.IBF featherweight champ Luis Alberto Lopez defends his waistband versus Angelo Leo in the main occasion of a Leading Rank on ESPN card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Saturday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's final loss resided in May 2019 as well as he has actually won 14 successive battles given that, featuring excellent triumphes over Josh Warrington in England and Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. Yet is he the most effective featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko lately turned down a highly profitable match against fellow lightweight champ Gervonta "Storage tank" Davis and while he have not announced his retirement life, will our experts view "Hi-Tech" in the band again?Canelo Alvarez will definitely create his second ring appeal this year, yet not versus the competitor enthusiasts have clamored for. Rather Than David Benavidez, Canelo is going to encounter Edgar Berlanga, who is actually certainly never combated at this degree in his brief career. While Berlanga has unbelievable energy-- he began his occupation with 16 successive first-round KOs-- can he discover a means to win, or even at the very least go the span versus Alvarez?Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will definitely defend a label for the first time in two years. Joshua will definitely face IBF champ Daniel Dubois in Greater London, as "AJ" is actually chosen to come to be a three-time planet champ (-550 per ESPN BET). And two-division champ Danny Garcia goes back to the ring for only the second attend almost four years to take on WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara. Garcia, who succeeded waistbands at 140 as well as 147 pounds, is moving up in body weight for the possibility to end up being a three-division champ, yet can easily he upset a much older however still effective Lara?Mike Coppinger as well as Chip Parkinson answer these concerns as well as additional, attempting to identify what's real and also what's not.Real or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko will retire without an additional fightNot actual ... for now. Lomachenko is actually considering retirement life, sources informed ESPN, aspect of the explanation he declined a beneficial battle with Gervonta Davis in Nov. There's additionally an option that Lomachenko will certainly come back in the very first half of 2025 to shield his IBF light-weight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) showed up in a battling mood Saturday in Los Angeles: he and also Shakur Stevenson had to be actually split at ringside during the course of the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov memory card. Lomachenko was actually seen telling Stevenson, "Let's go right now.If that's any sort of evidence, Lomachenko is going to combat again. Maybe even against Davis or Stevenson, the two most significant battles on the table for him. Yet if he certainly never shoelaces up the gloves once again, Lomachenko's legacy is actually safeguarded. He's a three-division champ, a first-ballot Hall of Famer and a pillar of the pound-for-pound checklist over the final 10 years.He likewise does not need to overcome for the money. He's gotten numerous dollars in his job and still resides in Ukraine, where he is just one of the nation's very most well-liked athletes. Whether or not he combats once more, he undoubtedly will not do so much longer. He switches 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or not: Danny Garcia beats Erislandy Lara and also becomes a champion in a third divisionNot true. Garcia has upset the odds just before, consisting of a shocking KO get Amir Khan as well as a leading selection success over Lucas Matthysse. The first win elevated him to the top tier of the sport as well as the latter glued that status.But the Matthysse match was actually 11 years earlier, though, as well as those pair of trademark Garcia wins were at 140 extra pounds (he also gained a title at 147 pounds as well as moved up to 154 for a July 2022 get Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is actually still seeking a gain that matches that, and a distressed victory over Lara would certainly fit the bill.Garcia failed to be similar to the stinging counterpuncher in the majority-decision triumph over Benavidez, and also he hasn't contended due to the fact that. Currently, he'll go up another weight course (though the Lara fight is actually happening at a catchweight in between 155 and 160 extra pounds) as well as need to emulate band inactivity. The Sept. 14 middleweight headline match against Lara will be Garcia's second due to the fact that December 2020, when he was routed through Errol Spence Jr.The choose listed here is Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), that, also at 41, shows incredible power, albeit versus fighters below Garcia's degree. Lara is riding a three-fight KO streak.-- CoppingerReal or not: Canelo Alvarez's battle against Edgar Berlanga doesn't go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left behind, protects his uncontested extremely middleweight championship against Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Sin City. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu using Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, boxing's leading superstar, hasn't racked up a KO victory because he squashed Caleb Vegetation in a Nov 2021 battle to win the undisputed extremely middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has actually racked up a knockdown in his final 3 battles. Versus a boxer in Berlanga, who will definitely be dealing with on the top degree for the first time, Alvarez needs to include the 40th KO of his illustrious career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has actually been actually hurt in the ring previously, particularly in a step-up battle against Marcelo Coceres, that lost him in Round 9. As well as his protection isn't specifically appear. Berlanga has power (he began his job with 16 consecutive KO wins in the first round), and if he opts for to swap along with Canelo, Alvarez ought to take him out.Alvarez assured as a lot at a set of press conference recently to ensure the fight.-- Coppinger Real or otherwise: No other featherweight champ can easily hammer Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza appears an actual hazard to Lopez after tormenting Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round succeed in June and also defeating Robeisy Ramirez through a majority selection to win the WBO headline in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) defeated Chirinho in 3 of the four shots, while his escapement win with Ramirez was among the most ideal fights in 2023. Publisher's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the tallest globe lightweight champion in record-- will be an obstacle for Lopez. Chirinho flourished to get up from an uppercut from Espinoza in Round 1, before he was actually very soon overwhelmed. As a qualified, Chirinho had actually never been torn down just before Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza generated a surprise in pounding two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, and also he outlanded him in the last 3 rounds. Although he is actually certainly not as experienced as Lopez, the quantity of punches he has actually included his final 2 battles, alongside his height as well as reach benefits, might confirm overwhelming for Lopez.Rey Vargas has actually looked unconvincing in current matches, while our company still need to observe a lot more coming from Scar Sphere prior to our experts declare him the division's No. 1. Ball (20-0-1, 11 KOs) caught the WBA featherweight label with a split choice draw Raymond Ford in June. That accomplishment adhered to a controversial draw versus Vargas for the WBC label in March. Yet Espinoza will stand over 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was disappointing versus Ball as well as has not gained in virtually pair of years, so it is actually challenging to present an argument for him in his existing form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is the current ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after ceasing Reiya Abe in 8 rounds in a third self defense of the IBF waistband in March. Lopez has actually overcome big obstacles in label fights, like boxing in a champion's neighborhood and also receiving slice very early (vs. Josh Warrington), and if he wins on Sunday against Angelo Leo, he may probably experience his largest obstacle however in a label unification battle against Espinoza to crown the best boxer in the department.-- ParkinsonReal or not: Anthony Joshua will certainly KO Daniel DuboisReal. Just as good as Dubois' revival has actually been simply a year after being actually stopped by Oleksandr Usyk, current type recommends his first IBF abundant title self defense will certainly finish in a KO loss to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is in leading kind, extra therefore than some other heavyweight. Like Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), Joshua has had to reconstruct his job, after going through next selection losses to Usyk in 2021 and also 2022. Joshua fought meticulously, with a consentaneous choice win over Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, yet in his last three matches, he rounded off Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin as well as Francis Ngannou.Dubois came back coming from Saudi Arabia to Greater london as IBF acting big-time champion after he quit Filip Hrgovic in Round 8. Usyk after that gave up the IBF waistband, which implied Dubois was actually upgraded to complete champion, and so offers Joshua with the option to end up being a three-time planet champ at Wembley Stadium in London.Joshua will certainly attempt to exploit what Hrgovic had repeated success with against Dubois. Hrgovic consistently landed right hands on Dubois in the early arounds, and Joshua has displayed in current fights just how destructive his right hands are after he damaged Ngannou in Sphere 2. Joshua landed a right hand on the former UFC heavyweight champion's jaw to knock him out chilly. Joshua will certainly take possession of the possibility if Dubois makes himself similarly accessible, as he carried out against Hrgovic. Joshua is actually a bigger puncher than Hrgovic as well as, although Dubois showed toughness to take in type June, he has actually been actually quit two times (through Joe Joyce in 2020 as well as Usyk in 2015) as well as was actually floored 3 times in the first round by Kevin Lerena prior to bouncing back to gain in Cycle 3. Yet it is actually no walk in the playground for Joshua, who also requires to respect Dubois' energy. Dubois ruined Hrgovic's skin as well as can possibly manage a surprise blockage against Joshua, just like Andy Ruiz Jr. did in 2019. However Joshua, who ruled as champion coming from 2016 to 2019 and after that coming from 2019 to 2021, is actually most likely to gain this match through KO.-- Parkinson.