.IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez defends his belt against Angelo Leo generally celebration of a Best Rank on ESPN card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Saturday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's last reduction was in May 2019 and he has actually succeeded 14 consecutive battles considering that, including impressive triumphes over Josh Warrington in England and also Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. However is he the best featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko lately denied a financially rewarding battle against fellow light-weight champ Gervonta "Tank" Davis as well as while he hasn't revealed his retired life, will our experts view "Hi-Tech" in the ring again?Canelo Alvarez will make his second band appeal this year, however certainly not versus the boxer fans have clamored for. Instead of David Benavidez, Canelo will certainly experience Edgar Berlanga, who is actually certainly never dealt with at this amount in his short career. While Berlanga possesses awesome energy-- he started his profession along with 16 successive first-round KOs-- can he locate a means to succeed, or even a minimum of go the proximity against Alvarez?Former heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua will defend a headline for the very first time in two years. Joshua is going to face IBF champ Daniel Dubois in Greater London, as "AJ" is chosen to end up being a three-time planet champ (-550 per ESPN WAGER). And also two-division champion Danny Garcia returns to the band for simply the 2nd time in virtually four years to tackle WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara. Garcia, that won waistbands at 140 and also 147 extra pounds, is actually going up in weight for the chance to end up being a three-division champion, but can easily he upset a more mature however still powerful Lara?Mike Coppinger and also Scar Parkinson respond to these inquiries as well as additional, attempting to identify what's true as well as what's not.Real or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko will retire without another fightNot true ... for now. Lomachenko is considering retirement life, resources said to ESPN, component of the reason he dropped a beneficial fight with Gervonta Davis in Nov. There's likewise a probability that Lomachenko will come back in the initial fifty percent of 2025 to defend his IBF light-weight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) appeared in a dealing with state of mind Sunday in Los Angeles: he as well as Shakur Stevenson had to be split at ringside in the course of the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov memory card. Lomachenko was found telling Stevenson, "Permit's go appropriate now.If that's any sort of sign, Lomachenko is going to combat once again. Maybe even versus Davis or Stevenson, the 2 most significant matches on the desk for him. Yet if he never laces up the gloves once again, Lomachenko's tradition is actually secured. He's a three-division champ, a first-ballot Hall of Famer and also an essential of the pound-for-pound listing over the final 10 years.He additionally does not need to have to overcome for the money. He is actually gained numerous bucks in his profession as well as still stays in Ukraine, where he's one of the nation's most well-known sportsmens. Whether or not he fights once more, he definitely won't do this much longer. He turns 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Danny Garcia beats Erislandy Lara and also ends up being a champion in a 3rd divisionNot genuine. Garcia has actually upset the chances before, featuring a shocking KO win over Amir Khan and also a prevalent decision success over Lucas Matthysse. The initial gain raised him to the upper tier of the sporting activity and also the latter cemented that status.But the Matthysse fight was 11 years ago, however, and also those two signature Garcia victories went to 140 extra pounds (he additionally gained a title at 147 extra pounds as well as went up to 154 for a July 2022 sway Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is actually still hunting for a win that matches that, and an upset triumph over Lara would suit the bill.Garcia really did not look like the sharp counterpuncher in the majority-decision victory over Benavidez, and he have not contended given that. Currently, he'll go up another weight lesson (though the Lara fight is happening at a catchweight between 155 as well as 160 extra pounds) and also must contend with ring sluggishness. The Sept. 14 middleweight title fight versus Lara will be actually Garcia's 2nd given that December 2020, when he was transmitted through Errol Spence Jr.The decide on below is actually Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), that, even at 41, reveals remarkable energy, albeit versus boxers beneath Garcia's level. Lara is riding a three-fight KO streak.-- CoppingerReal or not: Canelo Alvarez's battle against Edgar Berlanga does not go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left behind, safeguards his undisputed extremely middleweight championship versus Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Sin City. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu by means of Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, boxing's best star, have not racked up a KO victory considering that he smoothed Caleb Vegetation in a Nov 2021 fight to succeed the unquestioned incredibly middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has scored a knockdown in his last 3 battles. Against a boxer in Berlanga, that will certainly be actually fighting on the leading level for the very first time, Alvarez ought to incorporate the 40th KO of his renowned career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has been actually injured in the ring before, particularly in a step-up battle versus Marcelo Coceres, that dropped him in Round 9. And his self defense isn't exactly appear. Berlanga possesses power (he started his career with 16 successive KO succeeds in the first round), and if he decides on to trade along with Canelo, Alvarez should take him out.Alvarez promised as much at a set of press conference today to promote the battle.-- Coppinger Real or otherwise: No other light champion can beat Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza looks an actual hazard to Lopez after tormenting Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round gain in June and defeating Robeisy Ramirez by a majority selection to succeed the WBO title in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) knocked down Chirinho in 3 of the 4 rounds, while his outbreak win with Ramirez was just one of the best battles in 2023. Editor's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the highest world featherweight champion in past history-- would certainly be actually a challenge for Lopez. Chirinho did well to rise coming from an uppercut from Espinoza in Round 1, just before he was soon overpowered. As a professional, Chirinho had actually never ever been actually brought down prior to Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza made a shock in beating two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, and he outlanded him in the last three spheres. Although he is certainly not as seasoned as Lopez, the volume of blows he has included his final 2 fights, together with his elevation as well as reach conveniences, might verify insurmountable for Lopez.Rey Vargas has actually appeared implausible in current matches, while our experts still need to have to find much more from Chip Ball before our company declare him the division's No. 1. Round (20-0-1, 11 KOs) caught the WBA featherweight title along with a split selection win over Raymond Ford in June. That conquest complied with a questionable draw versus Vargas for the WBC headline in March. Yet Espinoza would stand over 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was unsatisfactory versus Sphere and has actually not won in almost pair of years, so it is actually tough to present a disagreement for him in his present form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is the present ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after ceasing Reiya Abe in 8 rounds in a 3rd defense of the IBF belt in March. Lopez has eliminated major problems in headline matches, like boxing in a champ's hometown as well as obtaining slice very early (vs. Josh Warrington), and if he succeeds on Sunday against Angelo Leo, he may perhaps face his largest challenge but in a title unification fight against Espinoza to dental crown the most effective competitor in the division.-- ParkinsonReal or not: Anthony Joshua will definitely KO Daniel DuboisReal. Comparable to Dubois' revival has been actually simply a year after being stopped by Oleksandr Usyk, recent kind recommends his 1st IBF heavyweight headline protection will definitely end in a KO loss to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is in leading type, a lot more thus than some other heavyweight. Like Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), Joshua has had to rebuild his career, after going through back-to-back selection losses to Usyk in 2021 and also 2022. Joshua dealt with meticulously, with a consensual choice get Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, however in his final 3 battles, he rounded off Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin as well as Francis Ngannou.Dubois came back coming from Saudi Arabia to London as IBF interim big-time champ after he quit Filip Hrgovic in Sphere 8. Usyk at that point gave up the IBF belt, which meant Dubois was improved to total champ, consequently offers Joshua along with the possibility to become a three-time world champ at Wembley Stadium in London.Joshua will definitely make an effort to manipulate what Hrgovic had actually duplicated excellence with versus Dubois. Hrgovic continually landed right-hand men on Dubois in the very early spheres, and Joshua has actually received recent fights how harmful his right-hand men desire he ruined Ngannou in Around 2. Joshua landed a right hand on the previous UFC big-time champ's face to knock him out cold. Joshua will certainly take the opportunity if Dubois makes himself similarly accessible, as he did versus Hrgovic. Joshua is actually a bigger puncher than Hrgovic and also, although Dubois presented resilience to take in type June, he has been actually ceased twice (through Joe Joyce in 2020 and Usyk in 2015) as well as was actually defeated 3 times in the preliminary through Kevin Lerena prior to recouping to win in Round 3. Yet it is actually no walk in the playground for Joshua, who likewise needs to have to value Dubois' power. Dubois bungled Hrgovic's face and also can potentially manage a shock halt versus Joshua, much like Andy Ruiz Jr. performed in 2019. However Joshua, who concluded as champion coming from 2016 to 2019 and then from 2019 to 2021, is more likely to succeed this match by KO.-- Parkinson.