.IBF featherweight champ Luis Alberto Lopez defends his belt versus Angelo Leo in the main celebration of a Best Ranking on ESPN card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Sunday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's final reduction resided in May 2019 and he has actually succeeded 14 successive matches since, featuring excellent success over Josh Warrington in England as well as Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. Yet is he the best featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko just recently declined a highly profitable battle versus fellow light-weight champ Gervonta "Tank" Davis as well as while he hasn't revealed his retirement, will certainly our experts find "Hi-Tech" in the ring again?Canelo Alvarez will create his second ring look this year, yet not against the fighter enthusiasts have actually clamored for. Rather Than David Benavidez, Canelo will certainly deal with Edgar Berlanga, that's never combated at this level in his brief job. While Berlanga possesses amazing electrical power-- he began his career with 16 successive first-round KOs-- can easily he find a means to win, or even at least go the span against Alvarez?Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will certainly defend a headline for the first time in 2 years. Joshua will certainly experience IBF champion Daniel Dubois in Greater London, as "AJ" is actually favored to end up being a three-time planet champion (-550 per ESPN BET). And two-division champ Danny Garcia goes back to the band for simply the second time in almost 4 years to take on WBA middleweight champ Erislandy Lara. Garcia, who succeeded waistbands at 140 as well as 147 pounds, is actually going up in body weight for the chance to come to be a three-division champion, however can easily he distress an older but still effective Lara?Mike Coppinger and Chip Parkinson answer these concerns as well as more, making an effort to differentiate what's genuine and what is actually not.Real or otherwise: Vasiliy Lomachenko will retire without one more fightNot true ... in the meantime. Lomachenko is actually considering retired life, sources informed ESPN, part of the cause he declined a highly profitable fight with Gervonta Davis in November. There is actually also an option that Lomachenko will come back in the very first fifty percent of 2025 to guard his IBF lightweight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) showed up in a combating state of mind Sunday in Los Angeles: he and also Shakur Stevenson needed to be actually divided at ringside in the course of the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov card. Lomachenko was actually viewed saying to Stevenson, "Permit's go appropriate now.If that's any indicator, Lomachenko will fight again. Maybe even versus Davis or Stevenson, the two most significant matches on the desk for him. However if he never laces up the handwear covers once more, Lomachenko's legacy is actually safeguarded. He is actually a three-division champion, a first-ballot Venue of Famer as well as a backbone of the pound-for-pound list over the last 10 years.He likewise doesn't require to overcome for the money. He is actually gained millions of bucks in his job as well as still dwells in Ukraine, where he is just one of the country's most popular athletes. Whether he deals with once more, he surely will not accomplish this much longer. He transforms 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Danny Garcia hammers Erislandy Lara as well as ends up being a champ in a 3rd divisionNot true. Garcia has actually outplayed the possibilities prior to, consisting of a stunning KO sway Amir Khan as well as a prevalent choice success over Lucas Matthysse. The very first win lifted him to the higher tier of the sporting activity and also the latter glued that status.But the Matthysse match was 11 years back, though, and those pair of signature Garcia triumphes went to 140 extra pounds (he likewise succeeded a title at 147 pounds and also went up to 154 for a July 2022 gain Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is actually still searching for a gain that matches that, and also an upset triumph over Lara would fit the bill.Garcia really did not appear like the sharp counterpuncher in the majority-decision triumph over Benavidez, and also he hasn't contended since. Right now, he'll go up another body weight class (though the Lara fight is happening at a catchweight between 155 as well as 160 extra pounds) and also have to emulate band stagnation. The Sept. 14 middleweight headline fight against Lara will certainly be Garcia's second because December 2020, when he was routed by Errol Spence Jr.The choose here is actually Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), that, also at 41, reveals significant energy, albeit against boxers beneath Garcia's degree. Lara is actually riding a three-fight KO touch.