.IBF featherweight champ Luis Alberto Lopez defends his waistband versus Angelo Leo in the main occasion of a Leading 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 won 14 consecutive battles considering that, featuring excellent victories over Josh Warrington in England and also Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. Yet is he the very best featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko recently declined a financially rewarding battle against fellow light-weight champ Gervonta "Storage tank" Davis as well as while he hasn't announced his retirement, will definitely our team find "Hi-Tech" in the band again?Canelo Alvarez will create his second ring look this year, yet certainly not against the competitor fans have demanded. Instead of David Benavidez, Canelo will deal with Edgar Berlanga, who's never dealt with at this amount in his brief occupation. While Berlanga has extraordinary electrical power-- he began his career along with 16 consecutive first-round KOs-- can easily he find a technique to win, or even at least go the span against Alvarez?Former heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua are going to fight for a title for the very first time in two years. Joshua will certainly experience IBF champion Daniel Dubois in London, as "AJ" is chosen to end up being a three-time planet champion (-550 every ESPN BET). And two-division champ Danny Garcia goes back to the band for merely the 2nd attend just about 4 years to handle WBA middleweight champ Erislandy Lara. Garcia, who won waistbands at 140 and 147 pounds, is actually moving up in body weight for the possibility to become a three-division champ, however may he disturb an older however still effective Lara?Mike Coppinger and Chip Parkinson answer these concerns and more, attempting to identify what's actual and what is actually not.Real or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko will certainly retire without an additional fightNot genuine ... for now. Lomachenko is reflecting upon retirement, resources told ESPN, aspect of the reason he declined a profitable match with Gervonta Davis in November. There's additionally an opportunity that Lomachenko will definitely return in the initial one-half of 2025 to defend his IBF lightweight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) seemed in a battling state of mind Saturday in Los Angeles: he as well as Shakur Stevenson had to be actually divided at ringside during the course of the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov memory card. Lomachenko was actually found telling Stevenson, "Let's go correct now.If that's any sign, Lomachenko is going to battle again. Perhaps even against Davis or Stevenson, the two largest fights on the table for him. But if he certainly never laces up the handwear covers again, Lomachenko's heritage is secured. He's a three-division champion, a first-ballot Venue of Famer and a pillar of the pound-for-pound listing over the last 10 years.He additionally doesn't need to overcome for the money. He's made countless bucks in his occupation and still stays in Ukraine, where he is just one of the nation's most well-liked athletes. Regardless if he fights again, he undoubtedly won't accomplish this a lot longer. He turns 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Danny Garcia hammers Erislandy Lara and also comes to be a champ in a third divisionNot real. Garcia has upset the odds just before, featuring an astonishing KO sway Amir Khan and also a leading decision victory over Lucas Matthysse. The initial gain elevated him to the upper tier of the sport and the latter cemented that status.But the Matthysse match was 11 years ago, though, and also those two trademark Garcia victories were at 140 pounds (he likewise gained a label at 147 extra pounds and also moved up to 154 for a July 2022 gain Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is still seeking a win that matches that, and an upset victory over Lara would accommodate the bill.Garcia failed to appear like the stinging counterpuncher in the majority-decision success over Benavidez, as well as he hasn't competed because. Now, he'll go up another body weight training class (though the Lara battle is happening at a catchweight in between 155 and 160 pounds) and have to contend with band sluggishness. The Sept. 14 middleweight headline match versus Lara will be actually Garcia's 2nd considering that December 2020, when he was actually transmitted through Errol Spence Jr.The select right here is Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), that, even at 41, presents enormous power, albeit versus boxers beneath Garcia's degree. Lara is using a three-fight KO streak.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Canelo Alvarez's fight versus Edgar Berlanga does not go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left behind, protects his undeniable tremendously middleweight championship versus Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, boxing's top celebrity, hasn't scored a KO triumph given that he squashed Caleb Vegetation in a November 2021 match to succeed the undisputed super middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has actually racked up a presentation in his final 3 fights. Versus a competitor in Berlanga, that will be actually battling on the best level for the first time, Alvarez should add the 40th KO of his remarkable career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has actually been injured in the band in the past, specifically in a step-up fight against Marcelo Coceres, who fell him in Round 9. As well as his defense isn't precisely seem. Berlanga possesses power (he started his career with 16 successive KO succeeds in the first round), and if he selects to swap with Canelo, Alvarez should take him out.Alvarez vowed as much at a set of news conferences recently to ensure the match.