.IBF featherweight champ Luis Alberto Lopez defends his waistband versus Angelo Leo in the main occasion of a Leading Position on ESPN memory card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Sunday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's final reduction resided in May 2019 and he has actually won 14 consecutive fights due to the fact that, consisting of outstanding triumphes over Josh Warrington in England as well as Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. Yet is he the greatest featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko recently rejected a beneficial fight against fellow light in weight champ Gervonta "Storage tank" Davis and while he hasn't declared his retirement life, will definitely we view "Hi-Tech" in the ring again?Canelo Alvarez will make his second ring appeal this year, yet certainly not versus the fighter supporters have clamored for. As Opposed To David Benavidez, Canelo will definitely deal with Edgar Berlanga, that is actually certainly never dealt with at this amount in his short profession. While Berlanga possesses unbelievable electrical power-- he started his profession along with 16 successive first-round KOs-- may he find a technique to gain, or at the very least go the range against Alvarez?Former heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua will defend a label for the very first time in 2 years. Joshua will certainly deal with IBF champion Daniel Dubois in London, as "AJ" is chosen to become a three-time globe champion (-550 per ESPN BET). As well as two-division champ Danny Garcia goes back to the ring for simply the second attend virtually four years to take on WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara. Garcia, that gained waistbands at 140 and also 147 pounds, is going up in weight for the opportunity to become a three-division champion, however may he upset a much older yet still effective Lara?Mike Coppinger and Scar Parkinson answer these concerns and also even more, trying to differentiate what's real and what's not.Real or otherwise: Vasiliy Lomachenko will resign without one more fightNot real ... meanwhile. Lomachenko is considering retired life, sources informed ESPN, aspect of the main reason he declined a profitable fight with Gervonta Davis in November. There's also an opportunity that Lomachenko are going to return in the first half of 2025 to guard his IBF light-weight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) showed up in a battling mood Saturday in Los Angeles: he and also Shakur Stevenson must be divided at ringside throughout the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov memory card. Lomachenko was actually found saying to Stevenson, "Allow's go correct now.If that's any sort of sign, Lomachenko will definitely fight once more. Maybe even against Davis or even Stevenson, the two greatest matches on the desk for him. However if he never ever shoelaces up the handwear covers again, Lomachenko's heritage is actually safeguarded. He's a three-division champ, a first-ballot Hall of Famer as well as an essential of the pound-for-pound listing over the final 10 years.He additionally doesn't need to have to fight for the money. He's made millions of dollars in his profession as well as still lives in Ukraine, where he is just one of the nation's most well-known athletes. Whether he fights once again, he definitely won't do this a lot longer. He switches 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Danny Garcia beats Erislandy Lara and also comes to be a champion in a 3rd divisionNot genuine. Garcia has actually outplayed the possibilities before, including a shocking KO sway Amir Khan and a prevalent decision victory over Lucas Matthysse. The very first win lifted him to the higher echelon of the sporting activity and also the second glued that status.But the Matthysse fight was actually 11 years earlier, however, as well as those pair of signature Garcia wins went to 140 pounds (he also gained a title at 147 extra pounds and went up to 154 for a July 2022 get Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is actually still looking for a gain that matches that, and also a distressed victory over Lara will match the bill.Garcia failed to be similar to the sharp counterpuncher in the majority-decision victory over Benavidez, as well as he hasn't contended since. Right now, he'll go up yet another weight class (though the Lara battle is actually happening at a catchweight in between 155 and 160 extra pounds) and also have to emulate ring sluggishness. The Sept. 14 middleweight title match versus Lara will be actually Garcia's 2nd because December 2020, when he was transmitted through Errol Spence Jr.The select listed here is Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), that, also at 41, presents remarkable power, albeit against competitors below Garcia's degree. Lara is actually using a three-fight KO streak.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Canelo Alvarez's match against Edgar Berlanga doesn't go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left behind, defends his indisputable super middleweight champion versus Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Sin City. