.IBF featherweight champ Luis Alberto Lopez defends his belt against Angelo Leo in the main occasion of a Top Rank on ESPN memory card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Saturday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's final reduction remained in May 2019 and he has succeeded 14 consecutive battles given that, including remarkable triumphes over Josh Warrington in England and Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. However is he the greatest featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko lately rejected a financially rewarding match versus fellow light in weight champion Gervonta "Container" Davis as well as while he have not revealed his retired life, will certainly our company view "Hi-Tech" in the band again?Canelo Alvarez are going to make his 2nd ring appeal this year, but certainly not against the boxer supporters have actually clamored for. Instead of David Benavidez, Canelo will experience Edgar Berlanga, who's never ever fought at this amount in his brief career. While Berlanga possesses incredible power-- he started his job with 16 consecutive first-round KOs-- may he locate a method to win, or a minimum of go the range against Alvarez?Former heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua will certainly fight for a title for the first time in two years. Joshua will encounter IBF champ Daniel Dubois in Greater London, as "AJ" is actually chosen to come to be a three-time planet champ (-550 per ESPN WAGER). As well as two-division champion Danny Garcia returns to the band for just the 2nd time in nearly 4 years to handle WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara. Garcia, who gained belts at 140 and 147 extra pounds, is moving up in weight for the chance to become a three-division champion, but may he distress a more mature however still powerful Lara?Mike Coppinger as well as Chip Parkinson address these concerns as well as additional, attempting to identify what's true and what is actually not.Real or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko are going to retire without one more fightNot genuine ... meanwhile. Lomachenko is pondering retirement, sources said to ESPN, aspect of the factor he dropped a highly profitable battle along with Gervonta Davis in November. There's additionally an opportunity that Lomachenko will come back in the initial one-half of 2025 to protect his IBF light-weight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) showed up in a combating 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 memory card. Lomachenko was actually viewed saying to Stevenson, "Let's go ideal now.If that's any kind of indicator, Lomachenko is going to combat again. Maybe even against Davis or even Stevenson, the two most significant fights on the desk for him. Yet if he certainly never laces up the gloves once more, Lomachenko's legacy is actually gotten. He's a three-division champ, a first-ballot Hall of Famer and also a pillar of the pound-for-pound checklist over the final 10 years.He additionally does not require to combat for the money. He's gained numerous dollars in his job as well as still dwells in Ukraine, where he is just one of the nation's very most well-known sportsmens. Whether or not he fights once more, he surely won't do so much longer. He turns 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or not: Danny Garcia beats Erislandy Lara as well as comes to be a champion in a 3rd divisionNot actual. Garcia has outplayed the odds prior to, consisting of a surprising KO sway Amir Khan and a prevalent choice triumph over Lucas Matthysse. The first gain elevated him to the higher tier of the sport and also the second sealed that status.But the Matthysse match was actually 11 years ago, though, and those two trademark Garcia wins went to 140 extra pounds (he additionally succeeded a label 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 seeking a gain that matches that, as well as a dismayed success over Lara would accommodate the bill.Garcia failed to resemble the sharp counterpuncher in the majority-decision success over Benavidez, as well as he have not contended since. Now, he'll move up another weight lesson (though the Lara fight is happening at a catchweight between 155 and 160 extra pounds) as well as must contend with band inactivity. The Sept. 14 middleweight title match against Lara will definitely be actually Garcia's 2nd since December 2020, when he was actually transmitted by Errol Spence Jr.The pick listed here is Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), who, even at 41, reveals tremendous energy, albeit versus fighters below Garcia's degree. Lara is actually riding a three-fight KO streak.