.IBF featherweight champ Luis Alberto Lopez defends his waistband versus Angelo Leo generally event of a Best Rank on ESPN card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Sunday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's last reduction was in May 2019 and he has succeeded 14 consecutive fights due to the fact that, featuring exceptional success over Josh Warrington in England and also Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. However is he the best featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko lately refused a profitable battle against fellow light-weight champion Gervonta "Storage tank" Davis and while he have not revealed his retired life, are going to our company see "Hi-Tech" in the ring again?Canelo Alvarez will certainly make his 2nd ring appeal this year, yet certainly not against the boxer fans have clamored for. Instead of David Benavidez, Canelo will experience Edgar Berlanga, that is actually never ever battled at this amount in his brief occupation. While Berlanga possesses fabulous power-- he started his job with 16 successive first-round KOs-- may he find a way to gain, or at least go the distance against Alvarez?Former heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua are going to defend a label for the first time in two years. Joshua is going to encounter IBF champion Daniel Dubois in Greater London, as "AJ" is preferred to end up being a three-time world champ (-550 every ESPN WAGER). As well as two-division champ Danny Garcia returns to the band for merely the second time in nearly 4 years to tackle WBA middleweight champ Erislandy Lara. Garcia, that won waistbands at 140 as well as 147 pounds, is moving up in body weight for the chance to end up being a three-division champ, but may he upset a much older but still effective Lara?Mike Coppinger and also Nick Parkinson address these questions and even more, trying to distinguish what's genuine as well as what's not.Real or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko are going to retire without an additional fightNot real ... in the meantime. Lomachenko is actually pondering retired life, sources said to ESPN, portion of the explanation he dropped a beneficial match with Gervonta Davis in November. There's also a probability that Lomachenko will come back in the very first half of 2025 to safeguard his IBF light-weight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) showed up in a combating mood Saturday in Los Angeles: he as well as Shakur Stevenson needed to be actually separated at ringside during the course of the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov card. Lomachenko was observed saying to Stevenson, "Allow's go correct now.If that's any kind of evidence, Lomachenko is going to fight once more. Maybe even against Davis or even Stevenson, the 2 largest fights 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 Venue of Famer and a pillar of the pound-for-pound listing over the final 10 years.He likewise doesn't need to fight for the money. He's made numerous dollars in his job and still stays in Ukraine, where he's one of the country's most well-liked professional athletes. Whether or not he battles again, he definitely won't do this much longer. He switches 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or not: Danny Garcia hammers Erislandy Lara and becomes a champ in a third divisionNot actual. Garcia has upset the chances before, consisting of a surprising KO gain Amir Khan as well as a dominant selection victory over Lucas Matthysse. The first gain elevated him to the higher tier of the sport and also the latter glued that status.But the Matthysse battle was actually 11 years earlier, though, as well as those pair of trademark Garcia triumphes were at 140 extra pounds (he also won a title at 147 pounds and went up to 154 for a July 2022 win over Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is actually still searching for a win that matches that, as well as a distressed triumph over Lara would accommodate the bill.Garcia didn't look like the stinging counterpuncher in the majority-decision victory over Benavidez, and also he have not competed since. Currently, he'll go up yet another weight class (though the Lara battle is occurring at a catchweight between 155 and 160 pounds) as well as need to emulate band inactivity. The Sept. 14 middleweight label battle versus Lara will certainly be Garcia's 2nd given that December 2020, when he was actually routed through Errol Spence Jr.The decide on here is actually Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), who, also at 41, presents significant electrical power, albeit against competitors below Garcia's level. Lara is actually riding a three-fight KO touch.