.IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez defends his waistband versus Angelo Leo generally event of a Best Ranking on ESPN memory card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Saturday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's last loss resided in May 2019 and he has actually gained 14 successive matches since, consisting of impressive triumphes over Josh Warrington in England and Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. Yet is he the greatest featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko recently denied a lucrative fight against fellow light in weight champion Gervonta "Tank" Davis and also while he have not introduced his retirement, are going to our company view "Hi-Tech" in the band again?Canelo Alvarez are going to make his second ring look this year, yet not versus the competitor supporters have clamored for. Instead of David Benavidez, Canelo will definitely encounter Edgar Berlanga, who is actually never ever battled at this level in his brief profession. While Berlanga possesses extraordinary electrical power-- he began his career with 16 consecutive first-round KOs-- may he discover a technique to succeed, or even at the very least go the distance against Alvarez?Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua are going to fight for a title for the first time in pair of years. Joshua will certainly encounter IBF champ Daniel Dubois in Greater London, as "AJ" is actually favored to become a three-time planet champ (-550 every ESPN WAGER). And two-division champ Danny Garcia comes back to the ring for simply the 2nd time in almost four years to tackle WBA middleweight champ Erislandy Lara. Garcia, who won belts at 140 as well as 147 pounds, is moving up in weight for the opportunity to become a three-division champ, but can easily he disturb a much older yet still highly effective Lara?Mike Coppinger as well as Scar Parkinson answer these concerns as well as even more, attempting to identify what's genuine as well as what's not.Real or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko are going to resign without an additional fightNot actual ... for now. Lomachenko is actually considering retirement, resources informed ESPN, component of the explanation he decreased a lucrative battle with Gervonta Davis in Nov. There is actually also an opportunity that Lomachenko will certainly return in the very first fifty percent of 2025 to defend his IBF lightweight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) showed up in a fighting state of mind Saturday in Los Angeles: he and also Shakur Stevenson must be actually split at ringside throughout the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov card. Lomachenko was actually seen telling Stevenson, "Permit's go right now.If that is actually any type of sign, Lomachenko is going to battle once more. Maybe even versus Davis or even Stevenson, the 2 biggest fights on the desk for him. However if he never laces up the handwear covers again, Lomachenko's heritage is gotten. He's a three-division champion, a first-ballot Venue of Famer as well as an essential of the pound-for-pound list over the last 10 years.He also doesn't need to eliminate for the money. He's gained numerous dollars in his profession as well as still dwells in Ukraine, where he is just one of the nation's very most popular professional athletes. Whether he battles again, he absolutely will not do this a lot longer. He turns 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or not: Danny Garcia hammers Erislandy Lara and comes to be a champ in a third divisionNot actual. Garcia has actually outplayed the probabilities prior to, consisting of a shocking KO draw Amir Khan and a leading decision success over Lucas Matthysse. The first gain raised him to the upper tier of the sport and the second glued that status.But the Matthysse battle was actually 11 years ago, though, as well as those two signature Garcia success were at 140 pounds (he additionally won a title at 147 pounds and went up to 154 for a July 2022 sway Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is actually still looking for a win that matches that, as well as an upset victory over Lara would certainly accommodate the bill.Garcia didn't appear like the sharp counterpuncher in the majority-decision triumph over Benavidez, and also he have not competed given that. Now, he'll go up an additional weight class (though the Lara match is actually happening at a catchweight in between 155 and also 160 pounds) and must emulate band lack of exercise. The Sept. 14 middleweight label fight against Lara will definitely be actually Garcia's 2nd since December 2020, when he was directed through Errol Spence Jr.The decide on right here is actually Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), who, also at 41, shows tremendous energy, albeit versus competitors below Garcia's degree. Lara is actually using a three-fight KO streak.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Canelo Alvarez's battle against Edgar Berlanga does not go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left behind, guards his undisputed incredibly middleweight champion versus Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Sin City. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu through Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, punching's best star, hasn't scored a KO success due to the fact that he squashed Caleb Plant in a Nov 2021 fight to succeed the undisputed tremendously middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has racked up a knockdown in his final three matches. Against a fighter in Berlanga, who will be actually combating on the top amount for the very first time, Alvarez must include the 40th KO of his illustrious career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has been hurt in the ring before, particularly in a step-up match versus Marcelo Coceres, that fell him in Cycle 9. And also his defense isn't exactly sound. Berlanga has power (he began his job along with 16 consecutive KO gains in the preliminary), and if he chooses to swap along with Canelo, Alvarez ought to take him out.Alvarez promised as a lot at a set of news conferences this week to market the battle.-- Coppinger Real or not: No other lightweight champion can beat Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza looks a true threat to Lopez after torturing Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round gain in June and also defeating Robeisy Ramirez through a majority choice to gain the WBO headline in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) knocked down Chirinho in 3 of the four rounds, while his breakout succeed with Ramirez was just one of the very best battles in 2023. Publisher's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the highest planet featherweight champion in record-- will be a difficulty for Lopez. Chirinho did well to stand up from an uppercut from Espinoza in Round 1, prior to he was quickly overwhelmed. As an expert, Chirinho had certainly never been actually brought down just before Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza created a surprise in pounding two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, as well as he outlanded him in the final three arounds. Although he is certainly not as knowledgeable as Lopez, the amount of hits he has included his last two matches, in addition to his elevation and arrive at advantages, could confirm unbeatable for Lopez.Rey Vargas has looked unconvincing in recent battles, while our team still require to find extra coming from Scar Sphere just before we announce him the branch's No. 1. Round (20-0-1, 11 KOs) grabbed the WBA featherweight headline with a split decision draw Raymond Ford in June. That victory complied with a disputable draw versus Vargas for the WBC headline in March. Yet Espinoza will overlook 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was actually unsatisfying versus Ball as well as has not succeeded in almost two years, so it is challenging to present a debate for him in his current form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is actually the present ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after stopping Reiya Abe in eight rounds in a 3rd self defense of the IBF waistband in March. Lopez has gotten rid of significant difficulties in headline battles, like boxing in a champ's neighborhood and obtaining cut very early (vs. Josh Warrington), and also if he succeeds on Sunday against Angelo Leo, he might maybe face his most significant difficulty but in a label marriage fight against Espinoza to dental crown the most effective boxer in the department.-- ParkinsonReal or otherwise: Anthony Joshua will KO Daniel DuboisReal. Like Dubois' resurgence has actually been only a year after being actually stopped by Oleksandr Usyk, latest kind suggests his first IBF heavyweight headline defense will definitely end in a KO defeat to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is in leading form, much more so than every other abundant. Like Dubois (21-2, twenty KOs), Joshua has must fix his profession, after suffering next choice losses to Usyk in 2021 and also 2022. Joshua battled cautiously, along with an unanimous decision draw Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, but in his last three matches, he accomplished Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou.Dubois returned coming from Saudi Arabia to London as IBF interim heavyweight champion after he ceased Filip Hrgovic in Sphere 8. Usyk after that gave up the IBF waistband, which implied Dubois was upgraded to complete champ, and so provides Joshua with the opportunity to end up being a three-time globe champ at Wembley Arena in London.Joshua will certainly try to manipulate what Hrgovic had actually duplicated effectiveness along with against Dubois. Hrgovic continually landed right-hand men on Dubois in the early spheres, and also Joshua has received latest matches just how detrimental his right-hand men desire he destroyed Ngannou in Round 2. Joshua landed a right hand on the previous UFC big-time champion's jaw to knock him out chilly. Joshua will certainly seize the possibility if Dubois makes themself in a similar way offered, as he performed versus Hrgovic. Joshua is actually a larger puncher than Hrgovic and also, although Dubois revealed toughness to soak up punches in June, he has been ceased twice (by Joe Joyce in 2020 and Usyk in 2014) and was defeated 3 attend the preliminary by Kevin Lerena before bouncing back to succeed in Round 3. Yet it is actually no stroll in the playground for Joshua, who additionally needs to respect Dubois' energy. Dubois pauperized Hrgovic's face and also can potentially pull off a surprise standstill versus Joshua, much like Andy Ruiz Jr. carried out in 2019. Yet Joshua, that ruled as champion coming from 2016 to 2019 and after that coming from 2019 to 2021, is most likely to gain this fight by KO.-- Parkinson.