.IBF featherweight champ Luis Alberto Lopez defends his waistband against Angelo Leo in the main activity of a Leading Rank on ESPN card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Saturday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's last loss was in May 2019 and also he has actually succeeded 14 successive fights considering that, consisting of excellent success over Josh Warrington in England as well as Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. But is he the greatest featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko just recently turned down a highly profitable fight versus fellow light in weight champion Gervonta "Container" Davis and while he have not declared his retirement, will definitely our team view "Hi-Tech" in the band again?Canelo Alvarez are going to make his second band appeal this year, however certainly not versus the boxer enthusiasts have demanded. As Opposed To David Benavidez, Canelo will encounter Edgar Berlanga, that's never battled at this amount in his brief job. While Berlanga has extraordinary electrical power-- he started his occupation along with 16 successive first-round KOs-- can easily he locate a means to succeed, or at least go the distance against Alvarez?Former heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua will definitely fight for a label for the first time in 2 years. Joshua will certainly face IBF champ Daniel Dubois in Greater London, as "AJ" is actually preferred to become a three-time world champion (-550 per ESPN BET). And also two-division champion Danny Garcia goes back to the ring for just the 2nd attend nearly 4 years to tackle WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara. Garcia, that won waistbands at 140 and 147 pounds, is actually moving up in body weight for the possibility to become a three-division champ, yet may he distress a more mature however still highly effective Lara?Mike Coppinger and Nick Parkinson respond to these inquiries and more, trying to identify what's genuine as well as what's not.Real or otherwise: Vasiliy Lomachenko will certainly retire without yet another fightNot genuine ... meanwhile. Lomachenko is actually considering retirement life, resources said to ESPN, part of the cause he decreased a beneficial battle along with Gervonta Davis in November. There's likewise a possibility that Lomachenko are going to come back in the first fifty percent of 2025 to defend his IBF lightweight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) appeared in a battling mood Saturday in Los Angeles: he and also Shakur Stevenson had to be split at ringside in the course of the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov memory card. Lomachenko was seen saying to Stevenson, "Allow's go correct now.If that's any kind of evidence, Lomachenko will definitely combat again. Maybe even against Davis or even Stevenson, the two largest matches on the desk for him. However if he never shoelaces up the gloves once more, Lomachenko's legacy is protected. He's a three-division champion, a first-ballot Venue of Famer and also a mainstay of the pound-for-pound listing over the final 10 years.He likewise doesn't require to combat for the cash. He's earned millions of dollars in his occupation as well as still stays in Ukraine, where he is among the nation's most preferred sportsmens. Regardless if he fights once more, he surely will not do so much longer. He turns 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Danny Garcia beats Erislandy Lara and also becomes a champ in a 3rd divisionNot true. Garcia has actually upset the probabilities prior to, consisting of a shocking KO draw Amir Khan as well as a dominant selection victory over Lucas Matthysse. The first win lifted him to the higher tier of the sporting activity as well as the second glued that status.But the Matthysse match was 11 years back, though, and also those two trademark Garcia success were at 140 pounds (he likewise succeeded a label at 147 pounds and also moved up to 154 for a July 2022 sway Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is still seeking a win that matches that, and also a distressed victory over Lara will suit the bill.Garcia really did not appear like the stinging counterpuncher in the majority-decision triumph over Benavidez, and he have not contended given that. Right now, he'll go up yet another weight course (though the Lara battle is actually happening at a catchweight in between 155 and also 160 extra pounds) and also have to contend with ring inactivity. The Sept. 14 middleweight title fight against Lara will be Garcia's second since December 2020, when he was actually routed by Errol Spence Jr.The decide on right here is actually Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), who, also at 41, shows significant power, albeit versus fighters under Garcia's level. Lara is actually using a three-fight KO touch.-- CoppingerReal or not: Canelo Alvarez's match against Edgar Berlanga doesn't go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left behind, defends his undisputed super middleweight championship versus Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Sin City. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu using Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, boxing's top star, have not racked up a KO victory considering that he flattened Caleb Plant in a Nov 2021 fight to gain the indisputable tremendously middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has actually scored a presentation in his final 3 fights. Against a fighter in Berlanga, that will be actually combating on the top level for the very first time, Alvarez needs to add the 40th KO of his remarkable career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has been harmed in the band before, specifically in a step-up match against Marcelo Coceres, that dropped him in Round 9. And his protection isn't exactly seem. Berlanga has power (he started his career with 16 successive KO wins in the first round), as well as if he opts for to trade along with Canelo, Alvarez needs to take him out.Alvarez assured as much at a pair of news conferences this week to promote the fight.-- Coppinger Real or not: No other light champ can hammer Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza looks a real hazard to Lopez after agonizing Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round gain in June as well as defeating Robeisy Ramirez through a bulk selection to succeed the WBO headline in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) defeated Chirinho in 3 of the 4 rounds, while his outbreak gain with Ramirez was among the most ideal fights in 2023. Editor's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the tallest globe light champion in past history-- would be a problem for Lopez. Chirinho did well to get out of bed coming from an uppercut from Espinoza in Around 1, before he was soon overwhelmed. As an expert, Chirinho had actually certainly never been knocked down before Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza made a shock in beating two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, and he outlanded him in the last three spheres. Although he is certainly not as professional as Lopez, the quantity of punches he has actually thrown in his last two fights, alongside his elevation as well as arrive at perks, could verify insurmountable for Lopez.Rey Vargas has actually looked unconvincing in latest battles, while we still need to have to find more coming from Scar Ball prior to our experts declare him the department's No. 1. Ball (20-0-1, 11 KOs) recorded the WBA featherweight title with a split choice win over Raymond Ford in June. That accomplishment adhered to a controversial draw versus Vargas for the WBC headline in March. However Espinoza would certainly overlook 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was actually disappointing versus Ball and has actually not succeeded in nearly 2 years, so it is difficult to provide an argument for him in his present form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is the current ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after quiting Reiya Abe in eight rounds in a 3rd protection of the IBF belt in March. Lopez has actually gotten over large challenges in headline fights, like boxing in a champion's neighborhood and getting slice early (vs. Josh Warrington), and if he wins on Sunday against Angelo Leo, he may maybe face his most significant challenge however in a headline unification fight versus Espinoza to crown the very best boxer in the division.-- ParkinsonReal or not: Anthony Joshua are going to KO Daniel DuboisReal. As good as Dubois' revival has been actually simply a year after being visited Oleksandr Usyk, latest kind suggests his 1st IBF abundant label defense are going to finish in a KO loss to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) resides in best kind, even more therefore than any other abundant. Like Dubois (21-2, twenty KOs), Joshua has actually must rebuild his occupation, after enduring next selection reductions to Usyk in 2021 and also 2022. Joshua dealt with meticulously, along with a consensual choice draw Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, yet in his last three battles, he rounded off Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin as well as Francis Ngannou.Dubois returned coming from Saudi Arabia to Greater london as IBF interim big-time champ after he stopped Filip Hrgovic in Round 8. Usyk after that relinquished the IBF waistband, which implied Dubois was improved to full champ, consequently shows Joshua with the possibility to come to be a three-time globe champ at Wembley Coliseum in London.Joshua will definitely make an effort to exploit what Hrgovic had actually redoed effectiveness with versus Dubois. Hrgovic constantly landed right-hand men on Dubois in the early rounds, and also Joshua has displayed in latest matches exactly how damaging his right hands are after he damaged Ngannou in Round 2. Joshua landed a right hand on the past UFC heavyweight champ's face to knock him out cold. Joshua will definitely seize the chance if Dubois produces themself in a similar way on call, as he carried out against Hrgovic. Joshua is a much bigger puncher than Hrgovic as well as, although Dubois showed resilience to absorb punches in June, he has been stopped two times (by Joe Joyce in 2020 and Usyk in 2014) and was knocked down three attend the preliminary by Kevin Lerena prior to recouping to win in Cycle 3. Yet it is actually no walk in the playground for Joshua, who also needs to have to recognize Dubois' electrical power. Dubois ruined Hrgovic's skin as well as can possibly carry out a shock discontinuance against Joshua, just like Andy Ruiz Jr. did in 2019. Yet Joshua, who ruled as champ from 2016 to 2019 and afterwards from 2019 to 2021, is actually more probable to gain this battle through KO.-- Parkinson.