.IBF featherweight champ Luis Alberto Lopez defends his waistband versus Angelo Leo in the main activity of a Best 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 and he has actually gained 14 consecutive matches because, featuring impressive success over Josh Warrington in England and also Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. But is he the best featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko recently turned down a highly profitable battle against fellow light in weight champion Gervonta "Storage tank" Davis as well as while he have not revealed his retirement life, are going to our company view "Hi-Tech" in the ring again?Canelo Alvarez will certainly make his second ring appeal this year, but not versus the boxer fans have actually clamored for. Instead of David Benavidez, Canelo will certainly experience Edgar Berlanga, that's never battled at this amount in his brief career. While Berlanga possesses unbelievable power-- he started his job with 16 consecutive first-round KOs-- can he find a means to succeed, or a minimum of go the span against Alvarez?Former abundant champion Anthony Joshua will definitely fight for a label for the first time in pair of years. Joshua will definitely experience IBF champion Daniel Dubois in Greater London, as "AJ" is preferred to become a three-time world champion (-550 per ESPN BET). And also two-division champion Danny Garcia goes back to the band for merely the 2nd attend nearly four years to tackle WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara. Garcia, who gained belts at 140 and also 147 pounds, is going up in body weight for the possibility to end up being a three-division champ, but can easily he disturb a more mature yet still highly effective Lara?Mike Coppinger and Scar Parkinson respond to these questions and additional, attempting to differentiate what's genuine and also what's not.Real or otherwise: Vasiliy Lomachenko will retire without one more fightNot actual ... in the meantime. Lomachenko is actually considering retirement, sources said to ESPN, portion of the reason he declined a rewarding match along with Gervonta Davis in Nov. There is actually likewise a probability that Lomachenko are going to come back in the first fifty percent of 2025 to defend his IBF light-weight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) showed up in a battling state of mind Saturday in Los Angeles: he as well as Shakur Stevenson had to be split at ringside during the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov card. Lomachenko was actually seen saying to Stevenson, "Permit's go right now.If that is actually any indication, Lomachenko will certainly fight once again. Maybe even versus Davis or Stevenson, both most significant matches on the table for him. However if he never shoelaces up the handwear covers once again, Lomachenko's tradition is actually protected. He's a three-division champion, a first-ballot Hall of Famer as well as a pillar of the pound-for-pound list over the last 10 years.He likewise does not require to eliminate for the money. He's earned countless bucks in his job as well as still stays in Ukraine, where he is just one of the country's most prominent sportsmens. Regardless if he battles again, he definitely won't do so much longer. He turns 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Danny Garcia beats Erislandy Lara and comes to be a champ in a 3rd divisionNot genuine. Garcia has upset the possibilities before, featuring a surprising KO sway Amir Khan and also a dominant choice triumph over Lucas Matthysse. The very first win elevated him to the top echelon of the sporting activity as well as the latter sealed that status.But the Matthysse battle was actually 11 years ago, though, as well as those pair of signature Garcia victories went to 140 extra pounds (he likewise succeeded a label at 147 pounds and moved up to 154 for a July 2022 draw Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is actually still looking for a gain that matches that, and a distressed success over Lara will fit the bill.Garcia really did not appear like the sharp counterpuncher in the majority-decision triumph over Benavidez, and also he hasn't competed because. Now, he'll go up yet another weight course (though the Lara battle is actually taking place at a catchweight in between 155 and also 160 pounds) and also must contend with ring inactivity. The Sept. 14 middleweight label battle versus Lara will definitely be actually Garcia's 2nd considering that December 2020, when he was routed through Errol Spence Jr.The select listed below is actually Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), who, also at 41, shows tremendous power, albeit against fighters below Garcia's amount. Lara is actually riding a three-fight KO touch.-- CoppingerReal or not: Canelo Alvarez's fight against Edgar Berlanga doesn't go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left behind, defends his undisputed super middleweight champion versus Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Sin City. