.IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez defends his waistband against Angelo Leo generally event of a Top Position on ESPN card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Sunday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's final reduction remained in May 2019 as well as he has won 14 consecutive battles because, consisting of impressive success over Josh Warrington in England and also Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. However is he the best featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko recently turned down a financially rewarding fight versus fellow light-weight champ Gervonta "Tank" Davis and while he have not announced his retired life, will certainly our team see "Hi-Tech" in the band again?Canelo Alvarez will make his 2nd ring appearance this year, yet not against the fighter supporters have demanded. As Opposed To David Benavidez, Canelo is going to experience Edgar Berlanga, that is actually certainly never combated at this level in his short profession. While Berlanga possesses amazing electrical power-- he started his career with 16 successive first-round KOs-- can easily he discover a technique to succeed, or at the very least go the distance against Alvarez?Former heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua will fight for a label for the very first time in pair of years. Joshua will definitely encounter IBF champion Daniel Dubois in London, as "AJ" is actually chosen to become a three-time world champ (-550 every ESPN WAGER). As well as two-division champ Danny Garcia returns to the ring for merely the second time in practically 4 years to tackle WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara. Garcia, that gained waistbands at 140 as well as 147 extra pounds, is actually going up in weight for the odds to come to be a three-division champ, but can easily he disturb a much older yet still highly effective Lara?Mike Coppinger and also Chip Parkinson address these inquiries and more, trying to distinguish what's true as well as what is actually not.Real or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko will certainly retire without an additional fightNot actual ... for now. Lomachenko is actually considering retirement life, resources said to ESPN, component of the cause he decreased a rewarding battle along with Gervonta Davis in November. There's additionally an option that Lomachenko will certainly come back in the very first fifty percent of 2025 to guard his IBF lightweight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) appeared in a dealing with mood Saturday in Los Angeles: he as well as Shakur Stevenson needed to be actually divided at ringside during the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov card. Lomachenko was actually seen telling Stevenson, "Permit's go right now.If that is actually any kind of indicator, Lomachenko will battle once more. Maybe even versus Davis or Stevenson, the 2 biggest battles on the desk for him. However if he never ever shoelaces up the handwear covers once more, Lomachenko's tradition is secured. He's a three-division champion, a first-ballot Hall of Famer as well as a backbone of the pound-for-pound checklist over the final 10 years.He additionally does not require to fight for the cash. He's made numerous bucks in his job and also still resides in Ukraine, where he is among the nation's very most well-liked athletes. Regardless if he deals with once again, he definitely won't do so much longer. He transforms 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Danny Garcia hammers Erislandy Lara and comes to be a champ in a third divisionNot actual. Garcia has actually upset the probabilities prior to, including an astonishing KO gain Amir Khan and a prevalent choice triumph over Lucas Matthysse. The initial gain lifted him to the upper tier of the sport and the second sealed that status.But the Matthysse match was actually 11 years ago, though, and those two signature Garcia triumphes went to 140 extra pounds (he likewise gained a title at 147 extra pounds and also moved up to 154 for a July 2022 sway Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is still hunting for a gain that matches that, and a distressed success over Lara will suit the bill.Garcia didn't be similar to the sharp counterpuncher in the majority-decision victory over Benavidez, as well as he have not competed due to the fact that. Right now, he'll go up yet another body weight class (though the Lara fight is actually taking place at a catchweight in between 155 and 160 extra pounds) as well as have to contend with band stagnation. The Sept. 14 middleweight label fight versus Lara will certainly be actually Garcia's 2nd due to the fact that December 2020, when he was routed through Errol Spence Jr.The choose listed below is actually Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), who, also at 41, presents tremendous power, albeit against fighters under Garcia's amount. Lara is actually using a three-fight KO touch.