.IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez defends his waistband against Angelo Leo generally activity of a Top 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 remained in May 2019 and he has succeeded 14 consecutive matches considering that, consisting of excellent success over Josh Warrington in England as well as Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. However is he the best featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko recently refused a lucrative match versus fellow light-weight champ Gervonta "Container" Davis and while he have not declared his retirement, are going to our team find "Hi-Tech" in the ring again?Canelo Alvarez will certainly create his second band appeal this year, yet certainly not versus the boxer supporters have demanded. Instead of David Benavidez, Canelo is going to experience Edgar Berlanga, that is actually never fought at this degree in his quick profession. While Berlanga possesses astonishing power-- he started his job with 16 successive first-round KOs-- can easily he find a method to win, or at the very least go the distance against Alvarez?Former abundant champion Anthony Joshua will defend a title for the very first time in pair of years. Joshua will encounter IBF champion Daniel Dubois in London, as "AJ" is favored to become a three-time globe champ (-550 per ESPN WAGER). As well as two-division champion Danny Garcia returns to the ring for simply the 2nd time in virtually four years to take on WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara. Garcia, who succeeded waistbands at 140 and 147 pounds, is actually going up in body weight for the possibility to end up being a three-division champ, but can he distress a more mature however still highly effective Lara?Mike Coppinger as well as Nick Parkinson answer these questions as well as additional, making an effort to identify what's actual and what's not.Real or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko will retire without another fightNot genuine ... in the meantime. Lomachenko is contemplating retirement life, resources informed ESPN, portion of the explanation he decreased a beneficial fight along with Gervonta Davis in Nov. There is actually likewise an opportunity that Lomachenko are going to return in the 1st one-half of 2025 to guard his IBF light in weight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) showed up in a battling state of mind Saturday in Los Angeles: he as well as Shakur Stevenson had to be divided at ringside during the course of the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov card. Lomachenko was observed informing Stevenson, "Let's go right now.If that's any kind of sign, Lomachenko is going to combat once again. Perhaps even against Davis or even Stevenson, the 2 most significant matches on the desk for him. But if he certainly never shoelaces up the handwear covers once again, Lomachenko's tradition is secured. He is actually a three-division champion, a first-ballot Venue of Famer as well as a mainstay of the pound-for-pound checklist over the final 10 years.He likewise doesn't need to have to fight for the money. He's earned countless bucks in his occupation and still resides in Ukraine, where he is among the country's very most popular professional athletes. Whether or not he fights again, he absolutely won't do so a lot longer. He switches 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or not: Danny Garcia hammers Erislandy Lara and comes to be a champ in a third divisionNot true. Garcia has outplayed the probabilities prior to, consisting of an astonishing KO gain Amir Khan and a leading decision success over Lucas Matthysse. The 1st win elevated him to the higher tier of the sporting activity and the second bound that status.But the Matthysse match was 11 years back, though, and also those pair of signature Garcia victories were at 140 extra pounds (he also won a title at 147 extra pounds as well as went up to 154 for a July 2022 win over Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is actually still looking for a win that matches that, as well as a distressed victory over Lara would certainly fit the bill.Garcia failed to appear like the sharp counterpuncher in the majority-decision success over Benavidez, and he have not contended considering that. Now, he'll go up yet another body weight training class (though the Lara battle is actually occurring at a catchweight in between 155 and also 160 extra pounds) as well as have to contend with band inactivity. The Sept. 14 middleweight label battle versus Lara will definitely be Garcia's 2nd since December 2020, when he was actually transmitted through Errol Spence Jr.The select listed below is actually Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), that, also at 41, reveals remarkable energy, albeit versus boxers beneath Garcia's degree. Lara is actually riding a three-fight KO streak.