.IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez defends his belt against Angelo Leo generally occasion of a Top Rank on ESPN memory card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Sunday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's last loss was in May 2019 and he has actually gained 14 consecutive battles due to the fact that, including excellent victories over Josh Warrington in England as well as Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. Yet is he the most effective featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko just recently denied a lucrative match against fellow light in weight champ Gervonta "Storage tank" Davis as well as while he hasn't introduced his retired life, will our team observe "Hi-Tech" in the band again?Canelo Alvarez will make his second ring appearance this year, but certainly not against the competitor fans have demanded. As Opposed To David Benavidez, Canelo will certainly deal with Edgar Berlanga, that's never fought at this degree in his quick career. While Berlanga possesses unbelievable energy-- he began his profession along with 16 successive first-round KOs-- can easily he discover a means to win, or at the very least go the span versus Alvarez?Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will defend a headline for the first time in two years. Joshua will certainly deal with IBF champion Daniel Dubois in London, as "AJ" is chosen to come to be a three-time planet champion (-550 every ESPN BET). And also two-division champ Danny Garcia goes back to the band for only the 2nd attend almost 4 years to take on WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara. Garcia, that gained belts at 140 and 147 pounds, is actually going up in body weight for the possibility to become a three-division champ, yet may he disturb a more mature but still powerful Lara?Mike Coppinger and also Nick Parkinson respond to these concerns and also even more, making an effort to distinguish what's genuine as well as what's not.Real or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko are going to retire without another fightNot actual ... for now. Lomachenko is pondering retirement life, resources told ESPN, portion of the cause he dropped a rewarding match along with Gervonta Davis in Nov. There's likewise an opportunity that Lomachenko will return in the first half of 2025 to safeguard his IBF light-weight 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 had to be separated at ringside during the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov memory card. Lomachenko was observed telling Stevenson, "Let's go ideal now.If that's any sort of sign, Lomachenko will combat again. Maybe even against Davis or even Stevenson, the two greatest matches on the desk for him. Yet if he never shoelaces up the handwear covers again, Lomachenko's tradition is gotten. He's a three-division champ, a first-ballot Venue of Famer as well as a pillar of the pound-for-pound listing over the final 10 years.He additionally doesn't require to eliminate for the money. He's gotten millions of dollars in his job and also still resides in Ukraine, where he's one of the country's most preferred sportsmens. Regardless if he combats again, he definitely will not do this much longer. He transforms 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or not: Danny Garcia hammers Erislandy Lara as well as comes to be a champion in a third divisionNot true. Garcia has upset the chances just before, including a surprising KO gain Amir Khan and also a prevalent selection victory over Lucas Matthysse. The very first gain lifted him to the top tier of the sport and also the second sealed that status.But the Matthysse battle was actually 11 years earlier, however, and also those pair of trademark Garcia victories went to 140 pounds (he additionally gained a headline at 147 extra pounds and went up to 154 for a July 2022 win over Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is still seeking a gain that matches that, and an upset victory over Lara would certainly suit the bill.Garcia really did not resemble the sharp counterpuncher in the majority-decision victory over Benavidez, as well as he hasn't completed since. Currently, he'll go up one more body weight course (though the Lara match is occurring at a catchweight in between 155 and also 160 pounds) and also need to emulate band sluggishness. The Sept. 14 middleweight label battle versus Lara are going to be actually Garcia's 2nd since December 2020, when he was directed by Errol Spence Jr.The decide on below is Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), who, also at 41, presents enormous power, albeit versus competitors beneath Garcia's amount. Lara is riding a three-fight KO touch.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Canelo Alvarez's fight against Edgar Berlanga does not go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left, guards his uncontested tremendously middleweight championship against Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Sin City. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, punching's top celebrity, have not racked up a KO victory due to the fact that he squashed Caleb Plant in a Nov 2021 battle to succeed the undeniable extremely middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has actually racked up a knockdown in his final 3 matches. Against a boxer in Berlanga, that will certainly be actually combating on the best degree for the very first time, Alvarez ought to add the 40th KO of his remarkable career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has actually been actually injured in the band before, particularly in a step-up battle versus Marcelo Coceres, who dropped him in Cycle 9. And also his protection isn't specifically sound. Berlanga possesses energy (he began his profession with 16 consecutive KO succeeds in the first round), as well as if he selects to swap along with Canelo, Alvarez ought to take him out.Alvarez vowed as much at a pair of press conference today to market the battle.-- Coppinger Real or otherwise: Nothing else light champion can easily beat Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza appears a real hazard to Lopez after agonizing Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round gain in June as well as beating Robeisy Ramirez by a majority selection to succeed the WBO headline in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) defeated Chirinho in three of the 4 shots, while his breakout win along with Ramirez was among the greatest fights in 2023. Publisher's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the highest planet light champ in history-- would be a challenge for Lopez. Chirinho did well to rise coming from an uppercut from Espinoza in Round 1, before he was actually quickly overpowered. As a qualified, Chirinho had actually never ever been knocked down just before Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza generated a shock in beating two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, as well as he outlanded him in the last 3 rounds. Although he is not as experienced as Lopez, the volume of hits he has actually thrown in his last two battles, in addition to his height as well as arrive at conveniences, can verify impossible for Lopez.Rey Vargas has looked implausible in current battles, while our experts still need to see extra from Scar Sphere prior to we proclaim him the branch's No. 1. Round (20-0-1, 11 KOs) captured the WBA featherweight label along with a split selection draw Raymond Ford in June. That triumph adhered to a questionable draw versus Vargas for the WBC title in March. However Espinoza will overlook 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was actually frustrating versus Ball as well as has certainly not won in nearly pair of years, so it is difficult to offer a disagreement for him in his present form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is actually the present ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after quiting Reiya Abe in 8 rounds in a 3rd defense of the IBF belt in March. Lopez has gotten rid of large difficulties in title matches, like punching in a champ's hometown and also obtaining cut very early (vs. Josh Warrington), as well as if he succeeds on Sunday versus Angelo Leo, he may perhaps encounter his largest obstacle but in a label unification match against Espinoza to dental crown the most ideal fighter in the division.-- ParkinsonReal or otherwise: Anthony Joshua are going to KO Daniel DuboisReal. Just as good as Dubois' rebirth has actually been actually merely a year after being actually dropped in Oleksandr Usyk, recent type advises his very first IBF heavyweight label self defense will end in a KO defeat to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) remains in leading type, extra so than every other abundant. Like Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), Joshua has had to reconstruct his job, after going through next decision losses to Usyk in 2021 and 2022. Joshua dealt with very carefully, with a consentaneous selection win over Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, yet in his final three battles, he accomplished Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin as well as Francis Ngannou.Dubois returned coming from Saudi Arabia to Greater london as IBF acting heavyweight champion after he stopped Filip Hrgovic in Round 8. Usyk then gave up the IBF waistband, which implied Dubois was upgraded to complete champion, and so offers Joshua along with the option to end up being a three-time world champ at Wembley Arena in London.Joshua will definitely try to manipulate what Hrgovic had repeated excellence along with versus Dubois. Hrgovic regularly landed right-hand men on Dubois in the very early arounds, and also Joshua has received current fights exactly how detrimental his right-hand men desire he destroyed Ngannou in Sphere 2. Joshua landed a right hand on the former UFC heavyweight champion's face to knock him out chilly. Joshua will definitely take the possibility if Dubois makes themself likewise available, as he performed versus Hrgovic. Joshua is actually a bigger puncher than Hrgovic and also, although Dubois showed resilience to soak up punches in June, he has actually been actually stopped two times (by Joe Joyce in 2020 and also Usyk in 2014) and also was knocked down three times in the preliminary through Kevin Lerena just before bouncing back to gain in Cycle 3. Yet it is no stroll in the park for Joshua, who additionally needs to appreciate Dubois' energy. Dubois made a mess of Hrgovic's skin and also may likely pull off a surprise standstill against Joshua, similar to Andy Ruiz Jr. did in 2019. Yet Joshua, who concluded as champ coming from 2016 to 2019 and then coming from 2019 to 2021, is actually most likely to succeed this battle through KO.-- Parkinson.