.IBF featherweight champ Luis Alberto Lopez defends his waistband versus Angelo Leo generally event of a Best Position on ESPN memory card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Saturday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's last reduction resided in May 2019 as well as he has succeeded 14 consecutive fights since, featuring exceptional success over Josh Warrington in England and also Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. But is he the most effective featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko recently rejected a rewarding battle against fellow light in weight champion Gervonta "Tank" Davis and also while he hasn't announced his retirement life, are going to our company find "Hi-Tech" in the band again?Canelo Alvarez will certainly make his 2nd ring look this year, but not versus the fighter fans have actually demanded. Instead of David Benavidez, Canelo will certainly deal with Edgar Berlanga, that's never fought at this amount in his short career. While Berlanga possesses amazing energy-- he started his occupation along with 16 successive first-round KOs-- may he find a way to win, or even a minimum of go the distance versus Alvarez?Former abundant champ Anthony Joshua are going to defend a title for the first time in pair of years. Joshua will definitely deal with IBF champ Daniel Dubois in London, as "AJ" is actually chosen to become a three-time globe champion (-550 every ESPN BET). And also two-division champion Danny Garcia goes back to the band for only the second attend virtually four years to tackle WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara. Garcia, that succeeded waistbands at 140 and 147 extra pounds, is going up in body weight for the opportunity to come to be a three-division champ, however can he disturb an older however still powerful Lara?Mike Coppinger and also Nick Parkinson answer these concerns and even more, trying to differentiate what's real as well as what is actually not.Real or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko will definitely retire without an additional fightNot true ... for now. Lomachenko is pondering retirement life, sources said to ESPN, aspect of the explanation he declined a beneficial fight along with Gervonta Davis in Nov. There is actually likewise an opportunity that Lomachenko will definitely return in the 1st one-half of 2025 to protect his IBF light-weight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) appeared in a combating mood Saturday in Los Angeles: he as well as Shakur Stevenson needed to be actually separated at ringside during the course of the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov card. Lomachenko was actually viewed saying to Stevenson, "Let's go best now.If that's any kind of sign, Lomachenko will certainly combat once more. Maybe even versus Davis or even Stevenson, the 2 largest matches on the table for him. However if he certainly never shoelaces up the handwear covers again, Lomachenko's legacy is actually secured. He's a three-division champ, a first-ballot Venue of Famer and also a pillar of the pound-for-pound checklist over the final 10 years.He likewise does not need to eliminate for the cash. He is actually earned countless bucks in his career as well as still lives in Ukraine, where he is just one of the nation's most popular professional athletes. Whether he fights once again, he definitely won't do so a lot longer. He transforms 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or not: Danny Garcia hammers Erislandy Lara and also ends up being a champion in a third divisionNot actual. Garcia has actually upset the odds just before, consisting of an astonishing KO draw Amir Khan and a dominant decision triumph over Lucas Matthysse. The first win raised him to the higher tier of the sport as well as the last cemented that status.But the Matthysse fight was actually 11 years earlier, however, as well as those pair of trademark Garcia success went to 140 pounds (he likewise won a label at 147 extra pounds and went up to 154 for a July 2022 draw Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is still looking for a win that matches that, as well as a dismayed victory over Lara will fit the bill.Garcia failed to resemble the stinging counterpuncher in the majority-decision victory over Benavidez, and he hasn't completed given that. Right now, he'll move up yet another weight training class (though the Lara match is happening at a catchweight in between 155 and 160 extra pounds) as well as need to emulate ring inactivity. The Sept. 14 middleweight label battle versus Lara are going to be Garcia's second due to the fact that December 2020, when he was actually directed through Errol Spence Jr.The choose below is actually Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), who, even at 41, presents incredible power, albeit versus boxers below Garcia's level. Lara is actually riding a three-fight KO touch.