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu through Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, boxing's top star, have not racked up a KO triumph because he squashed Caleb Plant in a November 2021 battle to win the uncontested very middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has racked up a presentation in his final 3 battles. Against a boxer in Berlanga, who will be actually battling on the leading degree for the first time, Alvarez ought to incorporate the 40th KO of his remarkable career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has been injured in the band in the past, namely in a step-up battle versus Marcelo Coceres, who dropped him in Cycle 9. And his protection isn't exactly sound. Berlanga has energy (he started his career along with 16 consecutive KO gains in the first round), and also if he picks to swap along with Canelo, Alvarez must take him out.Alvarez guaranteed as a lot at a pair of press conference this week to market the battle.-- Coppinger Real or not: No other featherweight champion can beat Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza looks a true danger to Lopez after agonizing Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round succeed in June as well as beating Robeisy Ramirez by a majority selection to succeed the WBO label in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) defeated Chirinho in 3 of the 4 rounds, while his outbreak win along with Ramirez was one of the very best fights in 2023. Editor's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the highest planet lightweight champ in background-- will be a challenge for Lopez. Chirinho succeeded to rise from an uppercut coming from Espinoza in Round 1, before he was actually soon overpowered. As a specialist, Chirinho had certainly never been knocked down prior to Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza produced a surprise in pounding two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, as well as he outlanded him in the last 3 spheres. Although he is actually not as expert as Lopez, the volume of strikes he has actually thrown in his last two fights, together with his height and also reach advantages, can prove impossible for Lopez.Rey Vargas has appeared unconvincing in current matches, while our company still require to observe even more from Scar Sphere just before our experts declare him the branch's No. 1. Sphere (20-0-1, 11 KOs) recorded the WBA featherweight label along with a split choice get Raymond Ford in June. That conquest complied with a questionable draw versus Vargas for the WBC label in March. But Espinoza will stand over 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was unsatisfactory versus Round and has actually certainly not succeeded in virtually two years, so it is tough to present an argument for him in his present form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is the present ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after stopping Reiya Abe in eight spheres in a 3rd self defense of the IBF belt in March. Lopez has gotten over big problems in title battles, like punching in a champ's neighborhood as well as obtaining slice early (vs. Josh Warrington), as well as if he gains on Saturday versus Angelo Leo, he might possibly experience his most significant difficulty however in a title unification fight against Espinoza to dental crown the most ideal fighter in the division.-- ParkinsonReal or not: Anthony Joshua will definitely KO Daniel DuboisReal. Comparable to Dubois' resurgence has actually been actually merely a year after being stopped by Oleksandr Usyk, latest form advises his 1st IBF abundant headline self defense are going to finish in a KO loss to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is in leading kind, even more therefore than every other abundant. Like Dubois (21-2, twenty KOs), Joshua has must fix his job, after enduring back-to-back decision losses to Usyk in 2021 and also 2022. Joshua combated carefully, with an unanimous selection win over Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, but in his final 3 fights, he rounded off Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin as well as Francis Ngannou.Dubois returned coming from Saudi Arabia to London as IBF interim big-time champ after he quit Filip Hrgovic in Around 8. Usyk after that gave up the IBF waistband, which suggested Dubois was actually improved to full champ, therefore presents Joshua with the possibility to become a three-time world champ at Wembley Stadium in London.Joshua are going to try to exploit what Hrgovic had actually repeated effectiveness along with against Dubois. Hrgovic constantly landed right-hand men on Dubois in the very early arounds, and also Joshua has shown in latest fights exactly how detrimental his right hands want he damaged Ngannou in Round 2. Joshua landed a right hand on the past UFC big-time champ's jaw to knock him out chilly. Joshua will definitely take possession of the option if Dubois creates himself similarly on call, as he carried out versus Hrgovic. Joshua is a bigger puncher than Hrgovic and, although Dubois showed toughness to take in type June, he has been stopped twice (through Joe Joyce in 2020 and also Usyk last year) and also was defeated 3 attend the preliminary by Kevin Lerena before bouncing back to succeed in Cycle 3. But it is actually no stroll in the playground for Joshua, who additionally needs to have to respect Dubois' power. Dubois bungled Hrgovic's skin and can potentially manage a surprise deduction versus Joshua, much like Andy Ruiz Jr. did in 2019. But Joshua, who ruled as champ coming from 2016 to 2019 and then from 2019 to 2021, is actually more probable to gain this battle by KO.-- Parkinson.