.IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez defends his waistband against Angelo Leo generally event of a Leading Position on ESPN card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Saturday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's final reduction remained in May 2019 and also he has gained 14 successive fights considering that, consisting of outstanding success over Josh Warrington in England as well as Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. Yet is he the best featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko lately denied a financially rewarding fight against fellow lightweight champ Gervonta "Container" Davis as well as while he hasn't declared his retirement, will definitely we observe "Hi-Tech" in the band again?Canelo Alvarez will certainly create his 2nd band look this year, however not versus the competitor supporters have actually clamored for. As Opposed To David Benavidez, Canelo will certainly face Edgar Berlanga, who is actually never battled at this amount in his brief profession. While Berlanga possesses awesome electrical power-- he began his occupation with 16 consecutive first-round KOs-- may he locate a means to gain, or even a minimum of go the range against Alvarez?Former abundant champion Anthony Joshua will fight for a headline for the first time in 2 years. Joshua will face IBF champ Daniel Dubois in London, as "AJ" is actually favored to end up being a three-time world champion (-550 per ESPN WAGER). And also two-division champion Danny Garcia comes back to the band for just the 2nd attend practically four years to handle WBA middleweight champ Erislandy Lara. Garcia, that succeeded belts at 140 as well as 147 extra pounds, is moving up in weight for the possibility to come to be a three-division champ, however can easily he upset an older but still powerful Lara?Mike Coppinger and also Nick Parkinson answer these questions and also even more, attempting to differentiate what's real and what's not.Real or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko will resign without yet another fightNot actual ... for now. Lomachenko is considering retirement, resources said to ESPN, portion of the explanation he decreased a beneficial match with Gervonta Davis in Nov. There's additionally an option that Lomachenko will return in the first one-half of 2025 to defend his IBF lightweight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) showed up in a combating state of mind Sunday in Los Angeles: he as well as Shakur Stevenson must be separated at ringside during the course of the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov memory card. Lomachenko was observed saying to Stevenson, "Permit's go ideal now.If that is actually any sort of sign, Lomachenko will combat once again. Perhaps even against Davis or Stevenson, the 2 greatest matches on the desk for him. However if he never ever laces up the handwear covers once again, Lomachenko's heritage is actually gotten. He's a three-division champ, a first-ballot Hall of Famer as well as a mainstay of the pound-for-pound list over the last 10 years.He additionally doesn't need to have to overcome for the money. He's earned millions of dollars in his profession and still lives in Ukraine, where he is among the country's very most well-known professional athletes. Regardless if he deals with again, he surely will not do so a lot longer. He switches 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Danny Garcia beats Erislandy Lara and comes to be a champion in a third divisionNot real. Garcia has actually upset the odds before, featuring a stunning KO gain Amir Khan as well as a dominant decision victory over Lucas Matthysse. The first gain lifted him to the top tier of the sport and also the last sealed that status.But the Matthysse fight was actually 11 years ago, however, and also those pair of trademark Garcia triumphes went to 140 extra pounds (he also gained a label at 147 extra pounds and moved up to 154 for a July 2022 win over Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is actually still hunting for a gain that matches that, and also an upset triumph over Lara will match the bill.Garcia failed to appear like the stinging counterpuncher in the majority-decision success over Benavidez, and he have not contended considering that. Currently, he'll go up yet another body weight course (though the Lara fight is actually occurring at a catchweight between 155 and also 160 pounds) as well as have to emulate band sluggishness. The Sept. 14 middleweight label battle against Lara will be Garcia's second given that December 2020, when he was actually routed through Errol Spence Jr.The decide on listed here is actually Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), who, even at 41, reveals incredible electrical power, albeit against boxers under Garcia's amount. Lara is actually using a three-fight KO touch.