.IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez defends his belt against Angelo Leo generally event of a Leading Ranking on ESPN card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Saturday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's final reduction resided in May 2019 and he has won 14 consecutive fights due to the fact that, consisting of outstanding success over Josh Warrington in England and Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. However is he the greatest featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko recently refused a rewarding battle against fellow lightweight champion Gervonta "Tank" Davis as well as while he hasn't declared his retirement life, will we view "Hi-Tech" in the ring again?Canelo Alvarez will definitely make his second band look this year, but not against the fighter followers have actually demanded. Rather Than David Benavidez, Canelo will face Edgar Berlanga, that is actually never battled at this amount in his quick occupation. While Berlanga has awesome energy-- he started his career along with 16 consecutive first-round KOs-- can he find a technique to win, or even at least go the span versus Alvarez?Former abundant champion Anthony Joshua will definitely fight for a title for the very first time in pair of years. Joshua will face IBF champion Daniel Dubois in London, as "AJ" is actually chosen to come to be a three-time globe champion (-550 per ESPN BET). And also two-division champion Danny Garcia returns to the band for only the 2nd attend nearly 4 years to tackle WBA middleweight champ Erislandy Lara. Garcia, who gained belts at 140 and also 147 extra pounds, is actually going up in body weight for the possibility to end up being a three-division champion, however can he upset a much older yet still effective Lara?Mike Coppinger and Nick Parkinson respond to these concerns and also even more, trying to differentiate what's real as well as what is actually not.Real or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko will certainly retire without yet another fightNot true ... for now. Lomachenko is actually pondering retirement, resources informed ESPN, aspect of the factor he declined a beneficial match with Gervonta Davis in November. There is actually likewise an option that Lomachenko are going to return in the 1st fifty percent of 2025 to defend his IBF light in weight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) appeared in a dealing with state of mind Saturday in Los Angeles: he as well as Shakur Stevenson had to be actually separated at ringside during the course of the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov memory card. Lomachenko was observed saying to Stevenson, "Let's go correct now.If that's any type of indicator, Lomachenko will battle once more. Perhaps even against Davis or even Stevenson, the two most significant matches on the desk for him. However if he certainly never laces up the gloves once again, Lomachenko's legacy is safeguarded. He's a three-division champion, a first-ballot Venue of Famer and a pillar of the pound-for-pound checklist over the final 10 years.He additionally does not require to eliminate for the cash. He is actually made countless dollars in his career and still stays in Ukraine, where he's one of the nation's very most well-known sportsmens. Whether or not he battles once again, he definitely won't accomplish this a lot longer. He turns 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or not: Danny Garcia beats Erislandy Lara and also ends up being a champion in a 3rd divisionNot real. Garcia has actually outplayed the chances just before, consisting of a stunning KO draw Amir Khan and also a prevalent decision triumph over Lucas Matthysse. The initial win lifted him to the top echelon of the sporting activity as well as the second bound that status.But the Matthysse match was 11 years earlier, though, as well as those two signature Garcia victories were at 140 pounds (he additionally succeeded a title at 147 extra pounds as well as moved up to 154 for a July 2022 sway Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is actually still seeking a win that matches that, and an upset victory over Lara would fit the bill.Garcia didn't appear like the stinging counterpuncher in the majority-decision victory over Benavidez, as well as he have not completed since. Currently, he'll move up another body weight class (though the Lara fight is taking place at a catchweight between 155 as well as 160 pounds) and must contend with ring lack of exercise. The Sept. 14 middleweight label battle versus Lara will certainly be Garcia's 2nd since December 2020, when he was actually routed through Errol Spence Jr.The pick right here is Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), that, even at 41, reveals significant power, albeit against competitors below Garcia's level. Lara is riding a three-fight KO touch.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Canelo Alvarez's match against Edgar Berlanga does not go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left behind, protects his recognized very middleweight champion against Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Sin City. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu through Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, boxing's leading superstar, have not scored a KO victory since he smoothed Caleb Plant in a Nov 2021 fight to succeed the recognized super middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has racked up a knockdown in his final three fights. Against a fighter in Berlanga, who will certainly be dealing with on the top level for the first time, Alvarez needs to incorporate the 40th KO of his illustrious career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has been actually hurt in the ring previously, particularly in a step-up match versus Marcelo Coceres, that dropped him in Round 9. And also his protection isn't exactly appear. Berlanga possesses electrical power (he began his occupation along with 16 successive KO wins in the preliminary), as well as if he chooses to swap along with Canelo, Alvarez should take him out.Alvarez assured as a lot at a pair of news conferences today to advertise the battle.-- Coppinger Real or otherwise: Nothing else lightweight champ can easily hammer Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza appears a genuine danger to Lopez after agonizing Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round win in June and also beating Robeisy Ramirez through a bulk decision to gain the WBO label in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) defeated Chirinho in three of the 4 rounds, while his outbreak succeed with Ramirez was one of the most effective battles in 2023. Publisher's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the highest globe light champ in past history-- will be actually a problem for Lopez. Chirinho succeeded to get out of bed coming from an uppercut coming from Espinoza in Sphere 1, before he was very soon overpowered. As a qualified, Chirinho had certainly never been brought down before Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza generated a surprise in beating two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, and he outlanded him in the final three spheres. Although he is actually certainly not as seasoned as Lopez, the volume of blows he has thrown in his final pair of battles, together with his height and also arrive at conveniences, might prove unbeatable for Lopez.Rey Vargas has actually appeared implausible in recent fights, while our team still require to observe much more coming from Chip Ball before our experts proclaim him the department's No. 1. Round (20-0-1, 11 KOs) caught the WBA featherweight label 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 will stand over 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was frustrating versus Ball and also has actually certainly not won in almost 2 years, so it is actually challenging to provide a debate for him in his present form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is actually the present ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after quiting Reiya Abe in eight spheres in a third self defense of the IBF waistband in March. Lopez has conquered significant obstacles in headline fights, like boxing in a champion's neighborhood and also obtaining slice early (vs. Josh Warrington), and if he gains on Saturday against Angelo Leo, he may probably experience his biggest obstacle but in a title unification fight against Espinoza to crown the greatest boxer in the department.-- ParkinsonReal or not: Anthony Joshua will definitely KO Daniel DuboisReal. As good as Dubois' rebirth has actually been actually only a year after being come by Oleksandr Usyk, latest kind proposes his 1st IBF abundant headline defense will end in a KO defeat to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) remains in best form, extra so than every other heavyweight. Like Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), Joshua has must restore his career, after going through next decision reductions to Usyk in 2021 and also 2022. Joshua battled cautiously, with an unanimous selection win over Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, but in his final 3 matches, he rounded off Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou.Dubois returned coming from Saudi Arabia to Greater london as IBF acting big-time champ after he stopped Filip Hrgovic in Sphere 8. Usyk after that gave up the IBF belt, which meant Dubois was updated to full champ, therefore offers Joshua along with the chance to come to be a three-time globe champ at Wembley Stadium in London.Joshua will definitely attempt to manipulate what Hrgovic had duplicated results along with against Dubois. Hrgovic constantly landed right-hand men on Dubois in the very early arounds, and also Joshua has actually received recent fights exactly how damaging his right hands desire he damaged Ngannou in Round 2. Joshua landed a right hand on the former UFC big-time champion's chin to take him out cool. Joshua is going to seize the chance if Dubois makes themself similarly accessible, as he did against Hrgovic. Joshua is a greater puncher than Hrgovic and, although Dubois presented resilience to absorb punches in June, he has been actually stopped twice (by Joe Joyce in 2020 as well as Usyk in 2015) and was defeated three times in the first round through Kevin Lerena prior to recovering to succeed in Round 3. However it is no walk in the park for Joshua, that likewise needs to recognize Dubois' electrical power. Dubois bungled Hrgovic's face as well as may possibly carry out a shock blockage against Joshua, similar to Andy Ruiz Jr. did in 2019. However Joshua, who concluded as champ coming from 2016 to 2019 and afterwards coming from 2019 to 2021, is very likely to gain this battle by KO.-- Parkinson.