.IBF featherweight champ Luis Alberto Lopez defends his waistband versus Angelo Leo generally event 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 reduction resided in May 2019 as well as he has actually won 14 consecutive matches because, including excellent success over Josh Warrington in England and Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. Yet is he the greatest featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko lately turned down a beneficial battle against fellow light-weight champion Gervonta "Storage tank" Davis as well as while he hasn't declared his retirement life, are going to we observe "Hi-Tech" in the ring again?Canelo Alvarez will make his 2nd band appeal this year, yet certainly not against the fighter fans have actually demanded. As Opposed To David Benavidez, Canelo will encounter Edgar Berlanga, that is actually certainly never dealt with at this level in his short job. While Berlanga possesses extraordinary electrical power-- he began his career with 16 successive first-round KOs-- may he find a means to gain, or at least go the distance versus Alvarez?Former abundant champ Anthony Joshua are going to defend a label for the very first time in pair of years. Joshua will definitely deal with IBF champion Daniel Dubois in London, as "AJ" is chosen to become a three-time globe champ (-550 per ESPN BET). And also two-division champ Danny Garcia returns to the band for merely the second time in nearly four years to tackle WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara. Garcia, that won waistbands at 140 and 147 extra pounds, is actually going up in body weight for the possibility to come to be a three-division champ, yet can easily he disturb an older yet still highly effective Lara?Mike Coppinger as well as Scar Parkinson answer these concerns and more, making an effort to distinguish what's real as well as what's not.Real or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko are going to retire without an additional fightNot true ... for now. Lomachenko is reflecting upon retirement life, resources told ESPN, part of the explanation he dropped a rewarding match along with Gervonta Davis in Nov. There is actually likewise a possibility that Lomachenko will come back in the 1st half of 2025 to protect his IBF light-weight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) showed up in a dealing with state of mind Sunday in Los Angeles: he and Shakur Stevenson had to be actually separated at ringside throughout the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov card. Lomachenko was actually observed saying to Stevenson, "Let's go correct now.If that is actually any type of indication, Lomachenko will combat once again. Maybe even versus Davis or even Stevenson, the two most significant battles on the desk for him. Yet if he never laces up the gloves once again, Lomachenko's tradition is actually gotten. He's a three-division champ, a first-ballot Venue of Famer and also an essential of the pound-for-pound list over the final 10 years.He also does not require to combat for the money. He is actually made numerous dollars in his job and also still stays in Ukraine, where he is among the country's very most preferred professional athletes. Whether or not he battles again, he absolutely 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 third divisionNot genuine. Garcia has upset the chances prior to, consisting of an astonishing KO sway Amir Khan as well as a dominant decision success over Lucas Matthysse. The first win elevated him to the top tier of the sport and also the latter cemented that status.But the Matthysse match was actually 11 years earlier, however, and those two trademark Garcia victories went to 140 extra pounds (he also won a title at 147 pounds and moved up to 154 for a July 2022 win over Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is actually still seeking a win that matches that, and also a dismayed success over Lara would certainly suit the bill.Garcia didn't look like the sharp counterpuncher in the majority-decision success over Benavidez, and also he have not contended given that. Right now, he'll move up another weight class (though the Lara fight is actually occurring at a catchweight in between 155 as well as 160 pounds) as well as have to contend with ring inactivity. The Sept. 14 middleweight headline fight against Lara will definitely be Garcia's second due to the fact that December 2020, when he was actually transmitted by Errol Spence Jr.The decide on below is actually Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), that, also at 41, presents incredible power, albeit against competitors under Garcia's level. Lara is actually riding a three-fight KO touch.-- CoppingerReal or not: Canelo Alvarez's match versus Edgar Berlanga doesn't go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left behind, shields his indisputable super middleweight champion versus Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu through Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, boxing's top star, hasn't racked up a KO victory considering that he flattened Caleb Plant in a Nov 2021 battle to succeed the undeniable tremendously middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has actually racked up a knockdown in his final 3 fights. Versus a boxer in Berlanga, that will be actually combating on the best level for the first time, Alvarez should incorporate the 40th KO of his renowned career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has actually been actually injured in the band in the past, namely in a step-up match versus Marcelo Coceres, that fell him in Round 9. As well as his self defense isn't specifically seem. Berlanga possesses electrical power (he started his occupation with 16 successive KO succeeds in the preliminary), as well as if he chooses to swap with Canelo, Alvarez ought to take him out.Alvarez promised as much at a set of press conference recently to market the match.