-- CoppingerReal or not: Canelo Alvarez's fight versus Edgar Berlanga doesn't go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left behind, shields his uncontested extremely middleweight champion versus Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu through Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, boxing's best star, have not racked up a KO success since he smoothed Caleb Vegetation in a November 2021 match to gain the undeniable tremendously middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has racked up a knockdown in his last three battles. Against a fighter in Berlanga, that will definitely be fighting on the best degree for the very first time, Alvarez needs to incorporate the 40th KO of his remarkable career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has actually been hurt in the band previously, such as in a step-up match against Marcelo Coceres, who lost him in Cycle 9. And also his defense isn't precisely seem. Berlanga has energy (he began his career with 16 successive KO gains in the preliminary), and also if he picks to exchange with Canelo, Alvarez ought to take him out.Alvarez guaranteed as much at a set of press conference this week to advertise the battle.-- Coppinger Real or otherwise: Nothing else light champ can beat 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 beating Robeisy Ramirez by a large number selection to succeed the WBO headline in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) knocked down Chirinho in three of the 4 shots, while his breakout win with Ramirez was among the best matches in 2023. Publisher's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the tallest planet featherweight champ in record-- would certainly be actually a difficulty for Lopez. Chirinho prospered to rise coming from an uppercut coming from Espinoza in Around 1, before he was soon overthrown. As a qualified, Chirinho had actually never been torn down just before Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza created a surprise in beating two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, and also he outlanded him in the last 3 rounds. Although he is certainly not as expert as Lopez, the volume of blows he has thrown in his last two battles, in addition to his height and also arrive at benefits, might verify overwhelming for Lopez.Rey Vargas has looked unconvincing in current matches, while our team still need to observe extra from Scar Round before our team declare him the division's No. 1. Ball (20-0-1, 11 KOs) caught the WBA featherweight headline along with a split choice get Raymond Ford in June. That accomplishment observed a debatable draw versus Vargas for the WBC label in March. But Espinoza will overlook 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was actually unsatisfactory versus Ball as well as has not won in almost 2 years, so it is actually difficult to offer a debate for him in his current form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is actually the present ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after stopping Reiya Abe in eight rounds in a third defense of the IBF belt in March. Lopez has actually gotten over significant obstacles in headline battles, like boxing in a champ's neighborhood and also obtaining slice early (vs. Josh Warrington), as well as if he wins on Sunday versus Angelo Leo, he might perhaps encounter his biggest obstacle however in a label unification battle versus Espinoza to crown the best competitor in the branch.-- ParkinsonReal or otherwise: Anthony Joshua will KO Daniel DuboisReal. Just as good as Dubois' rebirth has been actually simply a year after being actually stopped by Oleksandr Usyk, recent type proposes his very first IBF heavyweight headline protection are going to end in a KO loss to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) resides in top form, extra thus than some other abundant. Like Dubois (21-2, twenty KOs), Joshua has actually must restore his occupation, after suffering next selection losses to Usyk in 2021 as well as 2022. Joshua dealt with carefully, along with a consensual decision gain Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, however in his final three battles, he finished off Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin as well as Francis Ngannou.Dubois came back coming from Saudi Arabia to London as IBF acting big-time champion after he quit Filip Hrgovic in Sphere 8. Usyk then relinquished the IBF belt, which implied Dubois was actually upgraded to total champion, and so presents Joshua with the chance to come to be a three-time planet champ at Wembley Arena in London.Joshua will attempt to manipulate what Hrgovic had duplicated success along with against Dubois. Hrgovic continually landed right hands on Dubois in the early arounds, and also Joshua has received recent fights how damaging his right hands want he damaged Ngannou in Round 2. Joshua landed a right-hand man on the past UFC heavyweight champion's chin to take him out cool. Joshua will definitely take the chance if Dubois produces themself in a similar way on call, as he carried out versus Hrgovic. Joshua is a larger puncher than Hrgovic and also, although Dubois showed toughness to take in type June, he has actually been actually stopped two times (by Joe Joyce in 2020 and also Usyk in 2015) as well as was actually floored three attend the first round through Kevin Lerena just before bouncing back to win in Cycle 3. However it is no walk in the playground for Joshua, that additionally needs to have to respect Dubois' power. Dubois ruined Hrgovic's skin and can potentially manage a surprise stop versus Joshua, similar to Andy Ruiz Jr. carried out in 2019. However Joshua, who concluded as champ coming from 2016 to 2019 and after that coming from 2019 to 2021, is more likely to succeed this fight by KO.-- Parkinson.