.IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez defends his waistband against 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 remained in May 2019 and also he has succeeded 14 successive battles due to the fact that, featuring exceptional success over Josh Warrington in England and Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. But is he the greatest featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko lately rejected a financially rewarding match against fellow lightweight champ Gervonta "Storage tank" Davis and while he hasn't revealed his retirement life, will our team observe "Hi-Tech" in the ring again?Canelo Alvarez will definitely make his 2nd ring appeal this year, but certainly not against the fighter supporters have actually demanded. As Opposed To David Benavidez, Canelo will definitely deal with Edgar Berlanga, who's never combated at this amount in his short profession. While Berlanga possesses fabulous power-- he started his career along with 16 successive first-round KOs-- can easily he find a technique to succeed, or at the very least go the span against Alvarez?Former abundant champ Anthony Joshua will definitely defend a title for the first time in two years. Joshua will experience IBF champion Daniel Dubois in London, as "AJ" is chosen to end up being a three-time planet champ (-550 every ESPN WAGER). And also two-division champ Danny Garcia goes back to the band for merely the 2nd time in almost four years to take on WBA middleweight champ Erislandy Lara. Garcia, who gained belts at 140 and 147 extra pounds, is moving up in weight for the opportunity to come to be a three-division champ, yet can easily he disturb a more mature however still strong Lara?Mike Coppinger and also Chip Parkinson respond to these inquiries and even more, making an effort to identify what's genuine and what is actually not.Real or otherwise: Vasiliy Lomachenko will definitely resign without yet another fightNot true ... for now. Lomachenko is pondering retirement life, resources informed ESPN, portion of the reason he declined a beneficial battle along with Gervonta Davis in November. There is actually additionally an option that Lomachenko are going to come back in the first half of 2025 to safeguard his IBF light-weight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) seemed in a battling mood Saturday in Los Angeles: he and Shakur Stevenson must be divided at ringside in the course of the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov memory card. Lomachenko was actually found telling Stevenson, "Allow's go ideal now.If that's any sort of evidence, Lomachenko will definitely deal with once again. Maybe even versus Davis or even Stevenson, the two most significant fights on the desk for him. However if he never ever laces up the gloves once more, Lomachenko's tradition is gotten. He's a three-division champion, a first-ballot Venue of Famer and also a backbone of the pound-for-pound list over the final 10 years.He also does not need to combat for the money. He is actually made countless dollars in his profession as well as still stays in Ukraine, where he is just one of the nation's most preferred professional athletes. Whether or not he deals with once more, he absolutely won't do so a lot longer. He turns 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or not: Danny Garcia beats Erislandy Lara and also becomes a champ in a third divisionNot actual. Garcia has outplayed the chances prior to, featuring an astonishing KO get Amir Khan and also a prevalent choice triumph over Lucas Matthysse. The initial win elevated him to the upper echelon of the sporting activity as well as the latter sealed that status.But the Matthysse match was 11 years back, however, as well as those two trademark Garcia success were at 140 pounds (he also won a headline at 147 pounds and moved up to 154 for a July 2022 draw Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is actually still looking for a gain that matches that, and also a dismayed success over Lara would fit the bill.Garcia didn't resemble the sharp counterpuncher in the majority-decision success over Benavidez, and also he hasn't contended because. Right now, he'll go up an additional weight course (though the Lara match is happening at a catchweight in between 155 and 160 extra pounds) and need to emulate band lack of exercise. The Sept. 14 middleweight headline fight versus Lara will be Garcia's second given that December 2020, when he was routed by Errol Spence Jr.The decide on listed below is Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), that, even at 41, reveals incredible energy, albeit versus competitors below Garcia's level. Lara is riding a three-fight KO touch.-- CoppingerReal or not: Canelo Alvarez's match against Edgar Berlanga does not go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left behind, safeguards his undisputed tremendously middleweight champion against Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Sin City. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, boxing's best star, have not scored a KO success since he squashed Caleb Plant in a November 2021 match to succeed the recognized incredibly middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has actually racked up a knockdown in his final 3 matches. Versus a fighter in Berlanga, that will be actually fighting on the top degree for the very first time, Alvarez needs to include the 40th KO of his remarkable career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has been hurt in the band before, specifically in a step-up match against Marcelo Coceres, that lost him in Round 9. And also his self defense isn't precisely appear. Berlanga has energy (he began his occupation with 16 successive KO gains in the preliminary), and also if he opts for to swap along with Canelo, Alvarez must take him out.Alvarez promised as much at a set of news conferences today to promote the fight.-- Coppinger Real or not: No other lightweight champion can easily hammer Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza looks a true threat to Lopez after tormenting Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round win in June and defeating Robeisy Ramirez by a majority choice to gain the WBO label in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) knocked down Chirinho in three of the 4 rounds, while his breakout gain with Ramirez was among the greatest matches in 2023. Editor's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the tallest world featherweight champion in past history-- would certainly be an obstacle for Lopez. Chirinho did well to rise from an uppercut from Espinoza in Round 1, prior to he was soon subdued. As a professional, Chirinho had certainly never been knocked down just before Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza generated a shock in beating two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, and also he outlanded him in the final 3 rounds. Although he is actually not as skilled as Lopez, the quantity of strikes he has actually included his last two fights, together with his elevation and also reach conveniences, could confirm overwhelming for Lopez.Rey Vargas has actually looked implausible in recent battles, while our company still require to find more from Chip Ball prior to our experts declare him the branch's No. 1. Sphere (20-0-1, 11 KOs) grabbed the WBA featherweight headline along with a split selection get Raymond Ford in June. That triumph adhered to a questionable draw versus Vargas for the WBC label in March. But Espinoza would certainly tower above 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was frustrating versus Round and has certainly not gained in nearly 2 years, so it is actually hard to offer an argument for him in his present form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is the current ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after ceasing Reiya Abe in 8 spheres in a 3rd self defense of the IBF belt in March. Lopez has actually conquered big difficulties in headline matches, like punching in a champion's home town as well as receiving slice early (vs. Josh Warrington), as well as if he gains on Saturday versus Angelo Leo, he might maybe face his largest obstacle yet in a headline unification fight against Espinoza to crown the very best boxer in the division.-- ParkinsonReal or not: Anthony Joshua are going to KO Daniel DuboisReal. Like Dubois' resurgence has been actually merely a year after being actually come by Oleksandr Usyk, current kind suggests his very first IBF abundant headline self defense will definitely end in a KO defeat to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) remains in leading kind, much more so than some other abundant. Like Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), Joshua has actually had to rebuild his career, after going through back-to-back decision losses to Usyk in 2021 as well as 2022. Joshua fought meticulously, along with an unanimous decision gain Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, yet in his final 3 fights, he rounded off Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and also Francis Ngannou.Dubois came back coming from Saudi Arabia to London as IBF acting big-time champion after he quit Filip Hrgovic in Around 8. Usyk after that gave up the IBF belt, which implied Dubois was actually updated to complete champion, and so offers Joshua along with the option to become a three-time planet champ at Wembley Arena in London.Joshua will definitely try to manipulate what Hrgovic had redoed results with against Dubois. Hrgovic constantly landed right hands on Dubois in the early rounds, and also Joshua has actually shown in latest matches exactly how damaging his right-hand men are after he ruined Ngannou in Sphere 2. Joshua landed a right hand on the former UFC big-time champ's chin to take him out chilly. Joshua will certainly take the possibility if Dubois makes himself similarly on call, as he carried out against Hrgovic. Joshua is actually a greater puncher than Hrgovic and, although Dubois revealed longevity to absorb punches in June, he has been quit two times (through Joe Joyce in 2020 and Usyk in 2014) as well as was defeated 3 attend the preliminary through Kevin Lerena just before bouncing back to succeed in Cycle 3. However it is no walk in the park for Joshua, that also requires to recognize Dubois' energy. Dubois made a mess of Hrgovic's skin as well as can potentially pull off a surprise stoppage against Joshua, much like Andy Ruiz Jr. did in 2019. However Joshua, that concluded as champ coming from 2016 to 2019 and then from 2019 to 2021, is actually very likely to gain this battle through KO.-- Parkinson.