.IBF featherweight champ Luis Alberto Lopez defends his belt versus Angelo Leo generally occasion of a Best Rank on ESPN memory card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Saturday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's final loss was in May 2019 and also he has actually won 14 consecutive fights considering that, including exceptional triumphes over Josh Warrington in England and also Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. However is he the most ideal featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko recently rejected a financially rewarding battle versus fellow light in weight champ Gervonta "Storage tank" Davis and also while he have not declared his retired life, will our company find "Hi-Tech" in the ring again?Canelo Alvarez will make his second ring look this year, however not versus the boxer enthusiasts have clamored for. Rather Than David Benavidez, Canelo will definitely experience Edgar Berlanga, who's certainly never combated at this amount in his short occupation. While Berlanga has extraordinary energy-- he started his occupation along with 16 successive first-round KOs-- can he find a technique to gain, or even a minimum of go the range against Alvarez?Former abundant champ Anthony Joshua will certainly fight for a headline for the first time in 2 years. Joshua will certainly deal with IBF champ Daniel Dubois in London, as "AJ" is favored to come to be a three-time planet champion (-550 every ESPN WAGER). And two-division champion Danny Garcia comes back to the band for just the 2nd time in virtually four years to handle WBA middleweight champ Erislandy Lara. Garcia, who succeeded waistbands at 140 and 147 extra pounds, is going up in body weight for the chance to become a three-division champion, but may he distress a more mature however still powerful Lara?Mike Coppinger and Nick Parkinson address these concerns as well as even more, making an effort to identify what's real as well as what's not.Real or otherwise: Vasiliy Lomachenko are going to resign without an additional fightNot actual ... in the meantime. Lomachenko is actually pondering retirement life, resources said to ESPN, component of the main reason he decreased a lucrative battle along with Gervonta Davis in Nov. There is actually additionally an opportunity that Lomachenko are going to come back in the first one-half of 2025 to protect his IBF lightweight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) showed up in a fighting state of mind Saturday in Los Angeles: he as well as Shakur Stevenson needed to be split at ringside during the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov card. Lomachenko was viewed telling Stevenson, "Permit's go ideal now.If that's any sort of indication, Lomachenko will definitely deal with once again. Maybe even versus Davis or even Stevenson, the 2 biggest battles on the desk for him. However if he certainly never laces up the gloves once more, Lomachenko's legacy is actually secured. He is actually a three-division champ, a first-ballot Hall of Famer as well as a pillar of the pound-for-pound listing over the final 10 years.He additionally doesn't need to combat for the cash. He is actually earned countless bucks in his career and still resides in Ukraine, where he's one of the nation's very most popular sportsmens. Regardless if he fights once more, he undoubtedly won't do this much longer. He switches 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Danny Garcia beats Erislandy Lara as well as becomes a champ in a 3rd divisionNot real. Garcia has actually upset the probabilities before, including a stunning KO sway Amir Khan and also a dominant decision triumph over Lucas Matthysse. The 1st win raised him to the higher tier of the sporting activity and the second glued that status.But the Matthysse match was 11 years earlier, though, as well as those pair of signature Garcia triumphes were at 140 pounds (he additionally succeeded a title at 147 extra pounds and went up to 154 for a July 2022 sway Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is still seeking a win that matches that, and an upset success over Lara would accommodate the bill.Garcia really did not look like the stinging counterpuncher in the majority-decision victory over Benavidez, and he hasn't completed considering that. Right now, he'll move up one more weight class (though the Lara battle is actually happening at a catchweight between 155 as well as 160 pounds) and must emulate ring inactivity. The Sept. 14 middleweight headline fight against Lara will be Garcia's second considering that December 2020, when he was directed by Errol Spence Jr.The decide on right here is Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), that, also at 41, presents enormous power, albeit versus competitors beneath Garcia's level. Lara is actually using a three-fight KO touch.-- CoppingerReal or not: Canelo Alvarez's match against Edgar Berlanga does not go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left behind, shields his recognized tremendously middleweight champion against Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Sin City. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu by means of Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, boxing's best celebrity, hasn't racked up a KO success considering that he squashed Caleb Plant in a Nov 2021 fight to gain the undisputed tremendously middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has scored a presentation in his last three matches. Versus a fighter in Berlanga, who will be actually combating on the top level for the very first time, Alvarez should add the 40th KO of his illustrious career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has been hurt in the ring before, such as in a step-up battle against Marcelo Coceres, who fell him in Round 9. And his defense isn't precisely seem. Berlanga has energy (he began his job along with 16 successive KO gains in the preliminary), and if he picks to exchange with Canelo, Alvarez should take him out.Alvarez promised as much at a pair of press conference recently to ensure the fight.-- Coppinger Real or otherwise: Nothing else lightweight champion can easily hammer Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza appears an actual risk to Lopez after agonizing Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round gain in June and also defeating Robeisy Ramirez through a majority decision to succeed the WBO label in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) floored Chirinho in three of the four shots, while his escapement gain along with Ramirez was one of the very best matches in 2023. Editor's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the tallest world featherweight champion in history-- would certainly be actually an obstacle for Lopez. Chirinho flourished to get up coming from an uppercut coming from Espinoza in Around 1, before he was actually quickly overpowered. As a specialist, Chirinho had never ever been actually knocked down prior to Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza created a shock in beating two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, as well as he outlanded him in the last 3 rounds. Although he is actually certainly not as knowledgeable as Lopez, the amount of hits he has actually thrown in his last pair of matches, along with his height and also arrive at conveniences, could show impossible for Lopez.Rey Vargas has actually appeared unconvincing in recent matches, while we still require to find much more from Scar Sphere prior to our team declare him the division's No. 1. Round (20-0-1, 11 KOs) recorded the WBA featherweight title with a split decision win over Raymond Ford in June. That victory followed a debatable draw versus Vargas for the WBC title in March. But Espinoza would tower above 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was actually disappointing versus Round and also has actually certainly not succeeded in nearly 2 years, so it is actually hard to present a debate for him in his current form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is the existing ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after stopping Reiya Abe in eight spheres in a third defense of the IBF belt in March. Lopez has beat significant challenges in title fights, like punching in a champion's home town as well as getting cut early (vs. Josh Warrington), and also if he wins on Saturday against Angelo Leo, he might maybe experience his biggest difficulty however in a label unification match versus Espinoza to crown the best competitor in the department.-- ParkinsonReal or not: Anthony Joshua will definitely KO Daniel DuboisReal. Like Dubois' rebirth has actually been actually simply a year after being visited Oleksandr Usyk, recent kind suggests his first IBF abundant title protection will end in a KO defeat to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) remains in leading type, much more thus than any other abundant. Like Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), Joshua has actually had to reconstruct his occupation, after going through next selection losses to Usyk in 2021 as well as 2022. Joshua fought meticulously, with a consentaneous selection win over Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, yet in his last three matches, he rounded off Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and also Francis Ngannou.Dubois came back from Saudi Arabia to London as IBF acting heavyweight champ after he quit Filip Hrgovic in Sphere 8. Usyk then gave up the IBF belt, which indicated Dubois was actually upgraded to total champ, and so offers Joshua with the opportunity to become a three-time world champ at Wembley Stadium in London.Joshua will attempt to manipulate what Hrgovic had repeated excellence with versus Dubois. Hrgovic continually landed right hands on Dubois in the early spheres, as well as Joshua has actually displayed in recent battles just how destructive his right hands are after he destroyed Ngannou in Sphere 2. Joshua landed a right hand on the former UFC heavyweight champ's chin to knock him out cold. Joshua is going to take the chance if Dubois produces themself in a similar way offered, as he did against Hrgovic. Joshua is actually a larger puncher than Hrgovic and also, although Dubois showed durability to take in punches in June, he has been actually stopped twice (through Joe Joyce in 2020 and Usyk in 2015) and also was actually defeated 3 times in the preliminary through Kevin Lerena prior to recovering to win in Round 3. But it is actually no walk in the park for Joshua, that likewise requires to recognize Dubois' energy. Dubois bungled Hrgovic's face and also may potentially manage a surprise halt versus Joshua, much like Andy Ruiz Jr. carried out in 2019. But Joshua, that concluded as champion coming from 2016 to 2019 and afterwards coming from 2019 to 2021, is actually very likely to win this fight through KO.-- Parkinson.