.IBF featherweight champ Luis Alberto Lopez defends his belt versus Angelo Leo in the main occasion of a Best Ranking on ESPN memory card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Saturday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's last loss remained in May 2019 and he has actually won 14 successive matches since, consisting of remarkable victories over Josh Warrington in England as well as Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. Yet is he the best featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko recently declined a financially rewarding match against fellow light in weight champ Gervonta "Storage tank" Davis and while he have not revealed his retirement life, are going to our team view "Hi-Tech" in the ring again?Canelo Alvarez will certainly make his second band look this year, however certainly not against the boxer followers have actually clamored for. As Opposed To David Benavidez, Canelo is going to experience Edgar Berlanga, that's never ever dealt with at this amount in his quick occupation. While Berlanga possesses awesome power-- he began his profession with 16 consecutive first-round KOs-- can he locate a technique to gain, or at least go the proximity against Alvarez?Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will definitely fight for a label for the first time in pair of years. Joshua is going to encounter IBF champion Daniel Dubois in Greater London, as "AJ" is actually preferred to come to be a three-time world champion (-550 per ESPN BET). As well as two-division champ Danny Garcia returns to the band for only the 2nd time in just about 4 years to handle WBA middleweight champ Erislandy Lara. Garcia, who gained waistbands at 140 and also 147 pounds, is going up in body weight for the possibility to come to be a three-division champ, yet may he upset an older but still effective Lara?Mike Coppinger as well as Nick Parkinson answer these questions and also additional, trying to differentiate what's true as well as what's not.Real or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko will certainly resign without one more fightNot real ... meanwhile. Lomachenko is actually considering retirement, resources said to ESPN, part of the cause he declined a financially rewarding match with Gervonta Davis in Nov. There is actually also an opportunity that Lomachenko will certainly come back in the 1st fifty percent of 2025 to guard his IBF lightweight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) appeared in a battling mood Sunday in Los Angeles: he and Shakur Stevenson needed to be actually separated at ringside during the course of the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov memory card. Lomachenko was viewed informing Stevenson, "Let's go appropriate now.If that is actually any kind of indicator, Lomachenko will definitely fight once more. Maybe even versus Davis or even Stevenson, both greatest fights on the desk for him. Yet if he never shoelaces up the handwear covers again, Lomachenko's tradition is safeguarded. He is actually a three-division champion, a first-ballot Venue of Famer as well as a mainstay of the pound-for-pound listing over the last 10 years.He additionally doesn't need to fight for the cash. He's made millions of dollars in his profession as well as still dwells in Ukraine, where he is just one of the country's most popular athletes. Regardless if he deals with again, he certainly will not accomplish this a lot longer. He switches 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or not: Danny Garcia hammers Erislandy Lara and also comes to be a champ in a 3rd divisionNot true. Garcia has actually upset the chances before, including a stunning KO win over Amir Khan and also a dominant selection victory over Lucas Matthysse. The first gain raised him to the upper tier of the sport and the latter sealed that status.But the Matthysse fight was 11 years earlier, however, and also those pair of signature Garcia wins were at 140 pounds (he additionally won a title at 147 pounds and also moved up to 154 for a July 2022 get Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is actually still looking for a gain that matches that, as well as a dismayed triumph over Lara would match the bill.Garcia really did not resemble the sharp counterpuncher in the majority-decision triumph over Benavidez, and also he hasn't contended since. Currently, he'll move up one more weight lesson (though the Lara fight is happening at a catchweight in between 155 and 160 pounds) and also need to emulate band lack of exercise. The Sept. 14 middleweight headline battle against Lara will certainly be Garcia's 2nd since December 2020, when he was directed through Errol Spence Jr.The pick right here is actually Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), that, even at 41, shows enormous electrical power, albeit versus competitors below Garcia's level. Lara is actually riding a three-fight KO touch.