-- Coppinger Real or not: Not one other light champ may hammer Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza appears a real risk to Lopez after tormenting Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round succeed in June and also defeating Robeisy Ramirez through a majority selection to gain the WBO title in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) floored Chirinho in three of the 4 rounds, while his breakout win along with Ramirez was among the best battles in 2023. Editor's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the highest world lightweight champion in history-- would be a problem for Lopez. Chirinho succeeded to rise from an uppercut from Espinoza in Sphere 1, just before he was very soon overthrown. As a specialist, Chirinho had actually never ever been knocked down prior to Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza created a shock in pounding two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, and also he outlanded him in the final three spheres. Although he is actually certainly not as skilled as Lopez, the quantity of strikes he has actually thrown in his final two matches, alongside his elevation and also reach perks, might verify unbeatable for Lopez.Rey Vargas has actually looked unconvincing in current fights, while our experts still need to have to view a lot more coming from Scar Round prior to we proclaim him the department's No. 1. Sphere (20-0-1, 11 KOs) caught the WBA featherweight label along with a split choice win over Raymond Ford in June. That accomplishment adhered to a questionable draw versus Vargas for the WBC title in March. However Espinoza will stand over 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was actually unsatisfactory versus Sphere and also has actually certainly not succeeded in nearly pair of years, so it is difficult to present a disagreement for him in his existing form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is actually the existing ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after ceasing Reiya Abe in eight spheres in a third self defense of the IBF belt in March. Lopez has overcome large challenges in headline fights, like boxing in a champ's neighborhood and also acquiring cut early (vs. Josh Warrington), and if he succeeds on Sunday against Angelo Leo, he may perhaps face his most significant problem yet in a headline marriage match against Espinoza to dental crown the very best boxer in the branch.-- ParkinsonReal or not: Anthony Joshua will definitely KO Daniel DuboisReal. Just as good as Dubois' revival has been just a year after being actually visited Oleksandr Usyk, latest kind suggests his very first IBF heavyweight title protection will definitely finish in a KO loss to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) remains in best kind, a lot more thus than some other abundant. Like Dubois (21-2, twenty KOs), Joshua has needed to restore his career, after experiencing next selection losses to Usyk in 2021 and 2022. Joshua battled carefully, with an unanimous selection get Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, however in his last three battles, he rounded off Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and also Francis Ngannou.Dubois returned from Saudi Arabia to London as IBF acting heavyweight champ after he quit Filip Hrgovic in Round 8. Usyk at that point relinquished the IBF belt, which implied Dubois was updated to complete champ, therefore presents Joshua with the chance to come to be a three-time globe champ at Wembley Arena in London.Joshua are going to try to exploit what Hrgovic had redoed excellence with against Dubois. Hrgovic frequently landed right-hand men on Dubois in the early arounds, and also Joshua has actually shown in latest battles just how destructive his right hands are after he destroyed Ngannou in Sphere 2. Joshua landed a right-hand man on the former UFC heavyweight champ's face to take him out cold. Joshua will take possession of the possibility if Dubois creates himself similarly readily available, as he did against Hrgovic. Joshua is actually a larger puncher than Hrgovic and also, although Dubois presented resilience to take in type June, he has been ceased two times (by Joe Joyce in 2020 and Usyk in 2013) and was knocked down three times in the first round by Kevin Lerena prior to recouping to win in Cycle 3. However it is no stroll in the park for Joshua, who additionally needs to respect Dubois' power. Dubois pauperized Hrgovic's face and may potentially pull off a shock halt versus Joshua, just like Andy Ruiz Jr. carried out in 2019. However Joshua, that concluded as champion from 2016 to 2019 and afterwards from 2019 to 2021, is very likely to succeed this match through KO.-- Parkinson.