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Canelo Alvarez's match against Edgar Berlanga does not go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left behind, shields his undeniable super middleweight championship against Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu by means of Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, boxing's leading star, have not racked up a KO triumph due to the fact that he flattened Caleb Plant in a Nov 2021 match to win the undisputed incredibly middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has actually racked up a knockdown in his final three battles. Against a competitor in Berlanga, that are going to be dealing with on the leading amount for the first time, Alvarez needs to incorporate the 40th KO of his renowned career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has been actually hurt in the ring in the past, specifically in a step-up match against Marcelo Coceres, that lost him in Round 9. As well as his self defense isn't specifically sound. Berlanga has power (he started his profession with 16 successive KO gains in the preliminary), as well as if he picks to exchange with Canelo, Alvarez needs to take him out.Alvarez promised as a lot at a set of press conference today to market the battle.-- Coppinger Real or otherwise: No other featherweight champ may hammer Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza appears an actual danger to Lopez after tormenting Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round succeed in June and also defeating Robeisy Ramirez by a majority decision to win the WBO title in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) floored Chirinho in 3 of the 4 shots, while his outbreak win with Ramirez was among the greatest matches in 2023. Editor's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the highest planet lightweight champ in history-- would be an obstacle for Lopez. Chirinho prospered to stand up coming from an uppercut from Espinoza in Around 1, just before he was quickly overpowered. As a qualified, Chirinho had never ever been torn down prior to Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza produced a surprise in pounding two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, and also he outlanded him in the last 3 rounds. Although he is actually not as professional as Lopez, the amount of blows he has actually included his final pair of matches, in addition to his height and also get to benefits, could show impossible for Lopez.Rey Vargas has appeared implausible in current battles, while we still need to have to see more from Chip Ball just before our company announce him the department's No. 1. Ball (20-0-1, 11 KOs) captured the WBA featherweight title along with a split decision get Raymond Ford in June. That triumph followed a debatable draw versus Vargas for the WBC label in March. However Espinoza will tower above 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was actually unsatisfactory versus Ball and also has not gained in nearly pair of years, so it is actually difficult to offer a disagreement for him in his present form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is actually the present ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after stopping Reiya Abe in 8 spheres in a third defense of the IBF waistband in March. Lopez has gotten over large challenges in label fights, like boxing in a champ's home town and receiving cut early (vs. Josh Warrington), and if he gains on Saturday versus Angelo Leo, he may perhaps experience his biggest challenge however in a label unification match against Espinoza to crown the very best boxer in the branch.-- ParkinsonReal or not: Anthony Joshua are going to KO Daniel DuboisReal. Comparable to Dubois' resurgence has been merely a year after being actually stopped by Oleksandr Usyk, current form advises his 1st IBF abundant label defense will finish in a KO loss to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) resides in best kind, more therefore than every other abundant. Like Dubois (21-2, twenty KOs), Joshua has actually must restore his occupation, after suffering back-to-back decision losses to Usyk in 2021 and 2022. Joshua fought carefully, with a consensual selection sway Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, however in his final 3 fights, he rounded off Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and also Francis Ngannou.Dubois returned coming from Saudi Arabia to London as IBF interim heavyweight champ after he ceased Filip Hrgovic in Sphere 8. Usyk after that gave up the IBF waistband, which meant Dubois was updated to total champion, consequently shows Joshua with the chance to end up being a three-time world champ at Wembley Coliseum in London.Joshua will attempt to manipulate what Hrgovic had actually duplicated results along with versus Dubois. Hrgovic continually landed right-hand men on Dubois in the very early arounds, and also Joshua has received current fights how harmful his right hands desire he damaged Ngannou in Sphere 2. Joshua landed a right hand on the former UFC heavyweight champion's jaw to take him out chilly. Joshua will seize the option if Dubois creates themself in a similar way offered, as he did against Hrgovic. Joshua is a larger puncher than Hrgovic and, although Dubois showed durability to absorb punches in June, he has actually been actually quit two times (by Joe Joyce in 2020 and also Usyk in 2014) as well as was actually floored 3 attend the first round by Kevin Lerena prior to recouping to gain in Round 3. However it is no stroll in the park for Joshua, who additionally needs to value Dubois' electrical power. Dubois pauperized Hrgovic's skin as well as can potentially carry out a shock stoppage against Joshua, just like Andy Ruiz Jr. performed in 2019. But Joshua, that ruled as champion from 2016 to 2019 and then coming from 2019 to 2021, is most likely to succeed this battle through KO.-- Parkinson.