.IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez defends his waistband against Angelo Leo generally celebration of a Best Ranking on ESPN card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Saturday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's last loss resided in May 2019 as well as he has succeeded 14 successive matches because, including outstanding victories over Josh Warrington in England as well as Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. However is he the greatest featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko recently turned down a profitable battle against fellow light-weight champion Gervonta "Tank" Davis and also while he hasn't revealed his retirement, will certainly our experts see "Hi-Tech" in the band again?Canelo Alvarez are going to make his 2nd band look this year, but not versus the boxer followers have actually demanded. As Opposed To David Benavidez, Canelo will certainly experience Edgar Berlanga, that is actually certainly never combated at this level in his short occupation. While Berlanga has awesome electrical power-- he began his career with 16 successive first-round KOs-- can easily he find a way to win, or at least go the range against Alvarez?Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will certainly defend a label for the first time in 2 years. Joshua will face IBF champ Daniel Dubois in London, as "AJ" is favored to become a three-time world champ (-550 every ESPN BET). And also two-division champ Danny Garcia comes back to the band for just the second attend just about four years to tackle WBA middleweight champ Erislandy Lara. Garcia, that gained waistbands at 140 and 147 pounds, is actually going up in body weight for the odds to become a three-division champion, yet can he distress a much older yet still highly effective Lara?Mike Coppinger and Nick Parkinson address these inquiries and additional, making an effort to differentiate what's true and also what is actually not.Real or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko will definitely resign without an additional fightNot genuine ... for now. Lomachenko is contemplating retirement life, resources informed ESPN, part of the factor he dropped a financially rewarding match with Gervonta Davis in November. There's also a possibility that Lomachenko will come back in the very first one-half of 2025 to shield his IBF light-weight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) appeared in a fighting state of mind Saturday in Los Angeles: he and Shakur Stevenson needed to be actually separated at ringside during the course of the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov memory card. Lomachenko was viewed saying to Stevenson, "Let's go best now.If that is actually any sort of indicator, Lomachenko will definitely combat once more. Maybe even versus Davis or Stevenson, the 2 most significant battles on the table for him. Yet if he never ever laces up the gloves again, Lomachenko's tradition is actually safeguarded. He is actually a three-division champ, a first-ballot Hall of Famer as well as a pillar of the pound-for-pound listing over the last 10 years.He likewise doesn't need to have to combat for the cash. He is actually earned numerous bucks in his career and still stays in Ukraine, where he is just one of the nation's most prominent professional athletes. Whether he deals with again, he surely will not do this a lot longer. He turns 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or not: Danny Garcia beats Erislandy Lara as well as comes to be a champ in a 3rd divisionNot actual. Garcia has actually upset the possibilities just before, consisting of an astonishing KO gain Amir Khan as well as a leading choice victory over Lucas Matthysse. The first gain elevated him to the top echelon of the sporting activity and the latter glued that status.But the Matthysse fight was 11 years ago, however, and those pair of trademark Garcia victories were at 140 pounds (he additionally gained a label at 147 extra pounds and moved up to 154 for a July 2022 get Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is still looking for a gain that matches that, and also an upset success over Lara would fit the bill.Garcia failed to resemble the sharp counterpuncher in the majority-decision victory over Benavidez, as well as he hasn't competed considering that. Now, he'll go up an additional weight training class (though the Lara fight is actually occurring at a catchweight in between 155 and 160 extra pounds) as well as have to contend with band inactivity. The Sept. 14 middleweight headline fight against Lara will certainly be Garcia's second due to the fact that December 2020, when he was directed by Errol Spence Jr.The pick below is actually Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), who, even at 41, reveals tremendous electrical power, albeit against fighters beneath Garcia's amount. Lara is actually using a three-fight KO touch.