-- CoppingerReal or not: Canelo Alvarez's fight versus Edgar Berlanga doesn't go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left behind, shields his unquestioned tremendously middleweight champion versus Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu using Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, punching's top celebrity, hasn't scored a KO success because he flattened Caleb Plant in a November 2021 match to win the recognized very middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has actually racked up a knockdown in his final 3 fights. Against a competitor in Berlanga, that will certainly be actually combating on the best degree for the first time, Alvarez must incorporate the 40th KO of his illustrious career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has been actually hurt in the band before, particularly in a step-up fight against Marcelo Coceres, who lost him in Cycle 9. And his defense isn't precisely seem. Berlanga possesses electrical power (he began his profession along with 16 successive KO succeeds in the first round), and also if he opts for to swap with Canelo, Alvarez must take him out.Alvarez guaranteed as a lot at a set of news conferences recently to advertise the battle.-- Coppinger Real or otherwise: Not one other light champion can easily beat Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza looks a genuine hazard to Lopez after tormenting Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round gain in June and also defeating Robeisy Ramirez through a majority choice to win the WBO title in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) defeated Chirinho in three of the four rounds, while his breakout succeed along with Ramirez was one of the very best battles in 2023. Editor's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the highest world light champ in record-- would certainly be a problem for Lopez. Chirinho did well to stand up from an uppercut from Espinoza in Round 1, before he was soon overwhelmed. As a qualified, Chirinho had actually certainly never been actually knocked down before Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza made a surprise in beating two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, as well as he outlanded him in the last 3 rounds. Although he is certainly not as seasoned as Lopez, the quantity of punches he has actually thrown in his last two matches, together with his height and also get to advantages, could possibly confirm impossible for Lopez.Rey Vargas has actually looked implausible in latest fights, while our team still need to see even more coming from Scar Ball just before our company announce him the branch's No. 1. Round (20-0-1, 11 KOs) caught the WBA featherweight title with a split selection win over Raymond Ford in June. That victory complied with a questionable draw versus Vargas for the WBC headline in March. But Espinoza would stand over 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was unsatisfactory versus Sphere and has not won in virtually two years, so it is challenging to present a disagreement for him in his present form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is the current ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after ceasing Reiya Abe in 8 rounds in a third self defense of the IBF belt in March. Lopez has actually gotten rid of huge obstacles in headline battles, like boxing in a champion's home town and also acquiring cut early (vs. Josh Warrington), and also if he succeeds on Sunday against Angelo Leo, he might possibly encounter his most significant problem however in a label unification fight versus Espinoza to crown the best boxer in the branch.-- ParkinsonReal or otherwise: Anthony Joshua are going to KO Daniel DuboisReal. Like Dubois' resurgence has actually been simply a year after being visited Oleksandr Usyk, current kind recommends his initial IBF heavyweight title self defense will end in a KO loss to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is in leading type, more thus than every other heavyweight. Like Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), Joshua has must reconstruct his job, after going through back-to-back selection reductions to Usyk in 2021 and 2022. Joshua fought cautiously, along with an unanimous choice get Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, yet in his final three fights, he accomplished Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin as well as Francis Ngannou.Dubois came back from Saudi Arabia to London as IBF acting heavyweight champion after he stopped Filip Hrgovic in Around 8. Usyk after that gave up the IBF waistband, which meant Dubois was improved to full champ, therefore offers Joshua along with the chance to become a three-time planet champ at Wembley Arena in London.Joshua are going to try to manipulate what Hrgovic had repeated effectiveness with against Dubois. Hrgovic continually landed right-hand men on Dubois in the early rounds, as well as Joshua has actually received current matches exactly how harmful his right hands are after he damaged Ngannou in Round 2. Joshua landed a right-hand man on the former UFC heavyweight champ's jaw to knock him out cold. Joshua will certainly seize the possibility if Dubois makes himself similarly offered, as he performed versus Hrgovic. Joshua is a bigger puncher than Hrgovic as well as, although Dubois revealed longevity to soak up punches in June, he has been actually quit two times (by Joe Joyce in 2020 as well as Usyk in 2014) and was knocked down 3 attend the preliminary through Kevin Lerena prior to recovering to gain in Cycle 3. However it is actually no walk in the park for Joshua, that also needs to have to respect Dubois' electrical power. Dubois pauperized Hrgovic's face as well as can likely manage a surprise stop versus Joshua, just like Andy Ruiz Jr. did in 2019. But Joshua, who ruled as champion coming from 2016 to 2019 and after that from 2019 to 2021, is most likely to gain this battle through KO.-- Parkinson.