-- Coppinger Real or not: No other featherweight champion may beat Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza looks a genuine risk to Lopez after agonizing Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round win in June as well as beating Robeisy Ramirez through a large number selection to succeed the WBO headline in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) defeated Chirinho in 3 of the four shots, while his breakout win along with Ramirez was just one of the greatest fights in 2023. Editor's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the highest globe featherweight champ in record-- will be a problem for Lopez. Chirinho succeeded to get out of bed coming from an uppercut from Espinoza in Round 1, prior to he was actually very soon overpowered. As a professional, Chirinho had never ever been brought down prior to Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza made a shock in beating two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, as well as he outlanded him in the final 3 spheres. Although he is actually not as professional as Lopez, the volume of strikes he has included his last two matches, in addition to his elevation and also get to conveniences, could possibly prove impossible for Lopez.Rey Vargas has actually appeared unconvincing in current battles, while our team still need to have to observe extra from Scar Ball just before our team announce him the department's No. 1. Round (20-0-1, 11 KOs) caught the WBA featherweight headline along with a split decision gain Raymond Ford in June. That triumph complied with a debatable draw versus Vargas for the WBC title in March. Yet Espinoza would overlook 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was actually unsatisfactory versus Round and also has actually not gained in virtually two years, so it is hard to present a disagreement for him in his current form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is the present ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after ceasing Reiya Abe in 8 arounds in a 3rd defense of the IBF belt in March. Lopez has conquered big difficulties in title battles, like punching in a champion's neighborhood and obtaining slice very early (vs. Josh Warrington), and if he gains on Sunday against Angelo Leo, he might probably encounter his greatest obstacle yet in a title unification fight versus Espinoza to dental crown the most ideal fighter in the department.-- ParkinsonReal or otherwise: Anthony Joshua will certainly KO Daniel DuboisReal. Just as good as Dubois' revival has been only a year after being actually come by Oleksandr Usyk, recent form suggests his initial IBF abundant headline defense are going to finish in a KO loss to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is in top kind, a lot more therefore than any other abundant. Like Dubois (21-2, twenty KOs), Joshua has actually must restore his job, after enduring back-to-back choice losses to Usyk in 2021 and 2022. Joshua fought carefully, along with an unanimous selection sway Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, yet in his last three fights, he finished off Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou.Dubois came back coming from Saudi Arabia to Greater london as IBF interim big-time champ after he stopped Filip Hrgovic in Round 8. Usyk after that gave up the IBF waistband, which implied Dubois was improved to total champ, and so provides Joshua with the option to become a three-time world champ at Wembley Coliseum in London.Joshua are going to make an effort to exploit what Hrgovic had duplicated effectiveness with against Dubois. Hrgovic consistently landed right-hand men on Dubois in the early rounds, and also Joshua has actually shown in current fights just how detrimental his right hands are after he ruined Ngannou in Round 2. Joshua landed a right-hand man on the past UFC heavyweight champ's jaw to knock him out chilly. Joshua is going to take possession of the opportunity if Dubois creates himself similarly readily available, as he performed against Hrgovic. Joshua is a bigger puncher than Hrgovic as well as, although Dubois presented sturdiness to soak up punches in June, he has actually been actually ceased two times (through Joe Joyce in 2020 and also Usyk last year) as well as was actually defeated 3 times in the preliminary through Kevin Lerena prior to recovering to gain in Cycle 3. However it is no stroll in the park for Joshua, who likewise needs to have to appreciate Dubois' power. Dubois bungled Hrgovic's skin as well as may potentially manage a shock interruption versus Joshua, similar to Andy Ruiz Jr. did in 2019. But Joshua, that ruled as champion coming from 2016 to 2019 and then from 2019 to 2021, is most likely to win this battle through KO.-- Parkinson.