-- CoppingerReal or not: Canelo Alvarez's battle against Edgar Berlanga doesn't go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left behind, shields his indisputable super middleweight champion against Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu through Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, boxing's leading celebrity, hasn't scored a KO victory given that he squashed Caleb Vegetation in a November 2021 battle to gain the undisputed incredibly middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has racked up a presentation in his final three fights. Versus a fighter in Berlanga, that are going to be battling on the top degree for the first time, Alvarez should incorporate the 40th KO of his remarkable career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has actually been harmed in the band in the past, specifically in a step-up battle versus Marcelo Coceres, who lost him in Round 9. And also his protection isn't precisely appear. Berlanga possesses power (he started his job with 16 successive KO succeeds in the first round), and also if he decides on to trade with Canelo, Alvarez ought to take him out.Alvarez assured as a lot at a set of news conferences this week to ensure the battle.-- Coppinger Real or not: Not one other featherweight champ can easily beat Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza looks a true hazard to Lopez after torturing Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round gain in June and also beating Robeisy Ramirez through a large number decision to succeed the WBO title in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) floored Chirinho in three of the 4 shots, while his outbreak succeed with Ramirez was just one of the greatest matches in 2023. Editor's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the tallest globe lightweight champion in record-- would be a problem for Lopez. Chirinho succeeded to get up from an uppercut from Espinoza in Sphere 1, prior to he was actually soon overpowered. As an expert, Chirinho had actually never ever been brought down just before Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza made a shock in pounding two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, as well as he outlanded him in the final 3 spheres. Although he is certainly not as experienced as Lopez, the quantity of punches he has actually included his last pair of fights, together with his height and arrive at perks, can confirm insurmountable for Lopez.Rey Vargas has appeared implausible in recent fights, while we still require to view a lot more from Chip Sphere prior to we declare him the department's No. 1. Sphere (20-0-1, 11 KOs) grabbed the WBA featherweight label along with a split selection get Raymond Ford in June. That victory adhered to a controversial draw versus Vargas for the WBC title in March. Yet Espinoza will overlook 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was actually unsatisfying versus Sphere as well as has not won in almost two years, so it is challenging to offer a disagreement for him in his existing form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is actually the present ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after stopping Reiya Abe in 8 rounds in a third defense of the IBF waistband in March. Lopez has actually gotten rid of significant problems in title matches, like punching in a champ's neighborhood and obtaining slice early (vs. Josh Warrington), and if he succeeds on Sunday versus Angelo Leo, he might possibly experience his biggest challenge however in a title marriage match against Espinoza to dental crown the most ideal fighter in the department.-- ParkinsonReal or not: Anthony Joshua are going to KO Daniel DuboisReal. Like Dubois' rebirth has actually been just a year after being actually dropped in Oleksandr Usyk, current kind recommends his initial IBF abundant label protection will certainly end in a KO loss to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) remains in top type, more therefore than any other heavyweight. Like Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), Joshua has actually had to reconstruct his occupation, after going through back-to-back choice reductions to Usyk in 2021 as well as 2022. Joshua fought meticulously, along with an unanimous choice gain Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, but in his last 3 battles, he finished off Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou.Dubois came back from Saudi Arabia to Greater london as IBF interim heavyweight champ after he ceased Filip Hrgovic in Sphere 8. Usyk after that relinquished the IBF waistband, which implied Dubois was actually upgraded to complete champion, therefore shows Joshua along with the option to end up being a three-time world champ at Wembley Stadium in London.Joshua will try to manipulate what Hrgovic had actually duplicated excellence along with against Dubois. Hrgovic constantly landed right-hand men on Dubois in the early spheres, and also Joshua has shown in recent battles how damaging his right-hand men desire he destroyed Ngannou in Round 2. Joshua landed a right hand on the past UFC big-time champ's face to take him out chilly. Joshua is going to seize the chance if Dubois produces himself in a similar way accessible, as he performed against Hrgovic. Joshua is actually a larger puncher than Hrgovic as well as, although Dubois showed durability to take in type June, he has been actually ceased twice (through Joe Joyce in 2020 as well as Usyk in 2015) and was actually knocked down 3 times in the preliminary by Kevin Lerena prior to bouncing back to gain in Round 3. Yet it is actually no stroll in the playground for Joshua, that also needs to value Dubois' energy. Dubois pauperized Hrgovic's face and may likely pull off a surprise stoppage versus Joshua, just like Andy Ruiz Jr. carried out in 2019. However Joshua, who concluded as champion coming from 2016 to 2019 and after that coming from 2019 to 2021, is more probable to gain this fight by KO.-- Parkinson.