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Canelo Alvarez's battle against Edgar Berlanga doesn't go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left, safeguards his recognized incredibly middleweight championship against Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu using Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, punching's leading star, hasn't racked up a KO victory due to the fact that he flattened Caleb Plant in a Nov 2021 battle to succeed the recognized extremely middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has actually racked up a knockdown in his final three battles. Against a competitor in Berlanga, that are going to be fighting on the top amount for the very first time, Alvarez must add the 40th KO of his renowned career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has actually been actually harmed in the ring previously, specifically in a step-up match versus Marcelo Coceres, who lost him in Round 9. And also his protection isn't exactly sound. Berlanga possesses power (he started his career with 16 consecutive KO wins in the first round), and also if he selects to exchange with Canelo, Alvarez must take him out.Alvarez vowed as a lot at a pair of news conferences today to advertise the match.-- Coppinger Real or otherwise: No other featherweight champion can easily hammer Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza looks a true danger to Lopez after tormenting Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round gain in June and also defeating Robeisy Ramirez through a bulk choice to succeed the WBO headline in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) floored Chirinho in three of the four rounds, while his outbreak succeed with Ramirez was just one of the best battles in 2023. Editor's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the highest globe featherweight champ in history-- would be actually an obstacle for Lopez. Chirinho prospered to stand up coming from an uppercut coming from Espinoza in Round 1, before he was quickly overwhelmed. As a professional, Chirinho had actually never been actually knocked down just before Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza produced a shock in beating two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, and he outlanded him in the last three arounds. Although he is not as professional as Lopez, the volume of blows he has thrown in his final 2 fights, in addition to his elevation as well as hit benefits, could confirm unbeatable for Lopez.Rey Vargas has actually looked implausible in current matches, while we still need to view extra coming from Scar Round just before our team proclaim him the branch's No. 1. Sphere (20-0-1, 11 KOs) captured the WBA featherweight label along with a split choice draw Raymond Ford in June. That conquest adhered to a controversial draw versus Vargas for the WBC headline in March. But Espinoza would overlook 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was actually frustrating versus Round and also has not succeeded in almost pair of years, so it is difficult to offer a debate for him in his present form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is the current ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after quiting Reiya Abe in 8 arounds in a third protection of the IBF belt in March. Lopez has beat big challenges in label matches, like punching in a champ's hometown as well as receiving slice very early (vs. Josh Warrington), and if he wins on Sunday versus Angelo Leo, he might perhaps experience his greatest obstacle yet in a label unification fight against Espinoza to crown the most effective fighter in the division.-- ParkinsonReal or otherwise: Anthony Joshua will definitely KO Daniel DuboisReal. As good as Dubois' revival has actually been actually merely a year after being actually come by Oleksandr Usyk, current type recommends his initial IBF abundant title defense will finish in a KO loss to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is in best type, much more so than any other abundant. Like Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), Joshua has actually needed to restore his profession, after experiencing next decision reductions to Usyk in 2021 as well as 2022. Joshua combated carefully, with a consensual selection draw Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, however in his last 3 matches, he finished off Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and also Francis Ngannou.Dubois came back from Saudi Arabia to Greater london as IBF acting big-time champion after he ceased Filip Hrgovic in Around 8. Usyk then gave up the IBF waistband, which suggested Dubois was updated to full champ, consequently shows Joshua with the opportunity to end up being a three-time world champ at Wembley Coliseum in London.Joshua will make an effort to manipulate what Hrgovic had actually redoed results along with versus Dubois. Hrgovic frequently landed right hands on Dubois in the very early arounds, and also Joshua has actually displayed in current battles how harmful his right hands are after he damaged Ngannou in Round 2. Joshua landed a right hand on the past UFC heavyweight champion's chin to take him out cold. Joshua is going to seize the opportunity if Dubois creates himself likewise accessible, as he carried out versus Hrgovic. Joshua is actually a much bigger puncher than Hrgovic and also, although Dubois revealed sturdiness to soak up type June, he has actually been actually stopped twice (through Joe Joyce in 2020 and also Usyk in 2013) and also was floored three attend the preliminary by Kevin Lerena before recouping to succeed in Round 3. Yet it is actually no walk in the park for Joshua, that additionally requires to appreciate Dubois' electrical power. Dubois bungled Hrgovic's skin and may possibly pull off a shock stoppage against Joshua, similar to Andy Ruiz Jr. did in 2019. But Joshua, that ruled as champ coming from 2016 to 2019 and afterwards coming from 2019 to 2021, is actually more probable to win this fight by KO.-- Parkinson.