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, boxing's best star, hasn't scored a KO victory because he squashed Caleb Vegetation in a November 2021 match to succeed the recognized incredibly middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has actually racked up a presentation in his last 3 matches. Against a boxer in Berlanga, that will certainly be actually battling on the best level for the very first time, Alvarez ought to include the 40th KO of his illustrious career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has been injured in the ring in the past, such as in a step-up battle versus Marcelo Coceres, who dropped him in Cycle 9. As well as his self defense isn't exactly seem. Berlanga has power (he began his career with 16 successive KO wins in the first round), and if he picks to trade with Canelo, Alvarez ought to take him out.Alvarez vowed as a lot at a pair of news conferences today to advertise the battle.-- Coppinger Real or otherwise: No other lightweight champion can easily beat Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza looks an actual hazard to Lopez after torturing Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round gain in June and beating Robeisy Ramirez through a large number selection to win the WBO label in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) floored Chirinho in three of the 4 shots, while his outbreak win with Ramirez was among the greatest battles in 2023. Editor's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the highest world light champion in background-- would certainly be an obstacle for Lopez. Chirinho prospered to rise coming from an uppercut coming from Espinoza in Sphere 1, before he was very soon overwhelmed. As an expert, Chirinho had certainly never been actually brought down prior to Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza produced a surprise in pounding two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, and also he outlanded him in the final 3 arounds. Although he is actually not as seasoned as Lopez, the volume of hits he has thrown in his final pair of fights, together with his elevation and also hit benefits, could prove overwhelming for Lopez.Rey Vargas has actually looked unconvincing in latest battles, while our experts still need to observe a lot more from Chip Sphere before our team declare him the department's No. 1. Sphere (20-0-1, 11 KOs) captured the WBA featherweight label along with a split decision get Raymond Ford in June. That victory adhered to a controversial draw versus Vargas for the WBC label in March. But Espinoza would certainly overlook 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was frustrating versus Sphere and has not gained in almost 2 years, so it is challenging to present a debate for him in his current form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is actually the present ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after stopping Reiya Abe in 8 spheres in a third defense of the IBF belt in March. Lopez has actually eliminated major problems in label battles, like boxing in a champion's home town and also getting slice early (vs. Josh Warrington), and also if he wins on Sunday versus Angelo Leo, he might maybe experience his greatest difficulty however in a headline marriage battle against Espinoza to dental crown the most ideal boxer in the department.-- ParkinsonReal or otherwise: Anthony Joshua will certainly KO Daniel DuboisReal. Like Dubois' revival has been just a year after being dropped in Oleksandr Usyk, recent form proposes his initial IBF abundant label self defense will definitely end in a KO defeat to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) remains in leading type, more so than any other abundant. Like Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), Joshua has actually had to fix his career, after experiencing back-to-back decision reductions to Usyk in 2021 and 2022. Joshua fought cautiously, with a consentaneous decision gain Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, however in his last three battles, he finished off Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin as well as Francis Ngannou.Dubois came back from Saudi Arabia to London as IBF interim heavyweight champion after he ceased Filip Hrgovic in Sphere 8. Usyk at that point relinquished the IBF waistband, which indicated Dubois was upgraded to total champ, therefore provides Joshua with the option to become a three-time world champ at Wembley Arena in London.Joshua will certainly attempt to exploit what Hrgovic had redoed effectiveness with against Dubois. Hrgovic constantly landed right hands on Dubois in the early spheres, as well as Joshua has displayed in latest matches exactly how harmful his right hands want he damaged Ngannou in Sphere 2. Joshua landed a right-hand man on the past UFC heavyweight champ's face to take him out cold. Joshua is going to seize the chance if Dubois creates themself in a similar way on call, as he carried out versus Hrgovic. Joshua is actually a bigger puncher than Hrgovic and also, although Dubois revealed longevity to soak up type June, he has been ceased twice (by Joe Joyce in 2020 as well as Usyk in 2014) and also was floored 3 times in the first round by Kevin Lerena just before recouping to win in Cycle 3. But it is actually no stroll in the playground for Joshua, who likewise requires to recognize Dubois' energy. Dubois ruined Hrgovic's skin and can possibly manage a surprise stop versus Joshua, much like Andy Ruiz Jr. did in 2019. Yet Joshua, who ruled as champion from 2016 to 2019 and then coming from 2019 to 2021, is most likely to win this battle by KO.-- Parkinson.