.IBF featherweight champ Luis Alberto Lopez defends his waistband versus Angelo Leo in the main celebration of a Leading Rank on ESPN card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Saturday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's last reduction was in May 2019 and also he has actually succeeded 14 consecutive matches since, featuring impressive victories over Josh Warrington in England as well as Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. However is he the greatest featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko recently turned down a lucrative fight against fellow light-weight champion Gervonta "Container" Davis as well as while he hasn't introduced his retired life, will certainly our team observe "Hi-Tech" in the band again?Canelo Alvarez are going to create his 2nd ring look this year, yet not against the fighter fans have clamored for. Rather Than David Benavidez, Canelo will deal with Edgar Berlanga, that is actually never ever battled at this level in his short job. While Berlanga possesses extraordinary energy-- he began his occupation with 16 successive first-round KOs-- can he discover a way to win, or even at least go the span against Alvarez?Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will defend a headline for the very first time in pair of years. Joshua will experience IBF champ Daniel Dubois in Greater London, as "AJ" is actually preferred to end up being a three-time planet champion (-550 per ESPN BET). And also two-division champ Danny Garcia goes back to the ring for simply the 2nd attend nearly 4 years to take on WBA middleweight champ Erislandy Lara. Garcia, that gained waistbands at 140 and 147 pounds, is going up in weight for the chance to end up being a three-division champ, but can he distress a more mature but still highly effective Lara?Mike Coppinger and also Nick Parkinson respond to these concerns and also more, trying to distinguish what's actual and also what is actually not.Real or otherwise: Vasiliy Lomachenko will resign without an additional fightNot real ... meanwhile. Lomachenko is actually reflecting upon retirement life, sources told ESPN, portion of the main reason he dropped a beneficial battle along with Gervonta Davis in November. There's likewise an opportunity that Lomachenko will certainly come back in the very first half of 2025 to safeguard his IBF light in weight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) showed up in a fighting state of mind Sunday in Los Angeles: he and Shakur Stevenson had to be actually separated at ringside in the course of the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov memory card. Lomachenko was actually found saying to Stevenson, "Allow's go best now.If that's any indicator, Lomachenko is going to battle once again. Perhaps even against Davis or Stevenson, both most significant matches on the desk for him. But if he never laces up the gloves again, Lomachenko's heritage is actually safeguarded. He's a three-division champ, a first-ballot Venue of Famer as well as an essential of the pound-for-pound list over the final 10 years.He additionally doesn't need to fight for the cash. He is actually gotten millions of bucks in his job and also still resides in Ukraine, where he is among the country's most well-liked professional athletes. Whether or not he battles once more, he certainly won't do this much longer. He transforms 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or not: Danny Garcia hammers Erislandy Lara and also comes to be a champion in a third divisionNot actual. Garcia has outplayed the odds prior to, including a shocking KO draw Amir Khan and also a dominant choice victory over Lucas Matthysse. The 1st win raised him to the upper echelon of the sporting activity and also the latter bound that status.But the Matthysse battle was 11 years ago, though, as well as those 2 signature Garcia wins went to 140 extra pounds (he also won a title at 147 extra pounds as well as went up to 154 for a July 2022 gain Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is still looking for a win that matches that, and a distressed success over Lara would certainly match the bill.Garcia didn't be similar to the stinging counterpuncher in the majority-decision victory over Benavidez, and also he hasn't completed given that. Now, he'll go up an additional weight course (though the Lara battle is happening at a catchweight between 155 and also 160 pounds) and need to contend with ring sluggishness. The Sept. 14 middleweight title match versus Lara will be actually Garcia's second due to the fact that December 2020, when he was actually directed by Errol Spence Jr.The pick below is actually Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), that, also at 41, reveals enormous power, albeit versus boxers under Garcia's level. Lara is actually using a three-fight KO touch.-- CoppingerReal or not: Canelo Alvarez's match against Edgar Berlanga doesn't go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left, shields his uncontested very middleweight champion versus Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Sin City. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu using Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, punching's best celebrity, have not racked up a KO victory given that he flattened Caleb Vegetation in a November 2021 fight to gain the indisputable tremendously middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has scored a knockdown in his final 3 matches. Versus a fighter in Berlanga, that will certainly be combating on the top level for the first time, Alvarez needs to incorporate the 40th KO of his illustrious career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has actually been hurt in the ring before, such as in a step-up match versus Marcelo Coceres, that dropped him in Cycle 9. And his protection isn't precisely seem. Berlanga has energy (he started his job with 16 successive KO succeeds in the preliminary), and if he opts for to swap along with Canelo, Alvarez should take him out.Alvarez assured as much at a set of press conference today to market the battle.-- Coppinger Real or otherwise: Nothing else lightweight champ can beat Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza appears an actual danger to Lopez after tormenting Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round succeed in June as well as beating Robeisy Ramirez through a large number choice to gain the WBO label in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) floored Chirinho in three of the 4 rounds, while his escapement win along with Ramirez was just one of the very best matches in 2023. Editor's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the highest planet lightweight champion in record-- would certainly be a difficulty for Lopez. Chirinho did well to rise from an uppercut coming from Espinoza in Around 1, just before he was actually very soon overwhelmed. As a professional, Chirinho had never ever been knocked down prior to Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza made a shock in pounding two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, and he outlanded him in the last three spheres. Although he is certainly not as professional as Lopez, the volume of strikes he has thrown in his final pair of matches, together with his elevation and hit perks, might verify overwhelming for Lopez.Rey Vargas has looked implausible in recent matches, while our company still need to have to view more from Chip Sphere just before our company announce him the department's No. 1. Ball (20-0-1, 11 KOs) caught the WBA featherweight headline along with a split decision win over Raymond Ford in June. That victory adhered to a controversial draw versus Vargas for the WBC title in March. Yet Espinoza would stand over 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was unsatisfying versus Round and also has actually certainly not won in almost 2 years, so it is actually tough to present a disagreement for him in his existing form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is the existing ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after ceasing Reiya Abe in 8 spheres in a 3rd protection of the IBF waistband in March. Lopez has gotten rid of significant problems in headline battles, like punching in a champion's home town and also getting cut very early (vs. Josh Warrington), and if he succeeds on Saturday against Angelo Leo, he might maybe encounter his most significant challenge but in a title unification fight versus Espinoza to dental crown the greatest fighter in the division.-- ParkinsonReal or not: Anthony Joshua will certainly KO Daniel DuboisReal. Just as good as Dubois' resurgence has been actually simply a year after being visited Oleksandr Usyk, current form suggests his initial IBF abundant title self defense will definitely finish in a KO defeat to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) remains in leading kind, a lot more thus than every other heavyweight. Like Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), Joshua has had to rebuild his job, after going through back-to-back decision losses to Usyk in 2021 and also 2022. Joshua dealt with very carefully, with a consentaneous decision win over Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, yet in his final 3 matches, he accomplished Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou.Dubois came back coming from Saudi Arabia to Greater london as IBF acting heavyweight champion after he quit Filip Hrgovic in Sphere 8. Usyk after that relinquished the IBF waistband, which implied Dubois was improved to total champ, and so presents Joshua along with the option to come to be a three-time world champ at Wembley Coliseum in London.Joshua will try to manipulate what Hrgovic had actually repeated excellence with versus Dubois. Hrgovic consistently landed right hands on Dubois in the very early rounds, and also Joshua has shown in recent battles just how destructive his right-hand men want he destroyed Ngannou in Around 2. Joshua landed a right-hand man on the former UFC heavyweight champ's face to knock him out chilly. Joshua will definitely take possession of the chance if Dubois produces himself similarly accessible, as he did versus Hrgovic. Joshua is actually a bigger puncher than Hrgovic and, although Dubois showed toughness to absorb punches in June, he has been actually ceased two times (by Joe Joyce in 2020 and also Usyk in 2013) and also was defeated 3 times in the preliminary through Kevin Lerena prior to recuperating to win in Cycle 3. However it is actually no stroll in the playground for Joshua, who likewise needs to respect Dubois' energy. Dubois pauperized Hrgovic's skin and may likely manage a shock standstill versus Joshua, much like Andy Ruiz Jr. performed in 2019. But Joshua, who concluded as champion from 2016 to 2019 and after that from 2019 to 2021, is actually most likely to succeed this match by KO.-- Parkinson.