.IBF featherweight champ Luis Alberto Lopez defends his waistband against Angelo Leo generally activity of a Top Position on ESPN memory 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 also he has actually succeeded 14 consecutive matches because, including exceptional victories over Josh Warrington in England as well as Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. However is he the very best featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko recently declined a financially rewarding match versus fellow light-weight champion Gervonta "Tank" Davis and also while he hasn't announced his retirement life, will our company observe "Hi-Tech" in the ring again?Canelo Alvarez are going to make his 2nd ring appearance this year, yet certainly not against the competitor supporters have actually demanded. As Opposed To David Benavidez, Canelo will experience Edgar Berlanga, that's never ever combated at this level in his short occupation. While Berlanga has incredible electrical power-- he started his career with 16 consecutive first-round KOs-- can easily he locate a means to gain, or even at the very least go the proximity against Alvarez?Former heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua are going to fight for a headline for the very first time in pair of years. Joshua will certainly face IBF champion Daniel Dubois in Greater London, as "AJ" is actually favored to end up being a three-time globe champion (-550 per ESPN WAGER). And also two-division champion Danny Garcia goes back to the band for merely the 2nd attend practically 4 years to handle WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara. Garcia, who succeeded belts at 140 and 147 pounds, is actually moving up in weight for the possibility to come to be a three-division champion, yet can easily he distress an older but still effective Lara?Mike Coppinger and Chip Parkinson answer these questions and also additional, attempting to identify what's actual and also what's not.Real or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko will resign without yet another fightNot real ... meanwhile. Lomachenko is actually contemplating retirement, sources said to ESPN, aspect of the main reason he dropped a financially rewarding battle with Gervonta Davis in November. There is actually also a possibility that Lomachenko will return in the first one-half of 2025 to shield his IBF light in weight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) appeared in a battling mood Sunday in Los Angeles: he and Shakur Stevenson needed to be split at ringside during the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov memory card. Lomachenko was viewed telling Stevenson, "Permit's go appropriate now.If that is actually any kind of indication, Lomachenko is going to fight again. Perhaps even versus Davis or Stevenson, the two greatest battles on the desk for him. However if he never ever laces up the handwear covers once more, Lomachenko's heritage is secured. 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 need to have to fight for the money. He's earned millions of bucks in his occupation as well as still lives in Ukraine, where he is just one of the nation's very most prominent athletes. Whether he fights again, he surely will not do so much longer. He turns 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or not: Danny Garcia beats Erislandy Lara as well as becomes a champ in a third divisionNot genuine. Garcia has outplayed the possibilities prior to, including a shocking KO sway Amir Khan and a dominant decision success over Lucas Matthysse. The 1st win lifted him to the upper echelon of the sporting activity and also the second sealed that status.But the Matthysse fight was 11 years earlier, though, and those 2 trademark Garcia success went to 140 pounds (he additionally succeeded a label at 147 extra pounds and also went up to 154 for a July 2022 sway Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is actually still seeking a gain that matches that, and also a dismayed success over Lara will fit the bill.Garcia didn't appear like the stinging counterpuncher in the majority-decision success over Benavidez, as well as he hasn't competed considering that. Right now, he'll move up yet another weight class (though the Lara fight is taking place at a catchweight between 155 as well as 160 pounds) and also need to emulate ring stagnation. The Sept. 14 middleweight label match versus Lara will certainly be actually Garcia's second since December 2020, when he was directed through Errol Spence Jr.The select below is actually Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), that, also at 41, presents incredible electrical power, albeit versus competitors under Garcia's level. Lara is actually riding a three-fight KO streak.