.IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez defends his belt versus Angelo Leo generally occasion of a Leading Ranking on ESPN card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Sunday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's last reduction remained in May 2019 and also he has won 14 consecutive matches considering that, consisting of remarkable victories over Josh Warrington in England as well as Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. However is he the very best featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko recently denied a rewarding fight versus fellow light in weight champ Gervonta "Container" Davis as well as while he have not declared his retirement life, will our experts find "Hi-Tech" in the ring again?Canelo Alvarez will create his second band appeal this year, but certainly not versus the fighter followers have clamored for. Rather Than David Benavidez, Canelo will deal with Edgar Berlanga, who's certainly never combated at this degree in his quick career. While Berlanga has astonishing power-- he began his job along with 16 consecutive first-round KOs-- may he locate a technique to gain, or even at least go the distance versus Alvarez?Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will definitely fight for a title for the very first time in pair of years. Joshua will deal with IBF champ Daniel Dubois in Greater London, as "AJ" is favored to end up being a three-time planet champ (-550 per ESPN BET). As well as two-division champion Danny Garcia goes back to the ring for only the second attend practically four years to take on WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara. Garcia, that gained waistbands at 140 and 147 pounds, is actually moving up in body weight for the odds to become a three-division champion, however can he distress a more mature however still effective Lara?Mike Coppinger and also Nick Parkinson respond to these inquiries and even more, attempting to identify what's real and also what's not.Real or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko will resign without another fightNot genuine ... meanwhile. Lomachenko is actually considering retirement, resources informed ESPN, component of the factor he declined a highly profitable battle along with Gervonta Davis in November. There's likewise a possibility that Lomachenko will return in the very first fifty percent of 2025 to protect his IBF lightweight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) appeared in a battling mood Saturday in Los Angeles: he and also Shakur Stevenson must be actually separated at ringside throughout the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov card. Lomachenko was actually observed saying to Stevenson, "Permit's go correct now.If that's any type of evidence, Lomachenko will definitely deal with once again. Maybe even versus Davis or Stevenson, the 2 largest matches on the desk for him. Yet if he never ever laces up the gloves once more, Lomachenko's tradition is protected. He is actually a three-division champion, a first-ballot Hall of Famer as well as a pillar of the pound-for-pound checklist over the last 10 years.He also does not require to overcome for the money. He's gained numerous dollars in his job and still lives in Ukraine, where he is just one of the country's very most well-liked sportsmens. Whether he deals with again, he undoubtedly will not do this a lot longer. He turns 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or not: Danny Garcia beats Erislandy Lara and comes to be a champion in a 3rd divisionNot genuine. Garcia has outplayed the chances before, including an astonishing KO win over Amir Khan as well as a prevalent choice triumph over Lucas Matthysse. The first win elevated him to the top echelon of the sporting activity and also the last glued that status.But the Matthysse fight was 11 years ago, however, and also those 2 signature Garcia triumphes went to 140 pounds (he additionally gained a label at 147 extra pounds and also moved up to 154 for a July 2022 sway Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is still hunting for a gain that matches that, and an upset victory over Lara will match the bill.Garcia didn't resemble the sharp counterpuncher in the majority-decision victory over Benavidez, and also he hasn't contended given that. Right now, he'll go up yet another weight class (though the Lara match is taking place at a catchweight between 155 as well as 160 pounds) as well as have to emulate band stagnation. The Sept. 14 middleweight headline match against Lara will be Garcia's second due to the fact that December 2020, when he was actually transmitted through Errol Spence Jr.The select here is Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), who, also at 41, presents enormous energy, albeit versus competitors beneath Garcia's degree. Lara is actually riding a three-fight KO touch.-- CoppingerReal or not: Canelo Alvarez's match against Edgar Berlanga does not go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left, protects his unquestioned very middleweight champion against Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Sin City. