{"id":700115,"date":"2026-07-19T15:20:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-19T15:20:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/700115\/"},"modified":"2026-07-19T15:20:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-19T15:20:15","slug":"british-19-year-old-heavyweight-prospect-leo-atang-scores-another-ko-on-us-debut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/700115\/","title":{"rendered":"British 19-year-old heavyweight prospect Leo Atang scores another KO on US debut"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Leo Atang picked up another statement victory on his path to heavyweight glory in California this weekend.<\/p>\n<p>The 19-year-old, signed to <a href=\"https:\/\/talksport.com\/who\/eddie-hearn\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Eddie Hearn<\/a>&#8216;s Matchroom Boxing, knocked out 36-year-old four-fight professional Glen Williams on the undercard of Diego Pacheco&#8217;s destruction of Immanuwel Aleem.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Leo Atang defeats Glen Williams in LA on July 18\" height=\"640\" width=\"960\" data-credit=\"Matchroom Boxing\" data-img=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/matchroom-boxing-1096316790.jpg\" data-caption=\"Atang made light work of Williams to force a stoppage in round two of their bout in LA\"   loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/matchroom-boxing-1096316790.jpg\" role=\"img\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>4<\/p>\n<p>Atang made light work of Williams to force a stoppage in round two of their bout in LACredit: Matchroom BoxingAmazing Atang<\/p>\n<p>Atang forced the stoppage in round two, backing Williams up against the ropes with a clean left before unloading shots to the head.<\/p>\n<p>The Yorkshire man kept popping Williams with his right hand and with his opponent unresponsive, referee Ray Armendariz\u00a0waved off the fight seconds later.<\/p>\n<p>It was the first time Atang had fought on US soil and marked the seventh knockout of his fledgling career as he now sits at 8-0 as a pro.<\/p>\n<p>Hearn will now be tasked with finding the right level of opposition Atang can move up to next.<\/p>\n<p>READ MORE ON TALKSPORT<\/p>\n<p>Atang <a href=\"https:\/\/talksport.com\/boxing\/4309874\/leo-atang-first-round-ko-us-debut\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">crashed through 40-year-old Fouad Shaili in one round<\/a> last time out in Sheffield and has clearly outgrown who is currently being thrown at him.<\/p>\n<p>But the 19-year-old, who has <a href=\"https:\/\/talksport.com\/boxing\/4192644\/leo-atang-anthony-joshua-heavyweight-undefeated-next-fight\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">dismissed comparisons to Anthony Joshua at the early stages of his career<\/a>, is in no rush to make it to the top.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll take as much time as we need,&#8221; Atang told talkSPORT.com back in April.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;People progress at different rates and stuff, but I&#8217;m happy with how it&#8217;s going at the moment.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re trying to slowly step up the opponents and the rounds as we go on.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;But eventually we&#8217;ll get to where we want to be.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Leo Atang defeats Glen Williams in LA on July 18\" height=\"640\" width=\"960\" data-credit=\"Matchroom Boxing\" data-img=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/matchroom-boxing-1096316736.jpg\" data-caption=\"Atang enjoyed another KO alongside Hearn in his first fight on US soil\"   loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/matchroom-boxing-1096316736.jpg\" role=\"img\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>4<\/p>\n<p>Atang enjoyed another KO alongside Hearn in his first fight on US soilCredit: Matchroom BoxingPacheco vs Munguia?<\/p>\n<p>Elsewhere on the card at Dignity Health Sports Park, 25-year-old Pacheco boxed Aleem&#8217;s ears off to defend his WBC Silver and WBO International super middleweight titles.<\/p>\n<p>Pacheco, now 26-0, stopped Aleem in round 11 of their main event with a flurry of punches, having beaten up his fellow American for the majority of the bout.<\/p>\n<p>The Californian called out <a href=\"https:\/\/talksport.com\/boxing\/1290750\/boxing-world-champions-oleksandr-usyk-ryan-garcia-shakur-stevenson\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">WBA\u00a0champion<\/a> Jaime Munguia\u00a0after his victory and described how he went about putting on a clinic against Aleem.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I controlled with my jab, put my punches together, listened to my corner and we got the job done,&#8221; Pacheco said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I was just doing what Aleem gave me \u2014 I was reading him, studying him every round.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;As the fight went on, I saw different openings and I just took advantage of them.