.IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez defends his belt against Angelo Leo generally occasion of a Best Position on ESPN memory card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Saturday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's last reduction was in May 2019 and also he has actually won 14 consecutive matches considering that, including excellent triumphes over Josh Warrington in England and also Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. However is he the very best featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko lately declined a financially rewarding battle versus fellow light in weight champion Gervonta "Storage tank" Davis and while he hasn't introduced his retired life, will certainly our company see "Hi-Tech" in the ring again?Canelo Alvarez are going to make his second ring appeal this year, however not against the boxer supporters have demanded. As Opposed To David Benavidez, Canelo will face Edgar Berlanga, who is actually certainly never battled at this amount in his short job. While Berlanga possesses incredible energy-- he began his occupation with 16 successive first-round KOs-- can easily he locate a method to win, or even at least go the distance against Alvarez?Former abundant champion Anthony Joshua will defend a label for the very first time in pair of years. Joshua will certainly deal with IBF champion Daniel Dubois in Greater London, as "AJ" is actually favored to end up being a three-time globe champion (-550 every ESPN WAGER). And also two-division champion Danny Garcia comes back to the ring for merely the 2nd attend nearly four years to handle WBA middleweight champ Erislandy Lara. Garcia, who succeeded waistbands at 140 and also 147 extra pounds, is actually moving up in weight for the odds to come to be a three-division champ, but can easily he upset an older however still effective Lara?Mike Coppinger and Scar Parkinson address these questions and additional, trying to identify what's true and also what's not.Real or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko will certainly retire without one more fightNot true ... in the meantime. Lomachenko is actually contemplating retirement, resources said to ESPN, aspect of the reason he decreased a beneficial battle along with Gervonta Davis in Nov. There's also a possibility that Lomachenko are going to return in the 1st half of 2025 to safeguard his IBF lightweight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) seemed in a dealing with mood Sunday in Los Angeles: he and also Shakur Stevenson needed to be actually split at ringside throughout the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov memory card. Lomachenko was found saying to Stevenson, "Let's go appropriate now.If that is actually any kind of evidence, Lomachenko will definitely combat once again. Maybe even versus Davis or Stevenson, the 2 most significant battles on the desk for him. Yet if he never shoelaces up the handwear covers again, Lomachenko's legacy is actually gotten. He is actually a three-division champion, a first-ballot Venue of Famer and also a pillar of the pound-for-pound listing over the last 10 years.He additionally does not require to fight for the cash. He's gained millions of bucks in his career as well as still lives in Ukraine, where he is among the country's very most well-known athletes. Whether he combats once more, he absolutely won't do so much longer. He turns 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or not: Danny Garcia hammers Erislandy Lara and also comes to be a champ in a third divisionNot true. Garcia has actually outplayed the possibilities just before, including an astonishing KO draw Amir Khan and a prevalent choice triumph over Lucas Matthysse. The very first win raised him to the top tier of the sporting activity as well as the last cemented that status.But the Matthysse battle was 11 years earlier, though, as well as those pair of trademark Garcia wins were at 140 pounds (he also succeeded a headline at 147 pounds as well as went up to 154 for a July 2022 draw Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is actually still looking for a win that matches that, as well as a dismayed success over Lara would suit the bill.Garcia really did not be similar to the stinging counterpuncher in the majority-decision victory over Benavidez, as well as he have not completed since. Now, he'll move up another weight lesson (though the Lara fight is actually happening at a catchweight between 155 as well as 160 pounds) and also must emulate band stagnation. The Sept. 14 middleweight label match versus Lara are going to be actually Garcia's second because December 2020, when he was actually directed by Errol Spence Jr.The select listed here is actually Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), that, also at 41, shows tremendous power, albeit against fighters under Garcia's amount. Lara is actually riding a three-fight KO streak.