.IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez defends his belt against Angelo Leo in the main event of a Best Rank on ESPN card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Saturday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's final loss resided in May 2019 as well as he has actually succeeded 14 consecutive battles considering that, consisting of outstanding success over Josh Warrington in England and also Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. Yet is he the very best featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko just recently rejected a financially rewarding fight versus fellow lightweight champ Gervonta "Storage tank" Davis as well as while he hasn't announced his retirement, are going to our team find "Hi-Tech" in the band again?Canelo Alvarez are going to make his 2nd ring appeal this year, yet certainly not against the fighter fans have clamored for. Instead of David Benavidez, Canelo will encounter Edgar Berlanga, who's certainly never battled at this amount in his quick occupation. While Berlanga has fabulous energy-- he started his career with 16 consecutive first-round KOs-- can easily he find a technique to gain, or at least go the distance versus Alvarez?Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will certainly fight for a title for the very first time in two years. Joshua will certainly encounter IBF champion Daniel Dubois in Greater London, as "AJ" is preferred to end up being a three-time planet champion (-550 every ESPN WAGER). And two-division champ Danny Garcia goes back to the band for just the second time in nearly four years to tackle WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara. Garcia, that gained waistbands at 140 and 147 pounds, is actually moving up in body weight for the chance to end up being a three-division champ, however can easily he distress a much older yet still effective Lara?Mike Coppinger as well as Chip Parkinson answer these questions and even more, making an effort to distinguish what's real and what is actually not.Real or otherwise: Vasiliy Lomachenko are going to retire without another fightNot real ... in the meantime. Lomachenko is actually pondering retirement life, sources told ESPN, component of the factor he declined a rewarding match with Gervonta Davis in November. There is actually additionally a possibility that Lomachenko will come back in the 1st half of 2025 to safeguard his IBF light in weight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) appeared in a battling state of mind Sunday in Los Angeles: he and also Shakur Stevenson needed to be split at ringside during the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov memory card. Lomachenko was found informing Stevenson, "Allow's go right now.If that is actually any evidence, Lomachenko will combat once more. Maybe even against Davis or Stevenson, the 2 largest fights on the desk for him. However if he certainly never laces up the handwear covers once again, Lomachenko's tradition is safeguarded. He is actually a three-division champion, a first-ballot Hall of Famer and also a backbone of the pound-for-pound list over the last 10 years.He additionally doesn't need to have to fight for the money. He is actually gotten millions of bucks in his job and also still dwells in Ukraine, where he's one of the nation's most well-known professional athletes. Whether or not he fights once more, he absolutely won't do this much longer. He switches 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Danny Garcia beats Erislandy Lara and also comes to be a champion in a third divisionNot real. Garcia has upset the odds just before, consisting of a surprising KO draw Amir Khan as well as a leading choice success over Lucas Matthysse. The very first win lifted him to the top echelon of the sport and the last sealed that status.But the Matthysse battle was actually 11 years earlier, though, as well as those 2 signature Garcia wins were at 140 extra pounds (he also succeeded a headline at 147 pounds and went up to 154 for a July 2022 draw Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is still seeking a gain that matches that, and a distressed victory over Lara will match the bill.Garcia failed to be similar to the sharp counterpuncher in the majority-decision success over Benavidez, as well as he hasn't contended due to the fact that. Currently, he'll move up another body weight course (though the Lara match is actually taking place at a catchweight between 155 and also 160 pounds) and have to emulate band sluggishness. The Sept. 14 middleweight headline fight versus Lara are going to be Garcia's 2nd due to the fact that December 2020, when he was actually transmitted through Errol Spence Jr.The choose right here is actually Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), who, even at 41, presents incredible electrical power, albeit versus competitors under Garcia's amount. Lara is actually using a three-fight KO touch.-- CoppingerReal or not: Canelo Alvarez's battle against Edgar Berlanga doesn't go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left behind, shields his undisputed tremendously middleweight championship versus Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Sin City. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu through Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, boxing's top celebrity, hasn't scored a KO triumph given that he squashed Caleb Plant in a November 2021 match to win the undeniable incredibly middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has racked up a presentation in his last three fights. Versus a boxer in Berlanga, who are going to be dealing with on the best level for the first time, Alvarez should incorporate 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 fight versus Marcelo Coceres, who dropped him in Round 9. As well as his protection isn't precisely appear. Berlanga has energy (he began his job along with 16 successive KO gains in the preliminary), and if he opts for to exchange along with Canelo, Alvarez ought to take him out.Alvarez assured as much at a pair of press conference today to advertise the match.-- Coppinger Real or otherwise: No other light champ can easily hammer Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza looks an actual hazard to Lopez after tormenting Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round gain in June and beating Robeisy Ramirez through a large number choice to succeed the WBO title in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) defeated Chirinho in three of the four rounds, while his outbreak win with Ramirez was one of the most ideal fights in 2023. Publisher's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the highest world light champ in past history-- will be a difficulty for Lopez. Chirinho did well to get up from an uppercut from Espinoza in Sphere 1, prior to he was actually soon overwhelmed. As a specialist, Chirinho had never been brought down prior to Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza produced a surprise in beating two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, and he outlanded him in the final three arounds. Although he is certainly not as experienced as Lopez, the amount of hits he has actually thrown in his final pair of battles, in addition to his elevation as well as hit benefits, can show impossible for Lopez.Rey Vargas has appeared unconvincing in recent fights, while our team still need to observe extra from Chip Ball before our team announce him the branch's No. 1. Round (20-0-1, 11 KOs) captured the WBA featherweight label along with a split choice get Raymond Ford in June. That accomplishment adhered to a debatable draw versus Vargas for the WBC headline in March. However Espinoza will tower above 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was frustrating versus Ball as well as has certainly not won in almost 2 years, so it is actually difficult to provide a debate for him in his existing form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is actually the current ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after stopping Reiya Abe in 8 arounds in a 3rd protection of the IBF waistband in March. Lopez has actually gotten rid of large problems in headline matches, like boxing in a champion's hometown as well as receiving cut early (vs. Josh Warrington), and also if he wins on Saturday versus Angelo Leo, he may maybe face his largest difficulty yet in a label unification match versus Espinoza to crown the best competitor in the division.-- ParkinsonReal or not: Anthony Joshua will definitely KO Daniel DuboisReal. As good as Dubois' revival has been actually just a year after being dropped in Oleksandr Usyk, current form suggests his initial IBF heavyweight headline defense will definitely end in a KO defeat to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) resides in leading kind, even more thus than every other abundant. Like Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), Joshua has had to fix his job, after going through next decision reductions to Usyk in 2021 and 2022. Joshua battled cautiously, with a consentaneous decision get Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, however in his last three matches, he rounded off Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin as well as Francis Ngannou.Dubois came back from Saudi Arabia to Greater london as IBF acting heavyweight champion after he quit Filip Hrgovic in Around 8. Usyk after that relinquished the IBF waistband, which implied Dubois was updated to complete champ, therefore shows Joshua with the opportunity to end up being a three-time planet champ at Wembley Stadium in London.Joshua will make an effort to manipulate what Hrgovic had repeated success with against Dubois. Hrgovic constantly landed right hands on Dubois in the very early spheres, as well as Joshua has actually shown in recent fights how harmful his right-hand men want he ruined Ngannou in Around 2. Joshua landed a right hand on the previous UFC big-time champion's face to knock him out chilly. Joshua is going to take possession of the possibility if Dubois produces himself likewise readily available, as he performed against Hrgovic. Joshua is a greater puncher than Hrgovic and also, although Dubois showed toughness to absorb type June, he has actually been actually stopped two times (through Joe Joyce in 2020 and also Usyk in 2014) and also was actually knocked down 3 times in the preliminary by Kevin Lerena prior to recouping to gain in Cycle 3. Yet it is actually no stroll in the playground for Joshua, who likewise requires to respect Dubois' electrical power. Dubois pauperized Hrgovic's skin and can likely carry out a surprise stoppage versus Joshua, just like Andy Ruiz Jr. performed in 2019. But Joshua, that concluded as champion coming from 2016 to 2019 and afterwards coming from 2019 to 2021, is more probable to succeed this match through KO.-- Parkinson.