton.

“I’ve heard that countless times, actually,” Leo said in a phone interview. “I’ve heard it many times that Williams is actually a lot tougher and a lot slicker than Fulton.”

In the next breath, however, Leo said such opinions don’t really matter — not even his. He’s prepared for Saturday’s

fight, he said, as if Fulton (18-0, eight knockouts) is Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvelous Marvin Hagler rolled into one.

Respecting each and every opponent, Leo said, is why he’s unbeaten (20-0, nine KOs) entering the first defense of his title.

“I take every fight like it’s a world championship fight,” he said. “And this fight is no different.”

It could be helpful, Leo said, that Fulton’s style is similar to Williams’.

“He’s a slick boxer, likes to counterpunch, likes to spin out and move,” he said of the Philadelphia fighter. “The only difference is that he’s orthodox (right-handed, as is Leo). Williams was southpaw.

“But it’s gonna be a similar game plan, a few adjustments here and there, but I’ll make those in the ring.”

His ability to make those adjustments, Leo said, is another reason he has yet to lose as a professional.

Against Williams, Leo lost the first two rounds and seemed unable to deal with his opponent’s quickness. He said later his slow start was simply part of the feelingout process.

Starting in round three, Leo began boring in on Williams, disrupting his technique. Mixing punches to the head and body, keeping Williams in survival mode, he won virtually every round thereafter.

If Fulton has any surprises in store, talents and strategies held back just for this occasion, so does Leo.

“I feel like a lot of fans in the world haven’t seen the best side of me yet,” he said. “I’ve still got a lot of tricks up my sleeve, and I pull them out when needed.

“If I need to box, I can box. If I need to put the pressure on and cut the ring off, I can. I’m a well-rounded fighter; a lot of people don’t understand that about me.”

As of Friday, Fulton was a minus-160 favorite, meaning a bet on Fulton of $160 would produce a profit of $100. Leo was a plus-125 underdog, meaning a bet of $100 placed on him would net a payout of $125.

Leo weighed in on Friday at 121.4 pounds, six-tenths of a pound under the super bantamweight limit. Fulton weighed in at 122 pounds on the nose.

IT’S SHOWTIME: The Leo-Fulton fight is the main event and final bout of a threebout Showtime telecast, scheduled to start at 7 p.m.