Angelo Leo will continue with a mandatory defense of his IBF featherweight title against the no. 1 contender Ra’eese Aleem, who is delaying plans for a voluntary fight against Lerato Dlamini.
Leo was expected to defend his title against Dlamini on February 21 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. That fight has now been put on hold, with the possibility of it being revisited later in the year.
The mandatory defense follows Leo’s first successful title defense, a majority decision victory over Tomoki Kameda on May 24 in Osaka, Japan. Kameda previously earned his title opportunity by defeating Dlamini in an IBF eliminator.
Aleem enters the fight on a three-fight winning streak since a June 2023 loss to Sam Goodman. His most recent victory came on November 24 when he knocked out Mikito Nakano over 12 rounds in an IBF final in Tokyo.
The timing left little room for Leo to complete a voluntary defense before the IBF enforced the mandatory.
Leo won the IBF featherweight title with a 10th round knockout of Luis Alberto Lopez in Albuquerque last August. The win was his sixth straight since a January 2023 loss to Stephen Fulton. Since late 2023, Leo has been competing regularly after signing with ProBox TV, a run that also led to a working relationship with Top Rank.
The development was first reported by BoxingScene.
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Last updated on 27/12/2025
