.IBF featherweight champ Luis Alberto Lopez defends his belt versus Angelo Leo generally activity of a Top Rank on ESPN memory card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Saturday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's final loss remained in May 2019 and also he has actually won 14 consecutive fights due to the fact that, featuring excellent success over Josh Warrington in England as well as Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. However is he the greatest featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko recently denied a beneficial match against fellow lightweight champ Gervonta "Container" Davis and while he hasn't introduced his retirement life, will we find "Hi-Tech" in the band again?Canelo Alvarez will make his second band look this year, yet certainly not versus the competitor followers have actually demanded. Rather Than David Benavidez, Canelo will definitely experience Edgar Berlanga, who is actually certainly never combated at this amount in his quick job. While Berlanga possesses awesome electrical power-- he began his career with 16 consecutive first-round KOs-- can he find a technique to gain, or even at the very least go the span against Alvarez?Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will defend a label for the first time in 2 years. Joshua will encounter IBF champion Daniel Dubois in London, as "AJ" is favored to come to be a three-time world champ (-550 per ESPN WAGER). And two-division champ Danny Garcia returns to the band for just the second time in nearly four years to take on WBA middleweight champ Erislandy Lara. Garcia, that gained waistbands at 140 and also 147 extra pounds, is actually moving up in weight for the odds to become a three-division champ, yet can easily he disturb a much older however still powerful Lara?Mike Coppinger and also Chip Parkinson respond to these inquiries as well as additional, attempting to identify what's actual as well as what is actually not.Real or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko will certainly resign without an additional fightNot true ... meanwhile. Lomachenko is considering retired life, sources said to ESPN, portion of the explanation he declined a highly profitable fight with Gervonta Davis in Nov. There's likewise a possibility that Lomachenko are going to come back in the initial one-half of 2025 to protect his IBF light-weight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) appeared in a combating state of mind Sunday in Los Angeles: he and also Shakur Stevenson must be divided at ringside throughout the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov memory card. Lomachenko was actually viewed telling Stevenson, "Let's go right now.If that's any sort of indicator, Lomachenko is going to deal with once again. Maybe even against Davis or Stevenson, the 2 biggest matches on the table for him. But if he never laces up the handwear covers once again, Lomachenko's legacy is actually safeguarded. He is actually a three-division champion, a first-ballot Venue of Famer and also a mainstay of the pound-for-pound listing over the last 10 years.He also doesn't need to have to overcome for the money. He is actually earned countless bucks in his job and still dwells in Ukraine, where he is just one of the country's most well-known sportsmens. Regardless if he battles once more, he undoubtedly won't accomplish this a lot longer. He switches 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Danny Garcia beats Erislandy Lara as well as ends up being a champion in a 3rd divisionNot genuine. Garcia has actually outplayed the possibilities prior to, consisting of an astonishing KO gain Amir Khan and a prevalent choice victory over Lucas Matthysse. The very first gain elevated him to the top tier of the sport and the second glued that status.But the Matthysse fight was actually 11 years back, however, and those pair of trademark Garcia triumphes were at 140 pounds (he additionally won a label at 147 extra pounds and moved up to 154 for a July 2022 draw Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is still seeking a gain that matches that, and also an upset success over Lara will fit the bill.Garcia didn't be similar to the stinging counterpuncher in the majority-decision triumph over Benavidez, as well as he hasn't competed considering that. Right now, he'll move up yet another body weight training class (though the Lara fight is happening at a catchweight in between 155 and also 160 pounds) as well as need to contend with band sluggishness. The Sept. 14 middleweight headline battle versus Lara are going to be actually Garcia's 2nd given that December 2020, when he was actually routed by Errol Spence Jr.The decide on listed here is actually Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), that, also at 41, presents remarkable energy, albeit versus fighters under Garcia's amount. Lara is actually riding a three-fight KO streak.-- CoppingerReal or not: Canelo Alvarez's fight versus Edgar Berlanga does not go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left, protects his recognized extremely middleweight championship against Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Sin City. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, punching's top superstar, hasn't racked up a KO success considering that he smoothed Caleb Plant in a Nov 2021 match to win the undisputed tremendously middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has actually scored a knockdown in his last three matches. Against a competitor in Berlanga, who will certainly be actually combating on the best degree for the very first time, Alvarez needs to include the 40th KO of his renowned career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has actually been actually hurt in the band previously, such as in a step-up match against Marcelo Coceres, that fell him in Cycle 9. As well as his defense isn't precisely seem. Berlanga possesses power (he started his job with 16 successive KO gains in the preliminary), and if he opts for to trade with Canelo, Alvarez should take him out.Alvarez assured as a lot at a set of news conferences this week to market the fight.-- Coppinger Real or not: Nothing else light champion can beat Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza appears a true threat to Lopez after torturing Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round gain in June and beating Robeisy Ramirez through a bulk decision to gain the WBO headline in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) knocked down Chirinho in 3 of the 4 shots, while his outbreak succeed along with Ramirez was among the most effective battles in 2023. Publisher's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the highest planet light champion in background-- will be a challenge for Lopez. Chirinho succeeded to rise from an uppercut coming from Espinoza in Sphere 1, before he was soon overpowered. As an expert, Chirinho had certainly never been knocked down prior to Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza created a shock in beating two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, as well as he outlanded him in the final 3 rounds. Although he is not as experienced as Lopez, the amount of punches he has thrown in his final two battles, alongside his elevation and also arrive at benefits, can confirm unbeatable for Lopez.Rey Vargas has actually looked implausible in latest fights, while we still need to view more from Scar Round before we proclaim him the branch's No. 1. Round (20-0-1, 11 KOs) caught the WBA featherweight headline with a split selection draw Raymond Ford in June. That victory followed a disputable draw versus Vargas for the WBC title in March. Yet Espinoza will stand over 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was actually unsatisfactory versus Sphere and also has certainly not succeeded in almost two years, so it is actually tough to provide a disagreement for him in his current form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is actually the existing ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after stopping Reiya Abe in eight spheres in a 3rd self defense of the IBF belt in March. Lopez has actually overcome big problems in label battles, like boxing in a champ's home town and receiving cut early (vs. Josh Warrington), and if he gains on Sunday versus Angelo Leo, he may probably face his greatest difficulty but in a label unification fight against Espinoza to crown the most effective boxer in the division.-- ParkinsonReal or not: Anthony Joshua are going to KO Daniel DuboisReal. Like Dubois' rebirth has been just a year after being stopped by Oleksandr Usyk, latest kind suggests his first IBF heavyweight label protection will finish in a KO defeat to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is in best type, much more therefore than any other heavyweight. Like Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), Joshua has had to fix his job, after suffering next selection losses to Usyk in 2021 and 2022. Joshua combated cautiously, with a consensual decision gain Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, however in his final three matches, he finished off Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin as well as Francis Ngannou.Dubois came back coming from Saudi Arabia to Greater london as IBF acting big-time champion after he ceased Filip Hrgovic in Sphere 8. Usyk then gave up the IBF waistband, which indicated Dubois was updated to total champ, consequently offers Joshua with the opportunity to end up being a three-time globe champ at Wembley Coliseum in London.Joshua are going to attempt to exploit what Hrgovic had actually repeated effectiveness with against Dubois. Hrgovic regularly landed right-hand men on Dubois in the early rounds, as well as Joshua has actually received latest fights exactly how destructive his right-hand men are after he destroyed Ngannou in Round 2. Joshua landed a right hand on the previous UFC heavyweight champion's jaw to knock him out chilly. Joshua will definitely take possession of the opportunity if Dubois creates themself in a similar way readily available, as he did against Hrgovic. Joshua is actually a much bigger puncher than Hrgovic as well as, although Dubois revealed sturdiness to take in type June, he has been ceased twice (through Joe Joyce in 2020 and Usyk in 2015) as well as was actually knocked down three times in the preliminary through Kevin Lerena just before bouncing back to gain in Cycle 3. But it is no stroll in the playground for Joshua, who likewise needs to recognize Dubois' power. Dubois ruined Hrgovic's face and can possibly carry out a surprise halt against Joshua, similar to Andy Ruiz Jr. carried out in 2019. Yet Joshua, who ruled as champion coming from 2016 to 2019 and then coming from 2019 to 2021, is actually very likely to win this battle through KO.-- Parkinson.