.IBF featherweight champ Luis Alberto Lopez defends his waistband versus Angelo Leo generally event of a Top Position on ESPN memory card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Saturday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's final loss was in May 2019 and he has actually won 14 consecutive fights given that, featuring outstanding triumphes over Josh Warrington in England and also Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. But is he the best featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko recently denied a lucrative fight against fellow light in weight champion Gervonta "Container" Davis as well as while he have not declared his retirement life, will definitely our experts view "Hi-Tech" in the ring again?Canelo Alvarez will make his 2nd band appeal this year, however certainly not versus the competitor enthusiasts have demanded. Instead of David Benavidez, Canelo will definitely encounter Edgar Berlanga, that is actually never ever battled at this level in his quick profession. While Berlanga possesses awesome electrical power-- he started his profession along with 16 consecutive first-round KOs-- can he discover a method to win, or at least go the distance versus Alvarez?Former abundant champion Anthony Joshua will definitely defend a label for the very first time in two years. Joshua will definitely encounter IBF champion Daniel Dubois in Greater London, as "AJ" is actually favored to become a three-time planet champ (-550 every ESPN BET). As well as two-division champ Danny Garcia comes back to the band for simply the 2nd time in almost four years to tackle WBA middleweight champ Erislandy Lara. Garcia, who succeeded belts at 140 and 147 pounds, is moving up in body weight for the chance to end up being a three-division champion, however can he upset a much older however still highly effective Lara?Mike Coppinger and Scar Parkinson respond to these concerns and even more, trying to distinguish what's true and also what's not.Real or otherwise: Vasiliy Lomachenko will resign without one more fightNot real ... meanwhile. Lomachenko is actually reflecting upon retirement, resources told ESPN, aspect of the explanation he decreased a rewarding battle along with Gervonta Davis in November. There's likewise an opportunity that Lomachenko will return in the initial half of 2025 to defend his IBF light in weight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) seemed in a fighting state of mind Sunday in Los Angeles: he as well as Shakur Stevenson had to be split at ringside in the course of the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov memory card. Lomachenko was actually viewed telling Stevenson, "Permit's go ideal now.If that is actually any sort of sign, Lomachenko is going to battle once again. Maybe even versus Davis or Stevenson, the 2 biggest fights on the desk for him. But if he never ever shoelaces up the gloves once more, Lomachenko's tradition is actually safeguarded. He's a three-division champion, a first-ballot Venue of Famer and a backbone of the pound-for-pound listing over the final 10 years.He additionally does not require to fight for the money. He is actually gotten millions of bucks in his job and still resides in Ukraine, where he is among the nation's most well-liked athletes. Whether he battles once again, he undoubtedly will not do this much longer. He turns 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Danny Garcia hammers Erislandy Lara as well as becomes a champ in a third divisionNot actual. Garcia has actually upset the probabilities before, including a surprising KO draw Amir Khan and also a dominant decision success over Lucas Matthysse. The 1st win lifted him to the upper echelon of the sporting activity and the latter sealed that status.But the Matthysse match was actually 11 years back, however, and those pair of trademark Garcia victories went to 140 pounds (he likewise succeeded a title at 147 pounds and went up to 154 for a July 2022 sway Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is actually still hunting for a win that matches that, as well as a distressed triumph over Lara would accommodate the bill.Garcia really did not appear like the stinging counterpuncher in the majority-decision success over Benavidez, as well as he hasn't completed since. Right now, he'll move up yet another body weight lesson (though the Lara match is actually happening at a catchweight in between 155 and also 160 extra pounds) as well as need to contend with ring sluggishness. The Sept. 14 middleweight title battle versus Lara will certainly be actually Garcia's second since December 2020, when he was routed through Errol Spence Jr.The choose listed below is Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), that, also at 41, shows remarkable energy, albeit against fighters below Garcia's amount. Lara is actually using a three-fight KO streak.-- CoppingerReal or not: Canelo Alvarez's battle against Edgar Berlanga does not go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left, defends his uncontested very middleweight champion against Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Sin City. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu through Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, boxing's best star, hasn't scored a KO victory given that he flattened Caleb Vegetation in a Nov 2021 match to gain the undeniable tremendously middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has actually racked up a presentation in his last 3 battles. Versus a boxer in Berlanga, who will definitely be actually combating on the leading level for the first time, Alvarez should add the 40th KO of his remarkable career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has been actually injured in the ring previously, such as in a step-up match versus Marcelo Coceres, that dropped him in Round 9. And also his defense isn't precisely sound. Berlanga possesses power (he began his occupation with 16 successive KO succeeds in the first round), and if he picks to exchange with Canelo, Alvarez ought to take him out.Alvarez promised as much at a pair of news conferences today to advertise the fight.-- Coppinger Real or not: Not one other featherweight champion can beat Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza appears an actual threat to Lopez after torturing Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round win in June and beating Robeisy Ramirez through a majority choice to gain the WBO headline in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) knocked down Chirinho in three of the 4 shots, while his breakout gain with Ramirez was among the best fights in 2023. Editor's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the highest globe featherweight champ in past-- would certainly be actually a problem for Lopez. Chirinho did well to get up coming from an uppercut coming from Espinoza in Round 1, just before he was actually soon overthrown. As a qualified, Chirinho had certainly never been torn down just before Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza made a surprise in beating two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, and he outlanded him in the last three arounds. Although he is certainly not as seasoned as Lopez, the volume of strikes he has actually included his last pair of matches, along with his height and reach benefits, could verify impossible for Lopez.Rey Vargas has looked unconvincing in recent battles, while we still need to have to observe a lot more from Scar Sphere before our team declare him the division's No. 1. Ball (20-0-1, 11 KOs) grabbed the WBA featherweight label along with a split choice draw Raymond Ford in June. That victory observed a disputable draw versus Vargas for the WBC title in March. However Espinoza would certainly tower above 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was disappointing versus Sphere as well as has certainly not succeeded in almost pair of years, so it is difficult to present an argument for him in his existing form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is the existing ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after stopping Reiya Abe in 8 spheres in a 3rd self defense of the IBF waistband in March. Lopez has conquered large challenges in headline battles, like punching in a champion's hometown as well as receiving cut very early (vs. Josh Warrington), as well as if he succeeds on Sunday against Angelo Leo, he may possibly encounter his biggest obstacle yet in a headline marriage battle versus Espinoza to dental crown the very best fighter in the department.-- ParkinsonReal or otherwise: Anthony Joshua will KO Daniel DuboisReal. Just as good as Dubois' rebirth has actually been actually only a year after being actually dropped in Oleksandr Usyk, recent type proposes his initial IBF abundant label protection will certainly finish in a KO defeat to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is in best form, more so than every other abundant. Like Dubois (21-2, twenty KOs), Joshua has actually needed to restore his job, after experiencing next choice losses to Usyk in 2021 and also 2022. Joshua combated carefully, along with a consensual decision win over Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, but in his final three matches, he finished off Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou.Dubois came back coming from Saudi Arabia to London as IBF acting big-time champ after he quit Filip Hrgovic in Round 8. Usyk at that point gave up the IBF belt, which suggested Dubois was improved to total champion, and so offers Joshua with the option to end up being a three-time planet champ at Wembley Stadium in London.Joshua will certainly make an effort to exploit what Hrgovic had actually duplicated results along with versus Dubois. Hrgovic continuously landed right hands on Dubois in the early arounds, as well as Joshua has received recent matches just how detrimental his right-hand men are after he destroyed Ngannou in Sphere 2. Joshua landed a right hand on the former UFC big-time champ's face to knock him out cold. Joshua will confiscate the option if Dubois creates themself in a similar way readily available, as he carried out versus Hrgovic. Joshua is a greater puncher than Hrgovic and, although Dubois revealed resilience to soak up type June, he has been actually stopped twice (by Joe Joyce in 2020 and also Usyk in 2015) and also was actually defeated three attend the first round by Kevin Lerena just before bouncing back to succeed in Cycle 3. Yet it is no stroll in the park for Joshua, who likewise requires to value Dubois' electrical power. Dubois ruined Hrgovic's skin as well as may likely pull off a shock deduction versus Joshua, just like Andy Ruiz Jr. did in 2019. Yet Joshua, that ruled as champ from 2016 to 2019 and then coming from 2019 to 2021, is actually most likely to win this fight through KO.-- Parkinson.