.IBF featherweight champ Luis Alberto Lopez defends his waistband versus Angelo Leo generally activity of a Best Ranking on ESPN card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Sunday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's last reduction resided in May 2019 and also he has actually gained 14 successive matches due to the fact that, consisting of excellent triumphes over Josh Warrington in England as well as Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. Yet is he the most effective featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko just recently denied a profitable battle versus fellow lightweight champ Gervonta "Tank" Davis and also while he have not introduced his retirement life, will certainly our company observe "Hi-Tech" in the ring again?Canelo Alvarez will create his 2nd ring appearance this year, yet not against the boxer followers have clamored for. Instead of David Benavidez, Canelo will face Edgar Berlanga, who is actually certainly never combated at this degree in his brief job. While Berlanga possesses extraordinary power-- he began his occupation along with 16 successive first-round KOs-- can easily he find a means to win, or even at least go the span versus Alvarez?Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will certainly fight for a label for the first time in pair of years. Joshua will definitely deal with IBF champ Daniel Dubois in Greater London, as "AJ" is actually favored to come to be a three-time world champion (-550 every ESPN WAGER). And two-division champion Danny Garcia comes back to the band for just the 2nd time in almost four years to tackle WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara. Garcia, that won waistbands at 140 and 147 pounds, is going up in body weight for the chance to become a three-division champion, but can easily he distress a much older yet still strong Lara?Mike Coppinger and Scar Parkinson address these questions and additional, making an effort to distinguish what's actual and what is actually not.Real or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko will certainly retire without yet another fightNot actual ... in the meantime. Lomachenko is contemplating retirement life, sources said to ESPN, component of the factor he decreased a profitable fight along with Gervonta Davis in Nov. There's also a possibility that Lomachenko are going to return in the initial half of 2025 to guard his IBF light-weight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) appeared in a dealing with mood Sunday in Los Angeles: he as well as Shakur Stevenson must be actually separated at ringside throughout the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov memory card. Lomachenko was seen informing Stevenson, "Permit's go best now.If that is actually any kind of indication, Lomachenko will combat once again. Perhaps even against Davis or Stevenson, the 2 largest battles on the table for him. But if he certainly never laces up the gloves once again, Lomachenko's tradition is actually gotten. He's a three-division champion, a first-ballot Hall of Famer and a pillar of the pound-for-pound checklist over the final 10 years.He also doesn't require to combat for the money. He is actually gotten countless dollars in his job and still dwells in Ukraine, where he is among the nation's very most preferred athletes. Regardless if he fights once more, he surely will not do this much longer. He switches 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Danny Garcia hammers Erislandy Lara and becomes a champ in a third divisionNot actual. Garcia has outplayed the possibilities prior to, including a stunning KO sway Amir Khan and a dominant decision victory over Lucas Matthysse. The first win raised him to the top echelon of the sporting activity as well as the last cemented that status.But the Matthysse match was actually 11 years back, though, as well as those pair of signature Garcia wins were at 140 pounds (he also succeeded a title at 147 pounds and went up to 154 for a July 2022 sway Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is actually still searching for a gain that matches that, and a dismayed success over Lara would certainly match the bill.Garcia didn't resemble the stinging counterpuncher in the majority-decision success over Benavidez, and he hasn't contended since. Right now, he'll move up another body weight course (though the Lara match is happening at a catchweight in between 155 as well as 160 extra pounds) and also must emulate band inactivity. The Sept. 14 middleweight title match versus Lara will be actually Garcia's 2nd due to the fact that December 2020, when he was directed by Errol Spence Jr.The pick below is Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), who, also at 41, presents remarkable energy, albeit against competitors under Garcia's degree. Lara is actually using a three-fight KO touch.