.IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez defends his belt versus Angelo Leo generally celebration of a Best Ranking on ESPN memory card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Sunday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's final loss was in May 2019 as well as he has succeeded 14 successive matches given that, featuring exceptional victories over Josh Warrington in England and Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. But is he the best featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko recently turned down a profitable match against fellow light in weight champ Gervonta "Container" Davis and also while he have not announced his retirement life, will definitely our company find "Hi-Tech" in the band again?Canelo Alvarez will certainly make his 2nd band look this year, however not versus the competitor fans have clamored for. Rather Than David Benavidez, Canelo will face Edgar Berlanga, that is actually never ever combated at this level in his short profession. While Berlanga has awesome power-- he started his job along with 16 successive first-round KOs-- may he discover a means to gain, or at least go the distance against Alvarez?Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will certainly defend a headline for the first time in 2 years. Joshua will deal with IBF champion Daniel Dubois in Greater London, as "AJ" is favored to come to be a three-time world champion (-550 per ESPN BET). And also two-division champion Danny Garcia comes back to the band for just the second time in nearly 4 years to take on WBA middleweight champ Erislandy Lara. Garcia, that gained waistbands at 140 and also 147 pounds, is actually going up in body weight for the chance to end up being a three-division champ, however can easily he disturb a much older but still strong Lara?Mike Coppinger as well as Scar Parkinson answer these questions and also additional, trying to differentiate what's real and what is actually not.Real or otherwise: Vasiliy Lomachenko will resign without one more fightNot real ... for now. Lomachenko is contemplating retired life, sources informed ESPN, portion of the main reason he decreased a highly profitable battle along with Gervonta Davis in November. There is actually additionally an option that Lomachenko are going to return in the initial one-half of 2025 to guard his IBF lightweight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) showed up in a battling mood Saturday in Los Angeles: he and also Shakur Stevenson needed to be actually separated at ringside during the course of the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov memory card. Lomachenko was viewed saying to Stevenson, "Let's go ideal now.If that's any kind of evidence, Lomachenko will certainly fight again. Perhaps even versus Davis or Stevenson, the 2 largest matches on the desk for him. Yet if he never ever shoelaces up the gloves again, Lomachenko's heritage is actually secured. He's a three-division champ, a first-ballot Hall of Famer and an essential of the pound-for-pound list over the final 10 years.He additionally does not need to have to overcome for the cash. He's made countless bucks in his profession and still dwells in Ukraine, where he is among the country's most well-known professional athletes. Whether or not he battles again, he absolutely won't do so a lot longer. He switches 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or not: Danny Garcia hammers Erislandy Lara and also ends up being a champion in a 3rd divisionNot real. Garcia has actually outplayed the possibilities before, featuring an astonishing KO get Amir Khan as well as a leading selection victory over Lucas Matthysse. The initial gain elevated him to the top echelon of the sport and also the last glued that status.But the Matthysse match was actually 11 years earlier, however, as well as those 2 trademark Garcia wins went to 140 pounds (he additionally won a title at 147 extra pounds as well as went up to 154 for a July 2022 gain Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is actually still hunting for a win that matches that, and an upset success over Lara will fit the bill.Garcia didn't resemble the stinging counterpuncher in the majority-decision victory over Benavidez, and he hasn't competed because. Now, he'll move up another weight lesson (though the Lara battle is taking place at a catchweight between 155 and 160 extra pounds) and also need to contend with ring stagnation. The Sept. 14 middleweight label battle against Lara are going to be actually Garcia's second considering that December 2020, when he was actually transmitted through Errol Spence Jr.The pick here is Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), that, even at 41, presents remarkable energy, albeit versus competitors below Garcia's level. Lara is actually riding a three-fight KO streak.