.IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez defends his waistband versus Angelo Leo in the main activity of a Top Rank 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 he has won 14 consecutive matches due to the fact that, consisting of impressive success over Josh Warrington in England and also Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. However is he the most ideal featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko just recently turned down a beneficial fight versus fellow light in weight champ Gervonta "Storage tank" Davis and also while he hasn't declared his retired life, will definitely we view "Hi-Tech" in the ring again?Canelo Alvarez will definitely make his 2nd band appearance this year, but not versus the fighter supporters have actually clamored for. Rather Than David Benavidez, Canelo will definitely encounter Edgar Berlanga, who is actually certainly never battled at this amount in his short occupation. While Berlanga possesses extraordinary power-- he began his job with 16 successive first-round KOs-- can he discover a means to gain, or even at least go the span versus Alvarez?Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will fight for a headline for the very first time in 2 years. Joshua will definitely face IBF champ Daniel Dubois in Greater London, as "AJ" is preferred to end up being a three-time globe champion (-550 per ESPN WAGER). As well as two-division champ Danny Garcia returns to the ring for just the second attend virtually 4 years to tackle WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara. Garcia, that gained belts at 140 as well as 147 pounds, is moving up in weight for the opportunity to end up being a three-division champ, however can easily he disturb an older yet still strong Lara?Mike Coppinger and Scar Parkinson address these questions and even more, trying to identify what's genuine and also what is actually not.Real or otherwise: Vasiliy Lomachenko will resign without yet another fightNot actual ... in the meantime. Lomachenko is pondering retirement, sources said to ESPN, portion of the cause he dropped a lucrative fight along with Gervonta Davis in Nov. There is actually also a probability that Lomachenko will return in the first one-half of 2025 to guard his IBF light-weight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) showed up in a battling state of mind Saturday in Los Angeles: he and also Shakur Stevenson had to be separated at ringside during the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov memory card. Lomachenko was observed saying to Stevenson, "Allow's go right now.If that's any indication, Lomachenko will certainly battle again. Perhaps even against Davis or Stevenson, the 2 most significant fights on the table for him. However if he never ever laces up the handwear covers once again, Lomachenko's tradition is safeguarded. He's a three-division champ, a first-ballot Venue of Famer as well as an essential of the pound-for-pound listing over the final 10 years.He also does not need to have to eliminate for the money. He's gained numerous bucks in his profession and still lives in Ukraine, where he is among the nation's most prominent sportsmens. Whether he deals with once again, he certainly won't do so a lot longer. He switches 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Danny Garcia beats Erislandy Lara and also becomes a champion in a third divisionNot actual. Garcia has outplayed the probabilities just before, consisting of a surprising KO draw Amir Khan as well as a leading choice victory over Lucas Matthysse. The very first win elevated him to the top echelon of the sporting activity and the last glued that status.But the Matthysse battle was actually 11 years ago, however, as well as those pair of signature Garcia wins went to 140 extra pounds (he likewise gained a headline at 147 pounds and also moved up to 154 for a July 2022 gain Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is still hunting for a win that matches that, as well as a dismayed success over Lara would certainly match the bill.Garcia failed to look like the stinging counterpuncher in the majority-decision triumph over Benavidez, and also he have not completed since. Currently, he'll go up another weight lesson (though the Lara fight is happening at a catchweight between 155 as well as 160 extra pounds) and also need to emulate band stagnation. The Sept. 14 middleweight title battle against Lara will be Garcia's 2nd because December 2020, when he was directed through Errol Spence Jr.The choose here is Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), who, also at 41, reveals tremendous electrical power, albeit versus fighters beneath Garcia's amount. Lara is actually using a three-fight KO touch.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Canelo Alvarez's fight against Edgar Berlanga does not go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left, guards his unquestioned incredibly middleweight champion against Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Sin City. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu through Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, boxing's leading celebrity, hasn't racked up a KO success considering that he squashed Caleb Plant in a November 2021 match to gain the unquestioned incredibly middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has racked up a knockdown in his last 3 battles. Against a fighter in Berlanga, who will certainly be fighting on the best amount for the first time, Alvarez ought to add the 40th KO of his remarkable career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has actually been actually harmed in the ring in the past, particularly in a step-up battle against Marcelo Coceres, that fell him in Round 9. And his defense isn't exactly seem. Berlanga has power (he began his occupation with 16 consecutive KO wins in the preliminary), and also if he chooses to exchange along with Canelo, Alvarez ought to take him out.Alvarez guaranteed as much at a pair of press conference recently to promote the battle.-- Coppinger Real or not: Nothing else light champ can easily beat Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza looks a genuine risk to Lopez after torturing Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round gain in June and also beating Robeisy Ramirez through a large number choice to win the WBO title in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) knocked down Chirinho in 3 of the four rounds, while his breakout succeed along with Ramirez was among the greatest battles in 2023. Editor's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the tallest globe featherweight champ in background-- would be actually a challenge for Lopez. Chirinho did well to get up coming from an uppercut coming from Espinoza in Sphere 1, before he was soon overwhelmed. As a professional, Chirinho had never been actually brought down before Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza made a surprise in beating two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, and he outlanded him in the last 3 arounds. Although he is actually not as professional as Lopez, the amount of blows he has actually thrown in his final pair of fights, alongside his height as well as hit perks, could possibly verify unbeatable for Lopez.Rey Vargas has actually looked unconvincing in recent fights, while our company still need to view more from Chip Round prior to our team proclaim him the division's No. 1. Ball (20-0-1, 11 KOs) caught the WBA featherweight headline with a split choice get Raymond Ford in June. That conquest followed a disputable draw versus Vargas for the WBC title in March. But Espinoza would certainly stand over 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was actually unsatisfying versus Sphere and has certainly not succeeded in nearly pair of years, so it is actually tough to present a debate for him in his present form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is actually the present ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after ceasing Reiya Abe in eight rounds in a 3rd defense of the IBF belt in March. Lopez has overcome major difficulties in headline fights, like punching in a champion's neighborhood as well as acquiring cut early (vs. Josh Warrington), and if he succeeds on Saturday against Angelo Leo, he may probably encounter his biggest challenge but in a label unification fight against Espinoza to crown the greatest fighter in the branch.-- ParkinsonReal or not: Anthony Joshua will certainly KO Daniel DuboisReal. As good as Dubois' resurgence has been simply a year after being actually visited Oleksandr Usyk, recent type proposes his 1st IBF heavyweight headline defense will end in a KO loss to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) resides in leading type, much more so than every other heavyweight. Like Dubois (21-2, twenty KOs), Joshua has actually had to fix his career, after suffering back-to-back choice reductions to Usyk in 2021 and also 2022. Joshua battled cautiously, with an unanimous choice win over Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, but in his last three fights, he rounded off Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin as well as Francis Ngannou.Dubois returned coming from Saudi Arabia to Greater london as IBF acting big-time champion after he ceased Filip Hrgovic in Sphere 8. Usyk after that gave up the IBF waistband, which indicated Dubois was upgraded to complete champion, consequently presents Joshua with the opportunity to become a three-time globe champ at Wembley Stadium in London.Joshua are going to make an effort to manipulate what Hrgovic had repeated success along with versus Dubois. Hrgovic frequently landed right-hand men on Dubois in the very early rounds, and Joshua has shown in recent matches exactly how damaging his right-hand men desire he damaged Ngannou in Sphere 2. Joshua landed a right-hand man on the past UFC heavyweight champ's chin to take him out cool. Joshua is going to seize the possibility if Dubois makes himself likewise on call, as he performed against Hrgovic. Joshua is a larger puncher than Hrgovic and also, although Dubois revealed toughness to absorb type June, he has been actually stopped two times (by Joe Joyce in 2020 as well as Usyk in 2014) as well as was knocked down three attend the preliminary through Kevin Lerena before recouping to gain in Cycle 3. However it is no walk in the playground for Joshua, that also needs to recognize Dubois' electrical power. Dubois pauperized Hrgovic's face and also can possibly manage a surprise stoppage versus Joshua, much like Andy Ruiz Jr. carried out in 2019. However Joshua, who ruled as champion coming from 2016 to 2019 and after that from 2019 to 2021, is actually most likely to win this battle through KO.-- Parkinson.