.IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez defends his waistband versus Angelo Leo generally activity of a Leading Ranking on ESPN memory card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Sunday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's last reduction remained in May 2019 and he has actually gained 14 consecutive matches due to the fact that, consisting of remarkable victories over Josh Warrington in England and Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. But is he the very best featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko just recently denied a highly profitable fight versus fellow light-weight champ Gervonta "Storage tank" Davis and also while he have not declared his retirement life, will definitely we find "Hi-Tech" in the band again?Canelo Alvarez will certainly create his second band appearance this year, yet certainly not versus the competitor followers have actually demanded. Instead of David Benavidez, Canelo will certainly deal with Edgar Berlanga, that's never dealt with at this amount in his brief career. While Berlanga has incredible power-- he began his occupation with 16 successive first-round KOs-- can he find a means to succeed, or at the very least go the proximity versus Alvarez?Former heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua will certainly fight for a title for the first time in two years. Joshua will definitely experience IBF champ Daniel Dubois in London, as "AJ" is chosen to end up being a three-time globe champ (-550 every ESPN BET). And two-division champ Danny Garcia goes back to the ring for just the 2nd time in virtually 4 years to take on WBA middleweight champ Erislandy Lara. Garcia, who succeeded belts at 140 as well as 147 extra pounds, is actually moving up in weight for the chance to become a three-division champ, but can he upset a much older yet still highly effective Lara?Mike Coppinger and Scar Parkinson answer these concerns and also even more, attempting to differentiate what's true and also what's not.Real or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko will definitely retire without another fightNot true ... in the meantime. Lomachenko is reflecting upon retirement life, resources told ESPN, component of the reason he decreased a rewarding match with Gervonta Davis in November. There's additionally a possibility that Lomachenko will definitely come back in the first half of 2025 to safeguard his IBF lightweight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) appeared in a dealing with mood Sunday in Los Angeles: he as well as Shakur Stevenson needed to be divided at ringside during the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov memory card. Lomachenko was found informing Stevenson, "Allow's go ideal now.If that is actually any kind of evidence, Lomachenko is going to deal with once again. Maybe even against Davis or Stevenson, the two greatest matches on the table for him. But if he certainly never shoelaces up the handwear covers again, Lomachenko's heritage is actually gotten. He's a three-division champ, a first-ballot Hall of Famer as well as a pillar of the pound-for-pound checklist over the last 10 years.He additionally does not need to fight for the cash. He's gained countless bucks in his job and still lives in Ukraine, where he is among the nation's most prominent professional athletes. Whether he fights again, he absolutely will not accomplish this a lot longer. He transforms 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Danny Garcia hammers Erislandy Lara and comes to be a champion in a third divisionNot real. Garcia has actually outplayed the odds just before, featuring a shocking KO get Amir Khan as well as a dominant decision success over Lucas Matthysse. The initial gain lifted him to the top echelon of the sporting activity and the last bound that status.But the Matthysse fight was 11 years ago, however, and also those two signature Garcia triumphes were at 140 pounds (he likewise gained a headline at 147 extra pounds as well as moved up to 154 for a July 2022 draw Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is actually still searching for a win that matches that, and an upset success over Lara would certainly fit the bill.Garcia didn't appear like the stinging counterpuncher in the majority-decision victory over Benavidez, and also he have not competed because. Now, he'll go up yet another body weight class (though the Lara match is occurring at a catchweight in between 155 and also 160 extra pounds) and need to emulate band sluggishness. The Sept. 14 middleweight title battle versus Lara will definitely be Garcia's second due to the fact that December 2020, when he was actually routed by Errol Spence Jr.The choose right here is Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), who, even at 41, presents tremendous electrical power, albeit against boxers beneath Garcia's degree. Lara is using a three-fight KO touch.