.IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez defends his belt against Angelo Leo generally occasion of a Leading Rank on ESPN memory card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Saturday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's final loss was in May 2019 and also he has succeeded 14 consecutive battles given that, consisting of excellent triumphes over Josh Warrington in England and also Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. Yet is he the very best featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko lately rejected a beneficial battle versus fellow light-weight champion Gervonta "Tank" Davis and also while he hasn't revealed his retirement, are going to our company view "Hi-Tech" in the ring again?Canelo Alvarez will certainly make his 2nd ring look this year, yet not versus the boxer enthusiasts have actually demanded. Instead of David Benavidez, Canelo will experience Edgar Berlanga, that's certainly never battled at this level in his brief occupation. While Berlanga has extraordinary power-- he began his career with 16 successive first-round KOs-- can he discover a method to succeed, or even at the very least go the range versus Alvarez?Former abundant champion Anthony Joshua are going to fight for a label for the very first time in pair of years. Joshua is going to deal with IBF champ Daniel Dubois in London, as "AJ" is favored to end up being a three-time planet champ (-550 every ESPN WAGER). As well as two-division champ Danny Garcia goes back to the band for merely the second attend just about four years to take on WBA middleweight champ Erislandy Lara. Garcia, that won belts at 140 and 147 pounds, is moving up in body weight for the possibility to end up being a three-division champ, but can he disturb a much older yet still strong Lara?Mike Coppinger and Scar Parkinson respond to these questions and also more, making an effort to differentiate what's true and also what's not.Real or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko will certainly resign without another fightNot genuine ... in the meantime. Lomachenko is considering retirement life, resources said to ESPN, part of the factor he declined a profitable match along with Gervonta Davis in Nov. There is actually additionally a probability that Lomachenko will certainly come back in the very first fifty percent of 2025 to safeguard his IBF light-weight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) showed up in a dealing with mood Saturday in Los Angeles: he and also Shakur Stevenson must be separated at ringside during the course of the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov memory card. Lomachenko was viewed informing Stevenson, "Permit's go right now.If that is actually any kind of indicator, Lomachenko will battle once more. Maybe even versus Davis or even Stevenson, both largest battles on the desk for him. However if he never shoelaces up the gloves once more, Lomachenko's heritage is actually protected. He's a three-division champion, a first-ballot Venue of Famer and also an essential of the pound-for-pound listing over the last 10 years.He also doesn't need to have to fight for the cash. He's made numerous bucks in his career as well as still lives in Ukraine, where he's one of the country's very most preferred professional athletes. Whether or not he combats again, he certainly won't do this much longer. He turns 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or not: Danny Garcia hammers Erislandy Lara and becomes a champion in a 3rd divisionNot actual. Garcia has actually outplayed the chances prior to, consisting of a stunning KO draw Amir Khan as well as a dominant decision triumph over Lucas Matthysse. The first win lifted him to the upper echelon of the sport as well as the last glued that status.But the Matthysse fight was 11 years back, though, and those two trademark Garcia victories were at 140 extra pounds (he likewise won a title at 147 pounds and went up to 154 for a July 2022 get Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is still seeking a gain that matches that, and a dismayed triumph over Lara will suit the bill.Garcia didn't resemble the stinging counterpuncher in the majority-decision success over Benavidez, and he have not competed considering that. Right now, he'll move up one more weight training class (though the Lara match is occurring at a catchweight between 155 and also 160 pounds) and need to emulate ring stagnation. The Sept. 14 middleweight title fight versus Lara will definitely be Garcia's second due to the fact that December 2020, when he was routed through Errol Spence Jr.The decide on listed here is actually Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), that, also at 41, reveals tremendous power, albeit versus boxers beneath Garcia's degree. Lara is actually using a three-fight KO streak.-- CoppingerReal or not: Canelo Alvarez's match versus Edgar Berlanga doesn't go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left, safeguards his undisputed incredibly middleweight champion versus Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Sin City. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, boxing's best celebrity, hasn't scored a KO success due to the fact that he smoothed Caleb Vegetation in a November 2021 fight to succeed the undeniable tremendously middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has racked up a knockdown in his last 3 matches. Against a boxer in Berlanga, that will be combating on the best level for the very first time, Alvarez needs to add the 40th KO of his remarkable career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has actually been harmed in the ring before, specifically in a step-up fight against Marcelo Coceres, that fell him in Round 9. And also his protection isn't exactly sound. Berlanga possesses power (he started his career with 16 consecutive KO gains in the first round), as well as if he opts for to swap along with Canelo, Alvarez must take him out.Alvarez assured as much at a pair of press conference recently to advertise the match.-- Coppinger Real or otherwise: No other light champion may hammer Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza appears a real risk to Lopez after tormenting Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round gain in June as well as beating Robeisy Ramirez through a bulk selection to win the WBO headline in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) knocked down Chirinho in 3 of the 4 shots, while his escapement succeed with Ramirez was among the best battles in 2023. Publisher's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the tallest world lightweight champ in history-- would be a problem for Lopez. Chirinho flourished to get up from an uppercut from Espinoza in Round 1, just before he was actually very soon overpowered. As a qualified, Chirinho had certainly never been brought down just before Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza produced a shock in pounding two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, and also he outlanded him in the last three arounds. Although he is not as expert as Lopez, the amount of blows he has actually included his last two matches, in addition to his elevation and get to conveniences, might show overwhelming for Lopez.Rey Vargas has actually appeared implausible in recent battles, while our team still need to view more from Scar Round just before our company proclaim him the department's No. 1. Round (20-0-1, 11 KOs) recorded the WBA featherweight title with a split selection draw Raymond Ford in June. That conquest adhered to a questionable draw versus Vargas for the WBC headline in March. But Espinoza would certainly tower above 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was unsatisfying versus Sphere and has not gained in nearly 2 years, so it is actually hard to provide a debate 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 spheres in a third defense of the IBF belt in March. Lopez has overcome major difficulties in label matches, like punching in a champ's neighborhood and obtaining slice very early (vs. Josh Warrington), and also if he succeeds on Sunday against Angelo Leo, he may maybe face his largest problem but in a headline marriage match against Espinoza to dental crown the best competitor in the division.-- ParkinsonReal or not: Anthony Joshua will definitely KO Daniel DuboisReal. Comparable to Dubois' resurgence has been actually merely a year after being visited Oleksandr Usyk, recent kind recommends his 1st IBF abundant label self defense will end in a KO defeat to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) resides in best form, extra so than some other heavyweight. Like Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), Joshua has needed to rebuild his profession, after suffering next choice reductions to Usyk in 2021 and also 2022. Joshua battled cautiously, along with an unanimous choice draw Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, yet in his final 3 fights, 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 stopped Filip Hrgovic in Around 8. Usyk at that point relinquished the IBF belt, which implied Dubois was actually upgraded to complete champion, therefore presents Joshua with the opportunity to come to be a three-time globe champ at Wembley Coliseum in London.Joshua will definitely make an effort to manipulate what Hrgovic had actually redoed success along with versus Dubois. Hrgovic consistently landed right-hand men on Dubois in the early spheres, as well as Joshua has actually received current fights just how destructive his right-hand men are after he ruined Ngannou in Around 2. Joshua landed a right hand on the former UFC big-time champion's jaw to knock him out chilly. Joshua will confiscate the option if Dubois produces himself similarly accessible, as he did against Hrgovic. Joshua is actually a greater puncher than Hrgovic and, although Dubois revealed toughness to absorb punches in June, he has actually been quit two times (through Joe Joyce in 2020 and also Usyk in 2013) as well as was actually floored 3 attend the preliminary through Kevin Lerena before bouncing back to win in Cycle 3. But it is no walk in the park for Joshua, who likewise needs to value Dubois' energy. Dubois pauperized Hrgovic's face and also may likely carry out a shock stop against Joshua, just like Andy Ruiz Jr. performed in 2019. However Joshua, who concluded as champion coming from 2016 to 2019 and afterwards from 2019 to 2021, is most likely to win this match by KO.-- Parkinson.