.IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez defends his belt against Angelo Leo generally occasion of a Leading Rank on ESPN 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 gained 14 successive battles given that, including excellent success over Josh Warrington in England and Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. However is he the greatest featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko just recently rejected a financially rewarding battle against fellow light-weight champion Gervonta "Container" Davis and also while he have not introduced his retirement life, will our experts observe "Hi-Tech" in the band again?Canelo Alvarez will definitely create his second ring look this year, however not against the fighter fans have demanded. Rather Than David Benavidez, Canelo will face Edgar Berlanga, that's certainly never battled at this amount in his brief occupation. While Berlanga has awesome electrical power-- he started his job along with 16 successive first-round KOs-- can easily he discover a method to succeed, or at the very least go the proximity versus Alvarez?Former abundant champion Anthony Joshua will defend a title for the very first time in two years. Joshua will certainly experience IBF champ Daniel Dubois in Greater London, as "AJ" is chosen to become a three-time planet champ (-550 per ESPN WAGER). And also two-division champ Danny Garcia returns to the ring for merely the second time in practically 4 years to take on WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara. Garcia, that won belts at 140 and 147 extra pounds, is going up in weight for the chance to become a three-division champion, however can he distress an older but still powerful Lara?Mike Coppinger as well as Nick Parkinson respond to these questions and additional, making an effort to differentiate what's genuine and what's not.Real or otherwise: Vasiliy Lomachenko will resign without yet another fightNot actual ... in the meantime. Lomachenko is actually pondering retirement, resources said to ESPN, aspect of the cause he declined a lucrative battle with Gervonta Davis in November. There is actually likewise a possibility that Lomachenko are going to come back in the very first half of 2025 to protect his IBF light in weight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) showed up in a dealing with mood Saturday in Los Angeles: he and also Shakur Stevenson must be divided at ringside in the course of the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov card. Lomachenko was viewed informing Stevenson, "Allow's go best now.If that's any sort of indicator, Lomachenko will certainly combat once more. Perhaps even against Davis or Stevenson, the two greatest battles on the desk for him. However if he never shoelaces up the gloves again, Lomachenko's tradition is actually protected. He is actually a three-division champion, a first-ballot Venue of Famer as well as a pillar of the pound-for-pound listing over the last 10 years.He additionally doesn't need to overcome for the cash. He is actually earned countless bucks in his occupation as well as still dwells in Ukraine, where he is among the country's most well-liked athletes. Regardless if he fights once more, he surely won't do this much longer. He switches 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or not: Danny Garcia hammers Erislandy Lara and ends up being a champ in a third divisionNot actual. Garcia has actually upset the possibilities just before, featuring a stunning KO gain Amir Khan and also a prevalent choice triumph over Lucas Matthysse. The initial win lifted him to the upper tier of the sport and the latter sealed that status.But the Matthysse match was 11 years earlier, however, as well as those pair of trademark Garcia wins went to 140 extra pounds (he additionally succeeded a label 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 seeking a gain that matches that, and an upset success over Lara would certainly accommodate the bill.Garcia failed to look like the sharp counterpuncher in the majority-decision triumph over Benavidez, and also he have not competed because. Right now, he'll move up another weight training class (though the Lara match is actually taking place at a catchweight in between 155 and 160 pounds) and must contend with band inactivity. The Sept. 14 middleweight label fight versus Lara will be Garcia's second given that December 2020, when he was actually transmitted by Errol Spence Jr.The select right here is actually Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), who, also at 41, reveals incredible power, albeit versus boxers beneath Garcia's degree. Lara is riding a three-fight KO touch.-- CoppingerReal or not: Canelo Alvarez's match versus Edgar Berlanga doesn't go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left, shields his undeniable incredibly middleweight champion versus Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu using Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, punching's best celebrity, have not scored a KO victory considering that he smoothed Caleb Vegetation in a November 2021 battle to win the undeniable incredibly middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has racked up a knockdown in his last three battles. Versus a boxer in Berlanga, that are going to be actually fighting on the leading level for the first time, Alvarez ought to include the 40th KO of his renowned career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has actually been harmed in the ring before, such as in a step-up fight against Marcelo Coceres, who dropped him in Cycle 9. As well as his self defense isn't exactly appear. Berlanga possesses energy (he began his job with 16 successive KO gains in the preliminary), as well as if he picks to exchange along with Canelo, Alvarez needs to take him out.Alvarez promised as much at a pair of news conferences today to advertise the fight.