When is Angelo Leo vs. Ra’eese Aleem?
Angelo Leo vs. Ra’eese Aleem is on Saturday, May 9. The broadcast will begin at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (1 a.m. BST).
What channel is Angelo Leo vs. Ra’eese Aleem on?
Angelo Leo vs. Ra’eese Aleem will stream on DAZN.
Where is Angelo Leo vs. Ra’eese Aleem?
The fight is taking place at the Gateway Center Arena at College Park in College Park, Georgia, just outside of Atlanta.
Who is Angelo Leo?
Angelo Leo, 26-1 (12 KOs), is a two-division world titleholder who will be making his second defense of the IBF featherweight belt.
Leo, a 31-year-old from Albuquerque, New Mexico, had a brief title reign at 122lbs. He picked up a vacant belt in 2020 with a decision over Tramaine Williams but lost soundly less than six months later to Stephen Fulton. Leo had one more fight at junior featherweight and then was out of the ring for more than 28 months.
“I wasn’t fighting. Boxing is my livelihood. It’s what I do to put food on the table,” Leo said in an interview last year with Jake Donovan, recalling that time in his life. “I wasn’t getting fights, and it was frustrating. On top of that, I was having a son. My girlfriend was pregnant with our son. A lot of things were running through my mind about how to provide for them. At one point, I was ready to focus on real estate and just put boxing on the backburner, stuff like that. It was a little tough time for me.”
But Leo got a foot back in the door and proceeded to push that door wide open. He returned in November 2023 at 126lbs and won three straight: a ninth-round TKO of the 20-4-1 Nicolas Polanco, a third-round KO of the 29-3 Mike Plania and a unanimous decision over the 23-5-2 Eduardo Baez. That not only landed Leo a shot at titleholder Luis Alberto Lopez in August 2024, but the event would take place in Albuquerque. There, in front of his hometown, Leo dropped Lopez for the count in the 10th round.
For his first defense, Leo traveled to Osaka, Japan, last May and won a majority decision against Tomoki Kameda. That was it for Leo in 2025. There had been plans for a return to Albuquerque this past February for a voluntary defense against Lerato Dlamini, 21-3 (12 KOs). But those plans changed, as this bout with mandatory challenger Ra’eese Aleem was due.
Who is Ra’eese Aleem?
Ra’eese Aleem, 23-1 (12 KOs), is a contender who is rated first at featherweight by the IBF. Aleem earned that ranking with a unanimous decision victory in Tokyo last November over the 14-0 Mikito Nakano.
Aleem, a Michigander living in Las Vegas, came to 126lbs after a pretty decent run down at junior featherweight. In 2021, he dropped the 16-0 Vic Pasillas multiple times before stopping him in the 11th round, then took a majority decision over the 20-1-2 Eduardo Baez. The next year, Aleem’s sole outing saw him shut out the 26-1 Mike Plania. Side note: Those victories over Baez and Plania came before Leo fought them.
Alas, Aleem’s time at 122lbs came to an end in 2023, when he traveled to Australia for an elimination bout and lost a split decision to fellow contender Sam Goodman. Aleem is now on a three-fight winning streak. He is 35 years old. He turned pro in 2011, had a long climb into contention, and is at last fighting for a world title for the first time. Will this be Aleem’s moment?
What other fights are on the undercard of Angelo Leo vs. Ra’eese Aleem?
The undercard features several prospects, including light heavyweight Atif Oberlton, 15-0 (13 KOs), who is taking on late replacement opponent Carlos Gongora, 22-3 (17 KOs); and heavyweight Pryce Taylor, 11-0 (7 KOs), against Calvin Barnett, 7-4 (4 KOs).
The full list of undercard fights can be seen on BoxRec.
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