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Canelo Alvarez's battle against Edgar Berlanga doesn't go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left behind, guards his undisputed very middleweight championship against Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu using Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, punching's best star, hasn't racked up a KO triumph due to the fact that he squashed Caleb Plant in a Nov 2021 match to gain the unquestioned tremendously middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has actually scored a presentation in his last three battles. Against a boxer in Berlanga, who are going to be fighting on the top amount for the first time, Alvarez should add the 40th KO of his illustrious career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has been harmed in the ring previously, namely in a step-up battle against Marcelo Coceres, that dropped him in Cycle 9. And also his protection isn't precisely sound. Berlanga possesses electrical power (he started his career with 16 successive KO succeeds in the first round), and also if he selects to swap along with Canelo, Alvarez ought to take him out.Alvarez assured as a lot at a set of press conference this week to advertise the fight.-- Coppinger Real or not: No other featherweight champ can easily hammer Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza appears a genuine hazard to Lopez after agonizing Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round win in June and also beating Robeisy Ramirez through a bulk selection to gain the WBO label in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) knocked down Chirinho in 3 of the four shots, while his outbreak gain with Ramirez was among the most ideal battles in 2023. Publisher's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the tallest globe lightweight champion in history-- would certainly be actually a difficulty for Lopez. Chirinho succeeded to rise coming from an uppercut coming from Espinoza in Round 1, before he was actually very soon overthrown. As a specialist, Chirinho had actually certainly never been knocked down just before Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza created a shock in pounding two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, as well as he outlanded him in the final three rounds. Although he is actually certainly not as expert as Lopez, the volume of blows he has thrown in his final two matches, together with his height and also hit perks, can verify overwhelming for Lopez.Rey Vargas has actually looked unconvincing in current matches, while our team still require to observe much more from Scar Round just before our company announce him the division's No. 1. Sphere (20-0-1, 11 KOs) recorded the WBA featherweight label along with a split decision win over Raymond Ford in June. That victory adhered to a controversial draw versus Vargas for the WBC headline in March. But Espinoza would certainly stand over 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was actually frustrating versus Ball and also has actually certainly not succeeded in almost two years, so it is hard to provide a disagreement for him in his present form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is actually the existing ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after stopping Reiya Abe in 8 spheres in a third protection of the IBF belt in March. Lopez has actually gotten over large problems in title battles, like boxing in a champ's hometown and obtaining slice early (vs. Josh Warrington), as well as if he succeeds on Sunday versus Angelo Leo, he might probably face his biggest problem but in a title unification battle against Espinoza to dental crown the greatest fighter in the division.-- ParkinsonReal or not: Anthony Joshua will KO Daniel DuboisReal. Comparable to Dubois' revival has been merely a year after being dropped in Oleksandr Usyk, latest kind advises his 1st IBF abundant headline defense will finish in a KO defeat to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is in leading form, even more therefore than every other abundant. Like Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), Joshua has needed to rebuild his occupation, after enduring next choice losses to Usyk in 2021 and 2022. Joshua combated meticulously, with an unanimous selection get Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, yet in his last 3 matches, he finished off Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou.Dubois returned from Saudi Arabia to Greater london as IBF acting heavyweight champ after he quit Filip Hrgovic in Sphere 8. Usyk at that point gave up the IBF belt, which meant Dubois was actually upgraded to total champion, and so shows Joshua along with the option to become a three-time world champ at Wembley Arena in London.Joshua will try to manipulate what Hrgovic had duplicated success along with against Dubois. Hrgovic continuously landed right hands on Dubois in the early spheres, and Joshua has displayed in recent matches just how harmful his right hands want he destroyed Ngannou in Around 2. Joshua landed a right hand on the previous UFC big-time champion's jaw to take him out cool. Joshua will take possession of the opportunity if Dubois makes himself likewise readily available, as he performed versus Hrgovic. Joshua is a much bigger puncher than Hrgovic and, although Dubois presented sturdiness to absorb punches in June, he has been actually stopped two times (by Joe Joyce in 2020 and also Usyk in 2014) as well as was actually knocked down 3 times in the first round by Kevin Lerena just before recouping to win in Round 3. But it is no walk in the playground for Joshua, that additionally needs to appreciate Dubois' energy. Dubois pauperized Hrgovic's face and can potentially carry out a surprise interruption versus Joshua, just like Andy Ruiz Jr. carried out in 2019. But Joshua, that concluded as champion from 2016 to 2019 and after that from 2019 to 2021, is actually more probable to win this fight by KO.-- Parkinson.