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Canelo Alvarez's fight against Edgar Berlanga doesn't go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left, safeguards his recognized tremendously middleweight champion versus Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu through Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, punching's top star, hasn't racked up a KO triumph due to the fact that he smoothed Caleb Plant in a November 2021 battle to succeed the unquestioned super middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has scored a knockdown in his final three matches. Versus a boxer in Berlanga, who will be actually fighting on the top degree for the first time, Alvarez must add the 40th KO of his illustrious career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has actually been hurt in the band before, such as in a step-up match against Marcelo Coceres, that dropped him in Round 9. As well as his protection isn't exactly sound. Berlanga possesses electrical power (he started his career along with 16 consecutive KO wins in the first round), as well as if he picks to trade with Canelo, Alvarez ought to take him out.Alvarez assured as much at a pair of news conferences today to ensure the fight.-- Coppinger Real or otherwise: Nothing else featherweight champ can easily beat Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza appears a true risk to Lopez after torturing Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round gain in June as well as defeating Robeisy Ramirez through a bulk 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 one of the very best battles in 2023. Editor's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the tallest globe light champion in past-- would be an obstacle for Lopez. Chirinho did well to stand up from an uppercut from Espinoza in Round 1, just before he was actually very soon overwhelmed. As a qualified, Chirinho had certainly never been actually torn down just before Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza produced a surprise in pounding two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, and also he outlanded him in the final 3 rounds. Although he is actually certainly not as professional as Lopez, the quantity of hits he has actually included his final pair of fights, alongside his height as well as arrive at perks, could show overwhelming for Lopez.Rey Vargas has actually looked unconvincing in recent battles, while our experts still need to observe extra from Nick Round before our team announce him the branch's No. 1. Ball (20-0-1, 11 KOs) captured the WBA featherweight title with a split choice gain Raymond Ford in June. That conquest observed a debatable draw versus Vargas for the WBC label in March. However Espinoza would stand over 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was actually disappointing versus Ball and has certainly not succeeded in virtually 2 years, so it is actually challenging to present a debate for him in his existing form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is actually the current ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after ceasing Reiya Abe in 8 rounds in a third defense of the IBF belt in March. Lopez has eliminated major obstacles in label fights, like punching in a champion's home town and also acquiring cut early (vs. Josh Warrington), and also if he succeeds on Saturday against Angelo Leo, he may maybe experience his most significant problem yet in a label unification battle versus Espinoza to crown the most effective boxer in the branch.-- ParkinsonReal or otherwise: Anthony Joshua will KO Daniel DuboisReal. Comparable to Dubois' resurgence has been actually simply a year after being come by Oleksandr Usyk, latest form recommends his initial IBF heavyweight title defense are going to end in a KO defeat to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is in leading form, much more therefore than any other heavyweight. Like Dubois (21-2, twenty KOs), Joshua has actually had to reconstruct his career, after experiencing back-to-back selection reductions to Usyk in 2021 and also 2022. Joshua battled meticulously, with an unanimous selection draw Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, yet in his final 3 fights, he finished off Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou.Dubois came back from Saudi Arabia to London as IBF acting big-time champion after he ceased Filip Hrgovic in Round 8. Usyk after that gave up the IBF belt, which indicated Dubois was actually upgraded to full champ, and so offers Joshua along with the possibility to end up being a three-time planet champ at Wembley Stadium in London.Joshua will definitely make an effort to manipulate what Hrgovic had duplicated success with against Dubois. Hrgovic regularly landed right-hand men on Dubois in the early spheres, as well as Joshua has actually received recent matches exactly how damaging his right hands seek he ruined Ngannou in Round 2. Joshua landed a right-hand man on the former UFC heavyweight champ's chin to knock him out cold. Joshua will confiscate the possibility if Dubois produces himself similarly accessible, as he carried out against Hrgovic. Joshua is actually a much bigger puncher than Hrgovic and also, although Dubois showed sturdiness to take in punches in June, he has been stopped two times (through Joe Joyce in 2020 and also Usyk in 2013) as well as was defeated three attend the preliminary through Kevin Lerena prior to bouncing back to win in Round 3. However it is no stroll in the park for Joshua, that likewise requires to value Dubois' power. Dubois bungled Hrgovic's skin as well as can possibly pull off a surprise halt against Joshua, similar to Andy Ruiz Jr. carried out in 2019. However Joshua, that concluded as champ coming from 2016 to 2019 and after that coming from 2019 to 2021, is actually very likely to succeed this match through KO.-- Parkinson.