.IBF featherweight champ Luis Alberto Lopez defends his waistband against Angelo Leo in the main celebration of a Best Rank on ESPN memory card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Sunday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's last reduction resided in May 2019 and also he has actually succeeded 14 consecutive fights considering that, including remarkable victories over Josh Warrington in England and also Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. However is he the most effective featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko lately refused a rewarding battle against fellow light-weight champion Gervonta "Container" Davis and while he have not declared his retirement, will certainly we see "Hi-Tech" in the band again?Canelo Alvarez will definitely create his 2nd band appeal this year, but not against the fighter fans have actually clamored for. Rather Than David Benavidez, Canelo is going to face Edgar Berlanga, who is actually never ever fought at this amount in his short profession. While Berlanga possesses astonishing electrical power-- he began his profession with 16 successive first-round KOs-- can easily he find a means to win, or even a minimum of go the distance versus Alvarez?Former abundant champion Anthony Joshua will definitely fight for a label for the first time in pair of years. Joshua will definitely encounter IBF champion Daniel Dubois in Greater London, as "AJ" is favored to come to be a three-time planet champ (-550 per ESPN WAGER). And also two-division champion Danny Garcia comes back to the ring for only the second attend nearly four years to tackle WBA middleweight champ Erislandy Lara. Garcia, that gained belts at 140 and also 147 pounds, is actually going up in weight for the odds to come to be a three-division champion, but may he upset an older but still effective Lara?Mike Coppinger and Nick Parkinson answer these concerns and also additional, attempting to differentiate what's actual and what's not.Real or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko will retire without an additional fightNot true ... for now. Lomachenko is actually considering retired life, sources said to ESPN, portion of the cause he decreased a beneficial battle along with Gervonta Davis in Nov. There is actually also a probability that Lomachenko are going to return in the first one-half of 2025 to protect his IBF lightweight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) showed up in a combating mood Sunday in Los Angeles: he and Shakur Stevenson needed to be split at ringside throughout the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov card. Lomachenko was seen telling Stevenson, "Let's go appropriate now.If that's any sort of evidence, Lomachenko will deal with once more. Perhaps even against Davis or Stevenson, both greatest matches on the table for him. Yet if he certainly never shoelaces up the gloves again, Lomachenko's heritage is actually gotten. He is actually a three-division champion, a first-ballot Hall of Famer and a pillar of the pound-for-pound listing over the last 10 years.He additionally doesn't require to fight for the cash. He is actually made millions of bucks in his occupation and still dwells in Ukraine, where he is among the country's very most prominent athletes. Whether he battles once more, he certainly won't do this much longer. He turns 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or not: Danny Garcia hammers Erislandy Lara and ends up being a champion in a 3rd divisionNot genuine. Garcia has upset the odds just before, consisting of a stunning KO draw Amir Khan as well as a dominant choice triumph over Lucas Matthysse. The very first gain elevated him to the upper tier of the sporting activity as well as the second cemented that status.But the Matthysse battle was 11 years back, though, and those pair of trademark Garcia victories went to 140 pounds (he likewise won a headline at 147 extra pounds and went up to 154 for a July 2022 gain Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is still hunting for a gain that matches that, as well as a dismayed victory over Lara will suit the bill.Garcia failed to look like the stinging counterpuncher in the majority-decision triumph over Benavidez, as well as he have not contended considering that. Now, he'll move up an additional body weight lesson (though the Lara battle is taking place at a catchweight between 155 as well as 160 extra pounds) and also need to emulate band inactivity. The Sept. 14 middleweight label match against Lara are going to be actually Garcia's second because December 2020, when he was actually directed through Errol Spence Jr.The pick right here is actually Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), who, also at 41, presents incredible energy, albeit against boxers beneath Garcia's amount. Lara is actually using a three-fight KO touch.-- CoppingerReal or not: Canelo Alvarez's fight against Edgar Berlanga doesn't go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left behind, guards his undisputed super middleweight championship versus Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Sin City. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu by means of Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, boxing's leading superstar, have not scored a KO triumph given that he smoothed Caleb Vegetation in a November 2021 battle to win the recognized tremendously middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has actually scored a presentation in his last 3 matches. Against a boxer in Berlanga, who are going to be actually fighting on the leading amount for the very first time, Alvarez needs to incorporate the 40th KO of his remarkable career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has been injured in the band before, particularly in a step-up match versus Marcelo Coceres, that lost him in Cycle 9. And also his protection isn't precisely seem. Berlanga possesses energy (he began his job along with 16 consecutive KO gains in the first round), as well as if he chooses to trade along with Canelo, Alvarez needs to take him out.Alvarez vowed as a lot at a set of press conference this week to ensure the match.-- Coppinger Real or not: Not one other light champ may beat Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza appears a true threat to Lopez after agonizing Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round win in June and defeating Robeisy Ramirez by a majority selection to succeed the WBO headline in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) defeated Chirinho in 3 of the four shots, while his breakout gain with Ramirez was just one of the most ideal battles in 2023. Publisher's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the highest planet featherweight champion in record-- would be an obstacle for Lopez. Chirinho flourished to rise from an uppercut from Espinoza in Sphere 1, just before he was quickly overpowered. As an expert, Chirinho had never ever been actually torn down just before Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza made a surprise in beating two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, and he outlanded him in the last three rounds. Although he is actually not as skilled as Lopez, the quantity of strikes he has actually included his final 2 matches, in addition to his elevation and also arrive at perks, could verify impossible for Lopez.Rey Vargas has actually appeared implausible in recent fights, while our experts still need to have to observe a lot more from Nick Round just before our experts proclaim him the division's No. 1. Sphere (20-0-1, 11 KOs) caught the WBA featherweight label with a split decision gain Raymond Ford in June. That accomplishment followed a debatable draw versus Vargas for the WBC label in March. Yet Espinoza would certainly overlook 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was actually disappointing versus Sphere and has certainly not gained in nearly 2 years, so it is actually difficult to provide a disagreement for him in his existing form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is the present ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after stopping Reiya Abe in 8 spheres in a third protection of the IBF waistband in March. Lopez has actually overcome major difficulties in label battles, like boxing in a champion's neighborhood as well as getting slice early (vs. Josh Warrington), and also if he gains on Saturday against Angelo Leo, he might maybe encounter his largest challenge yet in a label unification fight against Espinoza to dental crown the best boxer in the branch.-- ParkinsonReal or otherwise: Anthony Joshua will certainly KO Daniel DuboisReal. Comparable to Dubois' rebirth has been merely a year after being come by Oleksandr Usyk, latest kind proposes his initial IBF abundant title defense will certainly finish in a KO loss to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) remains in leading type, even more therefore than every other abundant. Like Dubois (21-2, twenty KOs), Joshua has actually had to rebuild his profession, after going through next decision losses to Usyk in 2021 and 2022. Joshua combated carefully, with an unanimous decision win over Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, yet in his last 3 fights, he finished off Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and also Francis Ngannou.Dubois came back coming from Saudi Arabia to Greater london as IBF interim heavyweight champ after he stopped Filip Hrgovic in Around 8. Usyk then gave up the IBF belt, which meant Dubois was actually updated to total champion, and so provides Joshua along with the opportunity to end up being a three-time planet champ at Wembley Arena in London.Joshua will certainly attempt to exploit what Hrgovic had actually redoed effectiveness with against Dubois. Hrgovic frequently landed right hands on Dubois in the very early arounds, and Joshua has received current matches exactly how damaging his right-hand men want he destroyed Ngannou in Around 2. Joshua landed a right-hand man on the previous UFC heavyweight champion's jaw to knock him out chilly. Joshua is going to seize the possibility if Dubois produces themself likewise accessible, as he carried out against Hrgovic. Joshua is a greater puncher than Hrgovic and, although Dubois presented toughness to take in type June, he has been actually stopped two times (through Joe Joyce in 2020 and Usyk last year) and also was actually floored 3 times in the first round through Kevin Lerena just before recovering to succeed in Round 3. Yet it is actually no stroll in the park for Joshua, who additionally requires to value Dubois' power. Dubois ruined Hrgovic's skin and also may likely pull off a surprise deduction against Joshua, much like Andy Ruiz Jr. did in 2019. However Joshua, who concluded as champ coming from 2016 to 2019 and after that coming from 2019 to 2021, is most likely to win this match by KO.-- Parkinson.