.IBF featherweight champ Luis Alberto Lopez defends his waistband against Angelo Leo in the main activity of a Top Ranking on ESPN card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Sunday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's last loss remained in May 2019 and also he has gained 14 successive battles since, consisting of remarkable success over Josh Warrington in England and Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. Yet is he the most effective featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko lately turned down a lucrative match versus fellow light-weight champion Gervonta "Tank" Davis and also while he hasn't declared his retirement, will definitely we observe "Hi-Tech" in the band again?Canelo Alvarez are going to create his 2nd band appearance this year, yet not versus the competitor enthusiasts have actually demanded. Instead of David Benavidez, Canelo is going to face Edgar Berlanga, who is actually never ever fought at this level in his quick profession. While Berlanga possesses awesome energy-- he began his profession with 16 successive first-round KOs-- may he locate a method to win, or even a minimum of go the distance against Alvarez?Former abundant champ Anthony Joshua will definitely defend a title for the first time in 2 years. Joshua will definitely deal with IBF champ Daniel Dubois in Greater London, as "AJ" is favored to become a three-time world champ (-550 per ESPN BET). As well as two-division champion Danny Garcia comes back to the band for just the second attend virtually four years to tackle WBA middleweight champ Erislandy Lara. Garcia, who gained belts at 140 as well as 147 extra pounds, is actually moving up in weight for the odds to end up being a three-division champ, however may he disturb a much older however still strong Lara?Mike Coppinger and Scar Parkinson respond to these questions as well as additional, making an effort to differentiate what's genuine and also what's not.Real or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko will definitely retire without an additional fightNot genuine ... in the meantime. Lomachenko is actually contemplating retirement, sources told ESPN, part of the explanation he declined a profitable battle with Gervonta Davis in November. There is actually likewise a possibility that Lomachenko will certainly come back in the first fifty percent of 2025 to protect his IBF light-weight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) showed up in a fighting mood Sunday in Los Angeles: he and Shakur Stevenson needed to be split at ringside during the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov card. Lomachenko was actually seen telling Stevenson, "Permit's go ideal now.If that's any type of evidence, Lomachenko will battle once more. Perhaps even against Davis or Stevenson, the 2 most significant fights on the table for him. However if he never ever shoelaces up the gloves once more, Lomachenko's heritage is actually safeguarded. He is actually a three-division champion, a first-ballot Venue of Famer as well as a backbone of the pound-for-pound list over the final 10 years.He also doesn't need to combat for the money. He's gotten millions of bucks in his career as well as still lives in Ukraine, where he is among the country's very most well-liked professional athletes. Whether or not he fights once more, he definitely won't do this much longer. He switches 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Danny Garcia hammers Erislandy Lara as well as comes to be a champion in a third divisionNot genuine. Garcia has outplayed the probabilities just before, including an astonishing KO gain Amir Khan and a leading selection success over Lucas Matthysse. The 1st win raised him to the upper echelon of the sporting activity and also the second cemented that status.But the Matthysse battle was 11 years ago, however, as well as those pair of signature Garcia victories went to 140 pounds (he also gained a headline at 147 extra pounds and also moved up to 154 for a July 2022 win over Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is actually still looking for a win that matches that, as well as a distressed victory over Lara would suit the bill.Garcia really did not appear like the sharp counterpuncher in the majority-decision success over Benavidez, and also he have not completed since. Right now, he'll go up yet another body weight lesson (though the Lara match is occurring at a catchweight in between 155 as well as 160 extra pounds) as well as need to emulate ring lack of exercise. The Sept. 14 middleweight headline fight against Lara will be Garcia's 2nd given that December 2020, when he was actually directed through Errol Spence Jr.The decide on listed below is actually Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), that, even at 41, shows enormous power, albeit against competitors beneath Garcia's degree. Lara is using a three-fight KO touch.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Canelo Alvarez's fight versus Edgar Berlanga doesn't go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left behind, guards his undeniable super middleweight champion versus Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Sin City. