Angelo Leo defeats Tramaine Williams to become WBO champion

Angelo Leo fought a replacement opponent in Tramaine Williams, but he took care of business and won his first world title.

Angelo Leo had to deal with sudden change leading up to his first shot at a title, but he took it in stride and made the most of his opportunity.

Leo (20-0, 9 KOs) was supposed to fight Stephen Fulton (18-0, 8 KOs) for the WBO junior featherweight title, but COVID-19 had other plans. Just days before their bout, Fulton tested positive for coronavirus.

Tramaine Williams (19-1, 6 KOs), who was initially scheduled to fight Raeese Aleem, was elevated to the main event and a chance at a championship. For awhile, it looked like Williams had the talent to win the belt.

In the first few rounds of their Showtime headliner, Williams was getting the best of Leo. Leo had a hard time getting inside of Williams, who used his fast jab to maintain distance. Williams had the speed advantage, but Leo is the bigger fighter. He learned to use his size as the contest progressed.

In Round 3, Leo invested heavily to Williams’ body. It’s a trend he continued throughout the fight.

By Round 4, Leo closed the gap and was fighting with Williams inside of a phonebooth. Leo’s body punches found a home. He repeated his strategy round after round.

Angelo Leo refused to be denied a world title and charged through Tramaine Williams to get it.

Williams started to wilt under Leo’s constant pressure from Round 7 onward. Leo’s punch output thrived in the second half of the bout, and Williams’ decreased. Body work was the difference in the fight outcome. Leo concentrated on body punches while Williams focused on the head. Leo had a better gameplan.

By the end of the match, Williams was exhausted while Leo looked fresh. His conditioning was superb and was on another level. Williams took a lot of punishment but made it to the end.

The judges awarded the victory to Leo via unanimous decision to make him the new WBO champion.

“It feels good,” said Leo during his post-fight interview. “It still hasn’t sunk in yet, it just feels surreal. The first few rounds I was just feeling him out, getting his timing, getting the feel of him. I felt him kind of loosening up and breaking down, and that’s when I started putting the pressure on him a little more.”

Leo has some time to celebrate, but he owes Fulton an immediate title shot. Fulton is a great boxer, but Leo’s tenacity against Williams will make this an even fight. Leo vs. Fulton has added hype after Leo’s impressive championship performance.