-- CoppingerReal or not: Canelo Alvarez's fight against Edgar Berlanga doesn't go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left, defends his indisputable tremendously middleweight champion against Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu by means of Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, punching's best celebrity, hasn't scored a KO triumph due to the fact that he flattened Caleb Plant in a Nov 2021 fight to gain the recognized extremely middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has racked up a knockdown in his final 3 matches. Versus a competitor in Berlanga, that are going to be actually fighting on the top amount for the very first time, Alvarez ought to incorporate the 40th KO of his illustrious career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has been injured in the ring before, specifically in a step-up battle versus Marcelo Coceres, that lost him in Cycle 9. And his self defense isn't precisely sound. Berlanga possesses energy (he began his profession along with 16 consecutive KO wins in the preliminary), and also if he chooses to trade with Canelo, Alvarez needs to take him out.Alvarez guaranteed as a lot at a set of news conferences today to market the fight.-- Coppinger Real or not: Nothing else light champion can easily hammer Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza looks a real danger to Lopez after torturing Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round win in June and also defeating Robeisy Ramirez through a bulk decision to win the WBO label in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) defeated Chirinho in 3 of the 4 rounds, while his escapement succeed with Ramirez was just one of the very best fights in 2023. Publisher's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the tallest world featherweight champ in history-- will be actually an obstacle for Lopez. Chirinho succeeded to stand up from an uppercut coming from Espinoza in Around 1, before he was quickly subdued. As a specialist, Chirinho had actually never ever been torn down before Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza created a surprise in beating two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, and also he outlanded him in the last 3 spheres. Although he is not as professional as Lopez, the volume of hits he has included his final pair of matches, alongside his height as well as reach advantages, can verify impossible for Lopez.Rey Vargas has looked implausible in recent fights, while our team still need to have to observe even more coming from Chip Round prior to our company declare him the department's No. 1. Round (20-0-1, 11 KOs) grabbed the WBA featherweight label with a split selection get Raymond Ford in June. That victory complied with a questionable draw versus Vargas for the WBC label in March. However Espinoza will stand over 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was actually unsatisfying versus Round and has actually certainly not won in virtually two years, so it is actually hard to present an argument for him in his existing form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is actually the existing ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after ceasing Reiya Abe in 8 arounds in a third self defense of the IBF belt in March. Lopez has gotten over big obstacles in title battles, like punching in a champion's hometown as well as acquiring cut very early (vs. Josh Warrington), as well as if he succeeds on Saturday against Angelo Leo, he might probably encounter his most significant obstacle but in a label unification battle against Espinoza to crown the best competitor in the department.-- ParkinsonReal or not: Anthony Joshua will definitely KO Daniel DuboisReal. Just as good as Dubois' revival has actually been actually only a year after being visited Oleksandr Usyk, current type recommends his first IBF heavyweight headline self defense will finish in a KO defeat to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is in leading form, more therefore than every other abundant. Like Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), Joshua has actually had to rebuild his profession, after going through back-to-back selection losses to Usyk in 2021 as well as 2022. Joshua fought meticulously, with a consentaneous decision sway Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, but in his final 3 matches, he finished off Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou.Dubois came back from Saudi Arabia to Greater london as IBF interim big-time champion after he ceased Filip Hrgovic in Around 8. Usyk then gave up the IBF waistband, which indicated Dubois was improved to total champ, and so provides Joshua along with the opportunity to come to be a three-time globe champ at Wembley Arena in London.Joshua are going to try to exploit what Hrgovic had actually repeated effectiveness with versus Dubois. Hrgovic constantly landed right-hand men on Dubois in the very early arounds, as well as Joshua has received latest fights just how harmful his right hands want he damaged Ngannou in Sphere 2. Joshua landed a right hand on the former UFC heavyweight champion's chin to take him out cool. Joshua will definitely seize the option if Dubois produces himself in a similar way available, as he did against Hrgovic. Joshua is actually a greater puncher than Hrgovic as well as, although Dubois showed longevity to absorb type June, he has actually been ceased twice (by Joe Joyce in 2020 and also Usyk last year) and was actually defeated three attend the first round by Kevin Lerena before bouncing back to gain in Round 3. However it is no stroll in the playground for Joshua, that likewise requires to value Dubois' power. Dubois made a mess of Hrgovic's face as well as may possibly carry out a shock interruption against Joshua, just like Andy Ruiz Jr. carried out in 2019. But Joshua, that concluded as champion from 2016 to 2019 and after that from 2019 to 2021, is more probable to gain this fight through KO.-- Parkinson.