-- Coppinger Real or otherwise: Nothing else light champion can beat Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza appears a true risk to Lopez after agonizing Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round win in June as well as defeating Robeisy Ramirez by a large number choice to succeed the WBO headline in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) defeated Chirinho in three of the four rounds, while his outbreak gain along with Ramirez was one of the greatest battles in 2023. Editor's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the highest globe light champion in past-- will be a difficulty for Lopez. Chirinho succeeded to stand up from an uppercut coming from Espinoza in Round 1, before he was actually soon subdued. As an expert, Chirinho had actually never been torn down prior to Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza generated a shock in pounding two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, and he outlanded him in the final 3 spheres. Although he is actually certainly not as professional as Lopez, the quantity of blows he has thrown in his last pair of fights, along with his elevation and hit benefits, could show unbeatable for Lopez.Rey Vargas has actually appeared unconvincing in current fights, while our team still require to find a lot more coming from Chip Round before our team proclaim him the department's No. 1. Ball (20-0-1, 11 KOs) grabbed the WBA featherweight headline with a split decision sway Raymond Ford in June. That conquest followed a questionable draw versus Vargas for the WBC title in March. However Espinoza would stand over 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was unsatisfying versus Sphere and has certainly not succeeded in nearly two years, so it is actually hard to offer a disagreement for him in his current form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is the existing ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after ceasing Reiya Abe in 8 spheres in a third protection of the IBF belt in March. Lopez has conquered significant challenges in title matches, like punching in a champ's home town as well as getting slice very early (vs. Josh Warrington), as well as if he wins on Sunday versus Angelo Leo, he may perhaps face his greatest challenge yet in a headline marriage match versus Espinoza to dental crown the very best competitor in the branch.-- ParkinsonReal or otherwise: Anthony Joshua will KO Daniel DuboisReal. Like Dubois' resurgence has actually been merely a year after being come by Oleksandr Usyk, recent form advises his very first IBF heavyweight headline defense will end in a KO loss to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) remains in best form, even more therefore than some other abundant. Like Dubois (21-2, twenty KOs), Joshua has had to fix his occupation, after suffering next choice losses to Usyk in 2021 as well as 2022. Joshua battled meticulously, along with an unanimous selection get Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, but in his final three matches, he rounded off Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and also Francis Ngannou.Dubois came back from Saudi Arabia to London as IBF interim heavyweight champ after he quit Filip Hrgovic in Round 8. Usyk at that point relinquished the IBF belt, which suggested Dubois was actually upgraded to total champion, and so shows Joshua along with the chance to come to be a three-time globe champ at Wembley Stadium in London.Joshua are going to try to exploit what Hrgovic had redoed effectiveness along with against Dubois. Hrgovic regularly landed right hands on Dubois in the very early rounds, as well as Joshua has shown in latest fights just how destructive his right hands want he ruined Ngannou in Around 2. Joshua landed a right-hand man on the former UFC big-time champion's face to take him out cold. Joshua is going to confiscate the opportunity if Dubois produces themself in a similar way readily available, as he carried out versus Hrgovic. Joshua is a much bigger puncher than Hrgovic as well as, although Dubois showed sturdiness to soak up type June, he has been actually ceased two times (by Joe Joyce in 2020 as well as Usyk in 2013) and was actually floored 3 times in the preliminary through Kevin Lerena just before recovering to succeed in Round 3. Yet it is no stroll in the park for Joshua, who additionally needs to have to recognize Dubois' electrical power. Dubois made a mess of Hrgovic's skin as well as can potentially carry out a shock interruption against Joshua, just like Andy Ruiz Jr. carried out in 2019. However Joshua, who ruled as champ from 2016 to 2019 and after that coming from 2019 to 2021, is actually more probable to gain this fight through KO.-- Parkinson.