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Canelo Alvarez's battle versus Edgar Berlanga doesn't go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left, defends his undisputed extremely middleweight championship versus Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu using Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, boxing's top celebrity, have not racked up a KO victory because he flattened Caleb Vegetation in a Nov 2021 match to gain the uncontested tremendously 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 definitely be actually fighting on the best level for the first time, Alvarez ought to incorporate the 40th KO of his remarkable career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has actually been actually harmed in the band previously, such as in a step-up fight against Marcelo Coceres, that lost him in Cycle 9. As well as his defense isn't exactly seem. Berlanga possesses energy (he began his career along with 16 consecutive KO succeeds in the first round), and if he decides on to swap along with Canelo, Alvarez must take him out.Alvarez promised as much at a set of news conferences today to advertise the fight.-- Coppinger Real or otherwise: Not one other lightweight champ can beat Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza appears a real hazard to Lopez after agonizing Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round win in June and defeating Robeisy Ramirez by a bulk choice to win the WBO title in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) knocked down Chirinho in 3 of the 4 rounds, while his breakout succeed with Ramirez was just one of the very best matches in 2023. Editor's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the highest world lightweight champ in past-- would certainly be actually an obstacle for Lopez. Chirinho flourished to rise from an uppercut coming from Espinoza in Sphere 1, before he was actually soon subdued. As an expert, Chirinho had actually never been knocked down just before Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza generated a shock in pounding two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, and he outlanded him in the final 3 arounds. Although he is actually certainly not as professional as Lopez, the quantity of hits he has thrown in his last two matches, together with his height and reach advantages, can prove unbeatable for Lopez.Rey Vargas has actually looked implausible in current fights, while our team still need to have to find much more coming from Nick Sphere just before our company announce him the department's No. 1. Sphere (20-0-1, 11 KOs) captured the WBA featherweight label along with a split selection sway Raymond Ford in June. That victory adhered to a controversial draw versus Vargas for the WBC title in March. However Espinoza would certainly stand over 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was frustrating versus Ball as well as has actually not succeeded in virtually two years, so it is actually hard to offer a debate for him in his existing form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is the existing ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after stopping Reiya Abe in eight rounds in a third protection of the IBF waistband in March. Lopez has actually gotten rid of huge problems in title matches, like punching in a champion's neighborhood as well as receiving cut very early (vs. Josh Warrington), and if he gains on Sunday versus Angelo Leo, he may maybe encounter his largest challenge but in a label marriage fight versus Espinoza to crown the most ideal fighter in the branch.-- ParkinsonReal or otherwise: Anthony Joshua are going to KO Daniel DuboisReal. Just as good as Dubois' revival has actually been actually only a year after being actually dropped in Oleksandr Usyk, current kind proposes his very first IBF heavyweight headline defense will end in a KO defeat to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) remains in best type, even more therefore than any other abundant. Like Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), Joshua has actually must fix his profession, after suffering back-to-back decision reductions to Usyk in 2021 and also 2022. Joshua dealt with very carefully, along with a consentaneous choice sway Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, however in his final 3 fights, he finished off Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou.Dubois returned coming from Saudi Arabia to London as IBF acting heavyweight champ after he stopped Filip Hrgovic in Around 8. Usyk after that gave up the IBF waistband, which suggested Dubois was actually improved to total champ, consequently provides Joshua with the possibility to end up being a three-time world champ at Wembley Coliseum in London.Joshua will certainly try to exploit what Hrgovic had actually repeated success with versus Dubois. Hrgovic regularly landed right hands on Dubois in the very early rounds, and also Joshua has shown in current fights how harmful his right hands desire he ruined Ngannou in Around 2. Joshua landed a right-hand man on the previous UFC heavyweight champion's face to take him out cool. Joshua will seize the possibility if Dubois produces themself likewise on call, as he performed versus Hrgovic. Joshua is actually a larger puncher than Hrgovic and also, although Dubois presented resilience to soak up punches in June, he has actually been quit two times (through Joe Joyce in 2020 as well as Usyk in 2013) and also was actually defeated three times in the first round through Kevin Lerena prior to recuperating to gain in Cycle 3. Yet it is no walk in the playground for Joshua, who likewise requires to appreciate Dubois' power. Dubois bungled Hrgovic's face and also can potentially manage a surprise blockage versus Joshua, similar to Andy Ruiz Jr. carried out in 2019. However Joshua, who concluded as champ coming from 2016 to 2019 and after that from 2019 to 2021, is most likely to gain this match through KO.-- Parkinson.