Angelo Leo, once the king of the super bantamweights, only needed a trio of rounds to put Mike Plania on his backside during the headlining brawl at WNF in Plant City, Florida. They squared off at featherweight, planning to go ten rounds.
The first round was a bit of a snoozer, with Plania hogging the center of the ring like it was his living room and Leo skirting around like he’d just nicked the remote. But then, Leo’s jab started working, and soon enough, he was serenading the body with a few choice combos. Plania managed to sneak in a cheeky left, making the round’s end a bit more of a give-and-take affair.
Round two saw Leo turning up the heat with a body hook that had Plania questioning his life choices. An overhand right from Leo missed by a mile, but he managed to tag Plania on the rebound. Leo started playing mind games, slowing the dance to his own beat. Despite a few flurries from both, Leo’s body shots towards the round’s end were like adding a dash of spice to an otherwise bland dish.
By round three, it was clear Leo was in his element, peppering Plania with a combo meal to the body right out of the gate. Both fighters were cautious, guarding their grills like they were protecting family jewels. Leo, feeling saucy, delivered a combo to Plania’s body that had more zest than a telenovela plot twist, capped off with a counterjab that almost made Plania’s neck do a 360. Plania tried to retort with an uppercut but hit nothing but air and dreams.
As the round neared its end, Leo unleashed a flurry that had Plania tasting the canvas, clutching his midsection as if he’d just been told the bar’s out of beer. The commentary duo, Malignaggi and Algieri, were in disbelief when the ref called a foul shot, but replays showed Leo’s punch was as clean as a whistle.
With Plania still counting stars, the ref waved off the fight, handing Leo a knockout win that was as legitimate as they come. Leo strutted away with his 23rd win, leaving Plania to nurse his 4th loss and perhaps a bruised ego to boot.