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu by means of Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, boxing's best star, have not racked up a KO triumph since he flattened Caleb Vegetation in a Nov 2021 battle to gain the undeniable very middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has actually racked up a presentation in his final 3 battles. Versus a boxer in Berlanga, that will certainly be fighting on the leading degree for the first time, Alvarez must incorporate the 40th KO of his remarkable career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has actually been actually harmed in the ring previously, particularly in a step-up battle versus Marcelo Coceres, that fell him in Cycle 9. And his self defense isn't precisely sound. Berlanga has energy (he began his career along with 16 consecutive KO succeeds in the preliminary), and also if he decides on to trade along with Canelo, Alvarez ought to take him out.Alvarez promised as much at a pair of news conferences recently to market the battle.-- Coppinger Real or not: Nothing else featherweight champion may beat Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza appears a true danger to Lopez after agonizing Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round succeed in June and defeating Robeisy Ramirez through a bulk choice to gain the WBO title in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) defeated Chirinho in 3 of the 4 rounds, while his breakout win along with Ramirez was among the greatest fights in 2023. Publisher's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the tallest globe light champ in past history-- will be actually a challenge for Lopez. Chirinho succeeded to get up from an uppercut from Espinoza in Sphere 1, just before he was actually very soon overwhelmed. As a professional, Chirinho had never ever been actually brought down prior to Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza made a shock in beating two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, and also he outlanded him in the final 3 rounds. Although he is certainly not as knowledgeable as Lopez, the amount of hits he has included his last 2 battles, along with his height and also hit conveniences, might confirm unbeatable for Lopez.Rey Vargas has looked implausible in latest fights, while our experts still need to view a lot more coming from Scar Ball just before our experts proclaim him the branch's No. 1. Sphere (20-0-1, 11 KOs) caught the WBA featherweight headline along with a split choice win over Raymond Ford in June. That conquest complied with a debatable draw versus Vargas for the WBC headline in March. Yet Espinoza would overlook 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was unsatisfactory versus Sphere and has actually not won in nearly two years, so it is tough to provide an argument for him in his present form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is actually the present ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after stopping Reiya Abe in 8 rounds in a 3rd self defense of the IBF belt in March. Lopez has gotten over big challenges in label matches, like punching in a champion's home town as well as acquiring slice very early (vs. Josh Warrington), and also if he gains on Sunday versus Angelo Leo, he may probably encounter his biggest problem however in a label marriage battle against Espinoza to dental crown the best competitor in the division.-- ParkinsonReal or not: Anthony Joshua will definitely KO Daniel DuboisReal. As good as Dubois' revival has actually been actually just a year after being dropped in Oleksandr Usyk, latest kind recommends his first IBF heavyweight headline protection will definitely finish in a KO defeat to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is in best form, even more thus than any other abundant. Like Dubois (21-2, twenty KOs), Joshua has actually needed to restore his job, after enduring next selection losses to Usyk in 2021 as well as 2022. Joshua combated very carefully, with a consentaneous choice draw Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, yet in his last 3 fights, he rounded off Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou.Dubois returned coming from Saudi Arabia to London as IBF acting big-time champion after he stopped Filip Hrgovic in Sphere 8. Usyk after that relinquished the IBF waistband, which suggested Dubois was actually improved to complete champion, therefore presents Joshua with the option to come to be a three-time globe champ at Wembley Coliseum in London.Joshua are going to try to manipulate what Hrgovic had redoed success with versus Dubois. Hrgovic consistently landed right-hand men on Dubois in the very early spheres, as well as Joshua has received latest fights exactly how harmful his right-hand men desire he ruined Ngannou in Round 2. Joshua landed a right hand on the previous UFC big-time champ's face to take him out chilly. Joshua will take possession of the opportunity if Dubois creates himself likewise accessible, as he performed versus Hrgovic. Joshua is a much bigger puncher than Hrgovic and, although Dubois presented toughness to soak up punches in June, he has actually been actually quit twice (through Joe Joyce in 2020 as well as Usyk in 2015) as well as was actually floored 3 attend the preliminary through Kevin Lerena prior to recuperating to succeed in Cycle 3. However it is no stroll in the playground for Joshua, that also needs to have to value Dubois' power. Dubois pauperized Hrgovic's skin as well as may potentially manage a surprise discontinuance versus Joshua, similar to Andy Ruiz Jr. did in 2019. But Joshua, that ruled as champion coming from 2016 to 2019 and afterwards from 2019 to 2021, is most likely to succeed this battle by KO.-- Parkinson.