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Canelo Alvarez's fight versus Edgar Berlanga doesn't go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left, safeguards his undeniable super middleweight champion against Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, boxing's top star, hasn't racked up a KO victory due to the fact that he squashed Caleb Plant in a November 2021 fight to win the recognized very middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has scored a presentation in his last three fights. Versus a fighter in Berlanga, that will be actually battling on the best degree for the very first time, Alvarez needs to add the 40th KO of his renowned career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has been injured in the ring in the past, namely in a step-up match against Marcelo Coceres, who fell him in Cycle 9. And also his protection isn't precisely seem. Berlanga has power (he began his career with 16 successive KO succeeds in the first round), as well as if he opts for to trade with Canelo, Alvarez must take him out.Alvarez vowed as much at a set of news conferences recently to promote the battle.-- Coppinger Real or otherwise: No other lightweight champion can easily hammer Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza appears an actual risk to Lopez after tormenting Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round succeed in June and defeating Robeisy Ramirez through a large number decision to gain the WBO label in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) knocked down Chirinho in 3 of the four rounds, while his breakout win along with Ramirez was among the best matches in 2023. Publisher's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the highest globe lightweight champion in past history-- would certainly be a challenge for Lopez. Chirinho did well to get up from an uppercut coming from Espinoza in Around 1, prior to he was very soon overpowered. As a qualified, Chirinho had actually certainly never been actually brought down before Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza produced a shock in pounding two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, as well as he outlanded him in the final three rounds. Although he is actually not as professional as Lopez, the volume of strikes he has actually thrown in his final two matches, together with his elevation and get to conveniences, could possibly prove overwhelming for Lopez.Rey Vargas has actually appeared implausible in recent fights, while our company still need to observe even more from Scar Sphere just before our experts declare him the branch's No. 1. Ball (20-0-1, 11 KOs) recorded the WBA featherweight headline with a split selection win over Raymond Ford in June. That victory observed a debatable draw versus Vargas for the WBC headline in March. But Espinoza will tower above 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was actually unsatisfying versus Ball and has actually not won in nearly two years, so it is actually difficult to show a disagreement for him in his present form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is actually the existing ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after stopping Reiya Abe in 8 spheres in a 3rd defense of the IBF waistband in March. Lopez has overcome large difficulties in headline fights, like boxing in a champ's home town as well as receiving cut very early (vs. Josh Warrington), and also if he gains on Sunday versus Angelo Leo, he might perhaps face his greatest obstacle however in a title unification battle versus Espinoza to dental crown the greatest fighter in the division.-- ParkinsonReal or otherwise: Anthony Joshua will definitely KO Daniel DuboisReal. Comparable to Dubois' resurgence has actually been actually simply a year after being actually come by Oleksandr Usyk, current type advises his initial IBF abundant label defense will certainly end in a KO defeat to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) resides in leading form, even more thus than any other abundant. Like Dubois (21-2, twenty KOs), Joshua has actually must restore his occupation, after experiencing back-to-back decision reductions to Usyk in 2021 and 2022. Joshua fought cautiously, with an unanimous decision get Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, however in his last three battles, he finished off Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou.Dubois came back coming from Saudi Arabia to Greater london as IBF interim big-time champ after he quit Filip Hrgovic in Round 8. Usyk after that relinquished the IBF belt, which indicated Dubois was upgraded to total champ, therefore shows Joshua with the opportunity to end up being a three-time globe champ at Wembley Coliseum in London.Joshua will make an effort to manipulate what Hrgovic had actually repeated effectiveness with versus Dubois. Hrgovic consistently landed right hands on Dubois in the early spheres, as well as Joshua has shown in current matches how harmful his right hands want he ruined Ngannou in Sphere 2. Joshua landed a right-hand man on the past UFC big-time champion's face to take him out chilly. Joshua will definitely take the chance if Dubois creates himself similarly accessible, as he did versus Hrgovic. Joshua is a bigger puncher than Hrgovic as well as, although Dubois showed longevity to take in punches in June, he has actually been stopped twice (by Joe Joyce in 2020 and also Usyk in 2013) as well as was floored 3 attend the preliminary by Kevin Lerena just before recuperating to win in Cycle 3. However it is actually no stroll in the playground for Joshua, that also requires to value Dubois' electrical power. Dubois pauperized Hrgovic's face as well as can potentially carry out a shock halt against Joshua, just like Andy Ruiz Jr. performed in 2019. But Joshua, that ruled as champion from 2016 to 2019 and afterwards coming from 2019 to 2021, is actually most likely to gain this fight through KO.-- Parkinson.