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Diego Pacheco vs Immanuwel Aleem\" height=\"640\" width=\"960\" data-credit=\"Matchroom Boxing\" data-img=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/matchroom-boxing-1096316727.jpg\" data-caption=\"Pacheco put a beating on Aleem from the very first bell\"   loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/matchroom-boxing-1096316727.jpg\" role=\"img\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>4<\/p>\n<p>Pacheco put a beating on Aleem from the very first bellCredit: Matchroom Boxing<a href=\"#\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Diego Pacheco vs Immanuwel Aleem\" height=\"640\" width=\"960\" data-credit=\"Matchroom Boxing\" data-img=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/matchroom-boxing-1096316861.jpg\" data-caption=\"The 25-year-old was simply too good in all departments and ended the fight in round 11\"   loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/matchroom-boxing-1096316861.jpg\" role=\"img\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>4<\/p>\n<p>The 25-year-old was simply too good in all departments and ended the fight in round 11Credit: Matchroom Boxing<\/p>\n<p>Asked what he wants next after the dominant display, Pacheco responded: &#8220;The best fight possible.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Eddie Hearn and I, we&#8217;ve been talking about this for a long time, but this is a business and everything has to line up and make sense&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve got a lot of respect for Jaime Munguia \u2014 that&#8217;s a guy I&#8217;ve looked up to since I was a kid.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I remember being in Mexico watching him win his first world title at 154lbs and ever since, I knew that was a possible fight for me down the line.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Hearn added: &#8220;We&#8217;ve talked about this fight many times.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;For Los Angeles, is there a better fight than Diego Pacheco against Jaime Munguia for the world super middleweight title?<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;That is a mega-fight here.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Read More on talkSPORT<\/p>\n<p>Hearn said Team Pacheco will be back in November in the same LA arena &#8216;against another big name.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>Watch Boxing on DAZN<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1784474415_248_Untitled-design-2026-04-07T144058.398.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"article__content--intro\">*If you click a link in this boxout, we will earn affiliate revenue<\/p>\n<p>Sign up to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.awin1.com\/cread.php?awinmid=126251&amp;awinaffid=1482058&amp;campaign=&amp;clickref=talksport-boxing-boxout&amp;clickref2=&amp;clickref3=&amp;clickref4=&amp;clickref5=&amp;clickref6=&amp;ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dazn.com%2Fen-GB%2Fwelcome&amp;platform=pl\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noreferrer noopener\">DAZN<\/a> to access the definitive subscription for boxing fans.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.awin1.com\/cread.php?awinmid=126251&amp;awinaffid=1482058&amp;campaign=&amp;clickref=talksport-boxing-boxout&amp;clickref2=&amp;clickref3=&amp;clickref4=&amp;clickref5=&amp;clickref6=&amp;ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dazn.com%2Fen-GB%2Fwelcome&amp;platform=pl\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noreferrer noopener\">Upgrade to DAZN Ultimate<\/a> from just \u00a324.99\/month, guaranteeing access to 185+ fights annually, a minimum of 12 pay-per-views at no extra cost, as well as every Lega Serie A match and other elite football access.<\/p>\n<p>Alternatively, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.awin1.com\/cread.php?awinmid=126251&amp;awinaffid=1482058&amp;campaign=&amp;clickref=talksport-boxing-boxout&amp;clickref2=&amp;clickref3=&amp;clickref4=&amp;clickref5=&amp;clickref6=&amp;ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dazn.com%2Fen-GB%2Fwelcome&amp;platform=pl\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noreferrer noopener\">DAZN Standard<\/a> is just \u00a315.99\/month, with the caveat you will have to pay for pay-per-view events.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.awin1.com\/cread.php?awinmid=126251&amp;awinaffid=1482058&amp;campaign=&amp;clickref=talksport-boxing-boxout&amp;clickref2=&amp;clickref3=&amp;clickref4=&amp;clickref5=&amp;clickref6=&amp;ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dazn.com%2Fen-GB%2Fwelcome&amp;platform=pl\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noreferrer noopener\">Click here to sign up<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Leo Atang picked up another statement victory on his path to heavyweight glory in California this weekend. The&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":700116,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[232531,2560,6102,232532,6572,57030,232527,232530,232528,6573,232529,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-700115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-atang","tag-boxing","tag-boxing-news","tag-diego-pacheco-vs-immanuwel-aleem","tag-eddie-hearn","tag-leo-atang","tag-leo-atang-boxing","tag-leo-atang-ko","tag-leo-atang-record","tag-matchroom-boxing","tag-pacheco-vs-aleem","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/700115","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=700115"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/700115\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/700116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=700115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=700115"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=700115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}