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Canelo Alvarez's match versus Edgar Berlanga doesn't go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left behind, guards his recognized super middleweight champion against Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu by means of Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, punching's best celebrity, have not racked up a KO victory considering that he smoothed Caleb Vegetation in a Nov 2021 fight to succeed the unquestioned super middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has racked up a knockdown in his last three fights. Against a competitor in Berlanga, who will be actually battling on the best level for the first time, Alvarez should include the 40th KO of his remarkable career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has actually been actually harmed in the band previously, namely in a step-up fight against Marcelo Coceres, who fell him in Cycle 9. As well as his protection isn't precisely sound. Berlanga possesses energy (he began his occupation along with 16 successive KO succeeds in the first round), and also if he selects to exchange along with Canelo, Alvarez should take him out.Alvarez promised as a lot at a pair of news conferences recently to advertise the match.-- Coppinger Real or otherwise: Nothing else featherweight champ may beat Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza appears a true risk to Lopez after agonizing Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round gain in June as well as defeating Robeisy Ramirez by a majority choice to gain the WBO headline in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) knocked down Chirinho in 3 of the 4 rounds, while his outbreak win with Ramirez was one of the most ideal matches in 2023. Publisher's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the tallest planet lightweight champ in background-- will be actually a problem for Lopez. Chirinho flourished to rise coming from an uppercut coming from Espinoza in Sphere 1, prior to he was actually quickly overpowered. As a professional, Chirinho had actually never ever been torn down just before Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza created a surprise in beating two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, as well as he outlanded him in the final 3 spheres. Although he is not as professional as Lopez, the amount of hits he has actually included his final 2 matches, together with his height as well as arrive at perks, could possibly verify overwhelming for Lopez.Rey Vargas has looked implausible in latest matches, while our company still require to view even more coming from Chip Round before our experts announce him the branch's No. 1. Ball (20-0-1, 11 KOs) caught the WBA featherweight headline with a split choice get Raymond Ford in June. That accomplishment followed a questionable draw versus Vargas for the WBC headline in March. Yet Espinoza would certainly stand over 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was actually frustrating versus Sphere and has actually certainly not won in nearly two years, so it is actually tough to present an argument for him in his present form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is the present ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after quiting Reiya Abe in 8 spheres in a third protection of the IBF belt in March. Lopez has actually overcome major obstacles in headline battles, like boxing in a champion's hometown as well as acquiring cut very early (vs. Josh Warrington), and if he wins on Saturday against Angelo Leo, he may possibly face his largest challenge however in a label marriage fight versus Espinoza to crown the most ideal competitor in the division.-- ParkinsonReal or not: Anthony Joshua are going to KO Daniel DuboisReal. Comparable to Dubois' revival has been actually only a year after being come by Oleksandr Usyk, current kind recommends his initial IBF heavyweight headline protection are going to end in a KO loss to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is in best kind, even more so than every other heavyweight. Like Dubois (21-2, twenty KOs), Joshua has actually must reconstruct his job, after suffering back-to-back decision losses to Usyk in 2021 and 2022. Joshua dealt with carefully, along with an unanimous selection draw Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, however in his last 3 battles, he accomplished Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou.Dubois came back from Saudi Arabia to Greater london as IBF acting big-time champion after he ceased Filip Hrgovic in Round 8. Usyk after that relinquished the IBF waistband, which suggested Dubois was actually upgraded to full champ, therefore provides Joshua along with the opportunity to come to be a three-time world champ at Wembley Stadium in London.Joshua are going to try to exploit what Hrgovic had redoed results with versus Dubois. Hrgovic consistently landed right hands on Dubois in the early spheres, and Joshua has actually displayed in latest matches how detrimental his right hands want he damaged Ngannou in Around 2. Joshua landed a right-hand man on the previous UFC heavyweight champion's face to knock him out chilly. Joshua will certainly seize the possibility if Dubois produces himself likewise offered, as he carried out versus Hrgovic. Joshua is actually a much bigger puncher than Hrgovic and, although Dubois presented sturdiness to take in punches in June, he has actually been ceased twice (through Joe Joyce in 2020 and also Usyk in 2013) as well as was actually defeated three attend the first round by Kevin Lerena before recouping to gain in Cycle 3. However it is actually no stroll in the playground for Joshua, that additionally requires to recognize Dubois' power. Dubois ruined Hrgovic's face and also may likely pull off a surprise deduction versus Joshua, much like Andy Ruiz Jr. performed in 2019. Yet Joshua, who ruled as champ from 2016 to 2019 and then from 2019 to 2021, is most likely to win this fight by KO.-- Parkinson.