-- CoppingerReal or not: Canelo Alvarez's battle versus Edgar Berlanga doesn't go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left behind, protects his recognized incredibly middleweight champion versus Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu by means of Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, boxing's top superstar, hasn't racked up a KO success given that he flattened Caleb Vegetation in a November 2021 fight to gain the unquestioned very middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has actually scored a presentation in his last 3 battles. Versus a competitor in Berlanga, who will certainly be actually fighting on the best amount for the first time, Alvarez ought to add the 40th KO of his renowned career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has actually been actually injured in the ring in the past, such as in a step-up fight against Marcelo Coceres, that fell him in Round 9. As well as his self defense isn't specifically sound. Berlanga has power (he started his profession with 16 consecutive KO gains in the preliminary), and if he decides on to swap with Canelo, Alvarez ought to take him out.Alvarez promised as a lot at a set of press conference recently to advertise the match.-- Coppinger Real or otherwise: No other featherweight champion may hammer Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza appears a true hazard to Lopez after agonizing Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round gain in June and beating Robeisy Ramirez through a large number choice to succeed the WBO label in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) knocked down Chirinho in three of the 4 shots, while his outbreak win with Ramirez was one of the very best matches in 2023. Publisher's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the highest world featherweight champion in past history-- will be actually a problem for Lopez. Chirinho succeeded to stand up from an uppercut coming from Espinoza in Sphere 1, prior to he was very soon subdued. As an expert, Chirinho had never been actually torn down just before Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza produced a surprise in pounding two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, as well as he outlanded him in the last 3 spheres. Although he is not as professional as Lopez, the amount of blows he has thrown in his final pair of battles, alongside his height and reach advantages, could prove insurmountable for Lopez.Rey Vargas has actually looked implausible in current matches, while our team still require to find more coming from Scar Round before our company announce him the department's No. 1. Round (20-0-1, 11 KOs) recorded the WBA featherweight label with a split choice sway Raymond Ford in June. That accomplishment complied with a questionable draw versus Vargas for the WBC headline in March. But Espinoza would tower above 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was unsatisfactory versus Sphere as well as has not won in almost 2 years, so it is hard to show a disagreement for him in his current form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is actually the existing ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after ceasing Reiya Abe in eight spheres in a third protection of the IBF belt in March. Lopez has eliminated large difficulties in title battles, like boxing in a champ's neighborhood and getting slice early (vs. Josh Warrington), and if he succeeds on Saturday versus Angelo Leo, he might perhaps encounter his biggest challenge however in a title marriage match against Espinoza to crown the very best fighter in the department.-- ParkinsonReal or otherwise: Anthony Joshua will certainly KO Daniel DuboisReal. Like Dubois' revival has been actually merely a year after being actually come by Oleksandr Usyk, recent form suggests his initial IBF abundant label protection will certainly finish in a KO defeat to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is in best kind, a lot more thus than every other abundant. Like Dubois (21-2, twenty KOs), Joshua has had to restore his profession, after experiencing back-to-back choice losses to Usyk in 2021 and also 2022. Joshua fought very carefully, with an unanimous selection draw Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, but in his last 3 matches, he accomplished Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou.Dubois came back from Saudi Arabia to Greater london as IBF acting big-time champ after he quit Filip Hrgovic in Around 8. Usyk at that point relinquished the IBF belt, which meant Dubois was improved to full champ, therefore provides Joshua with the opportunity to become a three-time globe champ at Wembley Stadium in London.Joshua will definitely attempt to exploit what Hrgovic had redoed success with versus Dubois. Hrgovic consistently landed right-hand men on Dubois in the early rounds, as well as Joshua has actually shown in current battles just how damaging his right-hand men desire he damaged Ngannou in Sphere 2. Joshua landed a right hand on the previous UFC heavyweight champion's chin to take him out cold. Joshua will certainly confiscate the option if Dubois produces themself similarly available, as he did against Hrgovic. Joshua is a bigger puncher than Hrgovic and also, although Dubois revealed durability to soak up punches in June, he has been actually stopped two times (through Joe Joyce in 2020 and Usyk in 2013) as well as was actually knocked down 3 times in the first round by Kevin Lerena prior to bouncing back to gain in Round 3. But it is no walk in the playground for Joshua, that additionally needs to respect Dubois' power. Dubois ruined Hrgovic's face as well as may potentially manage a surprise standstill against Joshua, similar to Andy Ruiz Jr. did in 2019. However Joshua, who ruled as champion coming from 2016 to 2019 and afterwards from 2019 to 2021, is actually more probable to gain this battle by KO.-- Parkinson.