.IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez defends his belt versus Angelo Leo in the main occasion of a Leading Ranking on ESPN memory 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 actually succeeded 14 successive battles because, consisting of exceptional victories over Josh Warrington in England and Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. However is he the greatest featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko recently turned down a beneficial match against fellow light-weight champ Gervonta "Container" Davis and also while he hasn't declared his retirement, are going to we find "Hi-Tech" in the band again?Canelo Alvarez will definitely create his 2nd band appearance this year, but certainly not versus the boxer fans have clamored for. Instead of David Benavidez, Canelo will deal with Edgar Berlanga, who's never ever battled at this degree in his brief occupation. While Berlanga possesses amazing electrical power-- he started his profession along with 16 successive first-round KOs-- can easily he find a way to win, or even at least go the proximity against Alvarez?Former abundant champ Anthony Joshua are going to defend a headline for the very first time in 2 years. Joshua will face IBF champ Daniel Dubois in Greater London, as "AJ" is actually favored to end up being a three-time world champion (-550 per ESPN WAGER). And also two-division champ Danny Garcia goes back to the band for simply the second time in just about 4 years to handle WBA middleweight champ Erislandy Lara. Garcia, that won waistbands at 140 and also 147 pounds, is actually going up in body weight for the possibility to end up being a three-division champ, however may he upset a much older however still strong Lara?Mike Coppinger and Chip Parkinson address these inquiries and also even more, making an effort to differentiate what's genuine as well as what is actually not.Real or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko will retire without an additional fightNot true ... meanwhile. Lomachenko is reflecting upon retired life, resources said to ESPN, aspect of the factor he declined a rewarding fight with Gervonta Davis in Nov. There's also an opportunity that Lomachenko will definitely return in the very first one-half of 2025 to safeguard his IBF light in weight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) seemed in a battling mood 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 actually viewed saying to Stevenson, "Permit's go ideal now.If that is actually any sort of indication, Lomachenko will fight again. Perhaps even versus Davis or even Stevenson, the two largest fights on the table for him. But if he certainly never shoelaces up the handwear covers once more, Lomachenko's heritage is secured. He is actually a three-division champ, a first-ballot Hall of Famer as well as an essential of the pound-for-pound checklist over the last 10 years.He also doesn't need to fight for the cash. He is actually gained numerous bucks in his profession and still stays in Ukraine, where he is among the nation's most preferred athletes. Whether or not he battles once more, he absolutely will not accomplish this much longer. He switches 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or not: Danny Garcia beats Erislandy Lara as well as becomes a champ in a third divisionNot real. Garcia has upset the probabilities before, featuring a stunning KO get Amir Khan as well as a dominant choice success over Lucas Matthysse. The first gain elevated him to the upper echelon of the sport and also the last cemented that status.But the Matthysse match was actually 11 years ago, though, and those 2 signature Garcia victories were at 140 extra pounds (he likewise succeeded a label at 147 extra pounds and went up to 154 for a July 2022 gain Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is actually still looking for a win that matches that, and also a dismayed success over Lara would accommodate the bill.Garcia really did not look like the sharp counterpuncher in the majority-decision triumph over Benavidez, as well as he hasn't completed due to the fact that. Now, he'll move up another weight course (though the Lara match is actually happening at a catchweight between 155 and 160 extra pounds) and also need to contend with ring sluggishness. The Sept. 14 middleweight title battle versus Lara will be actually Garcia's 2nd considering that December 2020, when he was actually transmitted through Errol Spence Jr.The choose listed below is actually Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), who, even at 41, reveals remarkable electrical power, albeit against competitors beneath Garcia's degree. Lara is actually using a three-fight KO streak.-- CoppingerReal or not: Canelo Alvarez's fight against Edgar Berlanga doesn't go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left, protects his undisputed extremely middleweight champion against Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Sin City. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu using Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, punching's best star, hasn't scored a KO victory since he flattened Caleb Vegetation in a November 2021 fight to gain the undisputed super middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has scored a presentation in his final 3 battles. Versus a boxer in Berlanga, who will be actually fighting on the leading level for the first time, Alvarez needs to incorporate the 40th KO of his remarkable career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has been harmed in the band before, such as in a step-up fight against Marcelo Coceres, that lost him in Round 9. And also his self defense isn't precisely sound. Berlanga has electrical power (he started his occupation along with 16 successive KO succeeds in the preliminary), as well as if he opts for to trade with Canelo, Alvarez needs to take him out.Alvarez guaranteed as a lot at a set of news conferences this week to promote the match.-- Coppinger Real or not: No other featherweight champion can easily beat Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza looks an actual risk to Lopez after tormenting Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round gain in June and also defeating Robeisy Ramirez through a bulk decision to gain the WBO label in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) defeated Chirinho in 3 of the four shots, while his escapement gain with Ramirez was among the best battles in 2023. Publisher's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the tallest globe featherweight champion in background-- would certainly be a difficulty for Lopez. Chirinho did well to get out of bed from an uppercut from Espinoza in Round 1, just before he was soon subdued. As a qualified, Chirinho had actually certainly never been knocked down before Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza created a shock in pounding two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, as well as he outlanded him in the last three spheres. Although he is actually certainly not as seasoned as Lopez, the quantity of blows he has included his last 2 matches, along with his elevation and hit advantages, might confirm overwhelming for Lopez.Rey Vargas has appeared implausible in current matches, while our team still require to see even more coming from Chip Sphere just before our experts declare him the division's No. 1. Round (20-0-1, 11 KOs) captured the WBA featherweight title with a split decision draw Raymond Ford in June. That triumph observed a controversial draw versus Vargas for the WBC label in March. However Espinoza would overlook 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was unsatisfying versus Sphere as well as has actually certainly not won in almost two years, so it is actually hard to show a disagreement for him in his current form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is actually the existing ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after quiting Reiya Abe in 8 rounds in a 3rd protection of the IBF waistband in March. Lopez has actually beat huge challenges in headline battles, like boxing in a champion's home town as well as getting cut early (vs. Josh Warrington), as well as if he wins on Sunday versus Angelo Leo, he may perhaps encounter his most significant challenge however in a title unification battle versus Espinoza to dental crown the very best fighter in the branch.-- ParkinsonReal or not: Anthony Joshua are going to KO Daniel DuboisReal. As good as Dubois' rebirth has been actually simply a year after being visited Oleksandr Usyk, latest kind advises his first IBF heavyweight label defense will finish in a KO defeat to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) remains in leading form, even more so than every other abundant. Like Dubois (21-2, twenty KOs), Joshua has must reconstruct his profession, after experiencing back-to-back choice reductions to Usyk in 2021 and 2022. Joshua fought carefully, with a consentaneous choice win over Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, however in his last three matches, he rounded off Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin as well as Francis Ngannou.Dubois returned coming from Saudi Arabia to Greater london as IBF acting big-time champion after he stopped Filip Hrgovic in Sphere 8. Usyk at that point gave up the IBF belt, which indicated Dubois was actually updated to full champ, and so presents Joshua with the possibility to end up being a three-time globe champ at Wembley Coliseum in London.Joshua will try to manipulate what Hrgovic had actually repeated excellence with versus Dubois. Hrgovic constantly landed right-hand men on Dubois in the very early rounds, as well as Joshua has actually displayed in current matches just how damaging his right hands desire he destroyed Ngannou in Sphere 2. Joshua landed a right hand on the previous UFC big-time champ's jaw to take him out chilly. Joshua will definitely take possession of the chance if Dubois creates himself likewise accessible, as he performed versus Hrgovic. Joshua is actually a bigger puncher than Hrgovic and also, although Dubois revealed resilience to soak up punches in June, he has been actually quit twice (by Joe Joyce in 2020 and Usyk last year) and was actually knocked down three attend the preliminary by Kevin Lerena before recovering to win in Cycle 3. Yet it is actually no walk in the playground for Joshua, who likewise needs to have to recognize Dubois' electrical power. Dubois made a mess of Hrgovic's skin and also may likely manage a surprise interruption against Joshua, just like Andy Ruiz Jr. performed in 2019. Yet Joshua, who concluded as champ coming from 2016 to 2019 and then coming from 2019 to 2021, is more likely to gain this fight through KO.-- Parkinson.