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu using Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, boxing's best superstar, have not scored a KO triumph considering that he smoothed Caleb Vegetation in a Nov 2021 match to succeed the indisputable very middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has scored a knockdown in his final 3 matches. Versus a fighter in Berlanga, who will be actually fighting on the leading level for the first time, Alvarez must incorporate the 40th KO of his remarkable career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has been hurt in the ring before, particularly in a step-up fight against Marcelo Coceres, who lost him in Cycle 9. And also his self defense isn't precisely seem. Berlanga possesses power (he began his profession along with 16 successive KO gains in the first round), and if he selects to trade along with Canelo, Alvarez must take him out.Alvarez vowed as much at a pair of news conferences recently to promote the fight.-- Coppinger Real or otherwise: Not one other lightweight champ can easily beat Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza appears a real hazard to Lopez after tormenting Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round win in June and also beating Robeisy Ramirez through a bulk choice to gain the WBO title in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) knocked down Chirinho in 3 of the 4 shots, while his escapement gain with Ramirez was among the very best fights in 2023. Publisher's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the highest world light champ in history-- would be an obstacle for Lopez. Chirinho flourished to stand up from an uppercut coming from Espinoza in Round 1, just before he was actually soon subdued. As a qualified, Chirinho had actually never been actually torn 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 last 3 rounds. Although he is actually certainly not as knowledgeable as Lopez, the volume of hits he has actually included his final 2 fights, along with his elevation as well as arrive at advantages, could possibly prove impossible for Lopez.Rey Vargas has looked implausible in current fights, while our company still need to have to find much more coming from Nick Sphere before our team declare him the division's No. 1. Ball (20-0-1, 11 KOs) caught the WBA featherweight label along with a split selection gain Raymond Ford in June. That conquest followed a controversial draw versus Vargas for the WBC headline in March. Yet Espinoza would certainly stand over 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was actually frustrating versus Ball and also has certainly not succeeded in nearly two years, so it is difficult to show a debate 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 spheres in a 3rd defense of the IBF belt in March. Lopez has actually eliminated big obstacles in headline fights, like boxing in a champ's home town and also getting slice early (vs. Josh Warrington), and if he gains on Saturday versus Angelo Leo, he may possibly encounter his greatest obstacle yet in a headline marriage fight versus Espinoza to crown the very best competitor in the division.-- ParkinsonReal or otherwise: Anthony Joshua will KO Daniel DuboisReal. Just as good as Dubois' resurgence has been simply a year after being visited Oleksandr Usyk, latest form proposes his very first IBF heavyweight headline protection will definitely finish in a KO loss to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) resides in top form, a lot more so than every other heavyweight. Like Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), Joshua has must reconstruct his occupation, after experiencing next choice losses to Usyk in 2021 as well as 2022. Joshua battled very carefully, with a consentaneous decision sway Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, yet in his final three matches, he rounded off Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and also Francis Ngannou.Dubois came back from Saudi Arabia to Greater london as IBF interim heavyweight champion after he quit Filip Hrgovic in Round 8. Usyk after that gave up the IBF waistband, which suggested Dubois was actually updated to full champ, consequently provides Joshua along with the possibility to come to be a three-time planet champ at Wembley Coliseum in London.Joshua will attempt to manipulate what Hrgovic had actually duplicated success along with versus Dubois. Hrgovic consistently landed right hands on Dubois in the early rounds, and Joshua has shown in latest fights exactly how detrimental his right-hand men want he destroyed Ngannou in Around 2. Joshua landed a right hand on the former UFC big-time champ's face to knock him out cool. Joshua will definitely confiscate the possibility if Dubois creates themself likewise available, as he performed versus Hrgovic. Joshua is actually a larger puncher than Hrgovic and also, although Dubois presented resilience to take in punches in June, he has actually been stopped twice (by Joe Joyce in 2020 and also Usyk in 2014) and was knocked down three times in the first round by Kevin Lerena before bouncing back to win in Cycle 3. But it is no walk in the park for Joshua, that likewise requires to respect Dubois' electrical power. Dubois ruined Hrgovic's skin as well as can potentially carry out a surprise halt against Joshua, similar to Andy Ruiz Jr. carried out in 2019. But Joshua, that concluded as champion from 2016 to 2019 and afterwards coming from 2019 to 2021, is actually more likely to succeed this battle by KO.-- Parkinson.