-- CoppingerReal or not: Canelo Alvarez's fight against Edgar Berlanga does not go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left behind, safeguards his undeniable super middleweight championship against Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, boxing's leading celebrity, have not scored a KO success since he flattened Caleb Vegetation in a Nov 2021 fight to gain the indisputable super middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has racked up a presentation in his final 3 matches. Against a fighter in Berlanga, who will definitely be actually fighting on the leading level for the first time, Alvarez should add the 40th KO of his illustrious career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has actually been injured in the ring before, specifically in a step-up battle against Marcelo Coceres, who fell him in Round 9. And his self defense isn't exactly sound. Berlanga possesses electrical power (he started his profession with 16 successive KO wins in the preliminary), and if he opts for to trade along with Canelo, Alvarez must take him out.Alvarez vowed as a lot at a set of news conferences today to market the fight.-- Coppinger Real or otherwise: Not one other light champion may hammer Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza appears a genuine threat to Lopez after torturing Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round gain in June as well as defeating Robeisy Ramirez through a large number selection to gain the WBO headline in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) knocked down Chirinho in 3 of the four shots, while his outbreak succeed with Ramirez was among the most ideal fights in 2023. Publisher's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the highest globe lightweight champ in past history-- would certainly be a problem for Lopez. Chirinho prospered to stand up from an uppercut from Espinoza in Sphere 1, before he was soon overwhelmed. As a professional, Chirinho had actually never ever been brought down just before Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza generated a surprise in pounding two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, as well as he outlanded him in the final three arounds. Although he is not as knowledgeable as Lopez, the quantity of hits he has actually included his last two fights, together with his elevation as well as hit conveniences, could possibly verify insurmountable for Lopez.Rey Vargas has appeared unconvincing in latest matches, while our team still need to find much more coming from Chip Round prior to we proclaim him the branch's No. 1. Round (20-0-1, 11 KOs) grabbed the WBA featherweight label along with a split selection win over Raymond Ford in June. That conquest complied with a disputable draw versus Vargas for the WBC headline in March. Yet Espinoza would tower above 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was actually unsatisfactory versus Sphere and also has not gained in almost two years, so it is tough to present a debate for him in his current form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is actually the current ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after ceasing Reiya Abe in eight rounds in a third defense of the IBF waistband in March. Lopez has actually beat huge problems in label battles, like boxing in a champ's hometown and acquiring cut early (vs. Josh Warrington), and also if he succeeds on Saturday against Angelo Leo, he may possibly face his greatest obstacle however in a headline marriage battle versus Espinoza to crown the most ideal boxer in the department.-- ParkinsonReal or otherwise: Anthony Joshua will definitely KO Daniel DuboisReal. Comparable to Dubois' resurgence has been only a year after being dropped in Oleksandr Usyk, latest kind advises his first IBF heavyweight title protection will definitely finish in a KO loss to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is in leading type, extra thus than some other abundant. Like Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), Joshua has actually had to reconstruct his career, after going through next decision reductions to Usyk in 2021 as well as 2022. Joshua combated cautiously, with a consentaneous selection draw Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, but in his last three battles, he rounded off Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou.Dubois came back coming from Saudi Arabia to Greater london as IBF acting big-time champion after he ceased Filip Hrgovic in Around 8. Usyk after that gave up the IBF belt, which implied Dubois was improved to total champion, therefore shows Joshua along with the possibility to end up being a three-time world champ at Wembley Coliseum in London.Joshua will certainly try to manipulate what Hrgovic had actually duplicated success with against Dubois. Hrgovic constantly landed right hands on Dubois in the early arounds, and Joshua has received latest fights how destructive his right-hand men seek he ruined Ngannou in Sphere 2. Joshua landed a right-hand man on the previous UFC big-time champ's face to knock him out chilly. Joshua will definitely take the opportunity if Dubois creates himself likewise accessible, as he did against Hrgovic. Joshua is a much bigger puncher than Hrgovic and also, although Dubois presented durability to absorb type June, he has actually been actually stopped two times (by Joe Joyce in 2020 and Usyk in 2014) and was knocked down three attend the first round through Kevin Lerena before recouping to succeed in Round 3. But it is no stroll in the park for Joshua, that also needs to have to value Dubois' energy. Dubois pauperized Hrgovic's skin as well as can potentially manage a surprise stop against Joshua, similar to Andy Ruiz Jr. performed in 2019. However Joshua, who ruled as champ from 2016 to 2019 and after that coming from 2019 to 2021, is actually very likely to gain this match through KO.-- Parkinson.