-- CoppingerReal or not: Canelo Alvarez's battle against Edgar Berlanga doesn't go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left, safeguards his undeniable incredibly middleweight championship against Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu using Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, punching's leading star, hasn't racked up a KO triumph due to the fact that he squashed Caleb Vegetation in a Nov 2021 fight to win the uncontested tremendously middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has scored a presentation in his final 3 matches. Versus a competitor in Berlanga, that will definitely be actually dealing with on the leading level for the very first time, Alvarez should include the 40th KO of his remarkable career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has been injured in the band in the past, specifically in a step-up battle versus Marcelo Coceres, that dropped him in Round 9. And his defense isn't specifically appear. Berlanga has electrical power (he began his job along with 16 consecutive KO wins in the preliminary), and also if he picks to exchange with Canelo, Alvarez must take him out.Alvarez vowed as much at a pair of press conference this week to advertise the match.-- Coppinger Real or not: Not one other featherweight champion may hammer Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza appears a true risk to Lopez after agonizing Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round win in June and defeating Robeisy Ramirez through a majority decision to succeed the WBO title in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) floored Chirinho in 3 of the 4 rounds, while his outbreak win with Ramirez was just one of the most ideal battles in 2023. Editor's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the highest globe light champ in past-- would certainly be actually an obstacle for Lopez. Chirinho did well to rise coming from an uppercut coming from Espinoza in Round 1, before he was actually soon overwhelmed. As a specialist, Chirinho had actually never been actually knocked down before Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza generated a shock in pounding two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, as well as he outlanded him in the last 3 spheres. Although he is actually certainly not as professional as Lopez, the volume of strikes he has actually thrown in his last 2 matches, along with his height as well as reach benefits, could possibly prove insurmountable for Lopez.Rey Vargas has appeared unconvincing in latest battles, while we still need to have to see more coming from Chip Sphere just before our experts declare him the division's No. 1. Round (20-0-1, 11 KOs) caught the WBA featherweight headline along with a split choice get Raymond Ford in June. That accomplishment complied with a controversial draw versus Vargas for the WBC label in March. Yet Espinoza would certainly tower above 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was actually disappointing versus Sphere as well as has not succeeded in nearly 2 years, so it is difficult to present a debate for him in his present form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is the current ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after quiting Reiya Abe in 8 spheres in a 3rd defense of the IBF belt in March. Lopez has actually beat huge difficulties in title matches, like punching in a champ's neighborhood and getting slice very early (vs. Josh Warrington), as well as if he wins on Sunday against Angelo Leo, he might possibly experience his largest challenge however in a title unification fight against Espinoza to dental crown the very best competitor in the division.-- ParkinsonReal or otherwise: Anthony Joshua are going to KO Daniel DuboisReal. Just as good as Dubois' revival has been actually merely a year after being actually dropped in Oleksandr Usyk, recent type suggests his 1st IBF abundant label defense will certainly finish in a KO defeat to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is in top kind, even more thus than every other abundant. Like Dubois (21-2, twenty KOs), Joshua has actually must rebuild his profession, after suffering next selection losses to Usyk in 2021 as well as 2022. Joshua combated cautiously, along with a consensual choice gain Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, but in his last 3 battles, he accomplished Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin as well as Francis Ngannou.Dubois came back from Saudi Arabia to Greater london as IBF acting big-time champion after he quit Filip Hrgovic in Sphere 8. Usyk at that point relinquished the IBF belt, which meant Dubois was actually updated to total champion, therefore provides Joshua with the option to come to be a three-time world champ at Wembley Coliseum in London.Joshua will make an effort to exploit what Hrgovic had duplicated excellence with versus Dubois. Hrgovic continuously landed right-hand men on Dubois in the early spheres, and Joshua has shown in recent battles just how destructive his right hands seek he destroyed Ngannou in Round 2. Joshua landed a right-hand man on the past UFC big-time champ's jaw to knock him out chilly. Joshua will certainly seize the possibility if Dubois creates himself in a similar way available, as he performed versus Hrgovic. Joshua is actually a larger puncher than Hrgovic and, although Dubois presented resilience to absorb type June, he has been actually stopped two times (by Joe Joyce in 2020 and also Usyk last year) as well as was actually knocked down three times in the first round through Kevin Lerena before recovering to win in Cycle 3. Yet it is actually no stroll in the park for Joshua, that also needs to have to value Dubois' electrical power. Dubois ruined Hrgovic's skin and can possibly pull off a surprise discontinuance versus Joshua, much like Andy Ruiz Jr. did in 2019. Yet Joshua, who concluded as champ from 2016 to 2019 and after that from 2019 to 2021, is actually very likely to succeed this fight by KO.-- Parkinson.