.IBF featherweight champ Luis Alberto Lopez defends his belt against Angelo Leo in the main occasion of a Leading Position on ESPN memory 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 gained 14 successive battles due to the fact that, featuring remarkable success over Josh Warrington in England and Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. However is he the very best featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko recently rejected a profitable match versus fellow lightweight champ Gervonta "Storage tank" Davis as well as while he hasn't declared his retirement life, will certainly our company observe "Hi-Tech" in the band again?Canelo Alvarez are going to make his 2nd ring look this year, yet not against the fighter enthusiasts have demanded. As Opposed To David Benavidez, Canelo is going to experience Edgar Berlanga, who's certainly never battled at this amount in his quick job. While Berlanga has astonishing power-- he started his job along with 16 consecutive first-round KOs-- can easily he locate a method to succeed, or even at the very least go the span versus Alvarez?Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will defend a headline for the very first time in 2 years. Joshua will certainly encounter IBF champ Daniel Dubois in Greater London, as "AJ" is favored to become a three-time world champ (-550 per ESPN BET). And also two-division champ Danny Garcia comes back to the band for just the 2nd time in almost four years to tackle WBA middleweight champ Erislandy Lara. Garcia, who gained waistbands at 140 and also 147 pounds, is actually moving up in weight for the odds to come to be a three-division champ, yet can he distress an older but still powerful Lara?Mike Coppinger and also Nick Parkinson respond to these questions and more, making an effort to identify what's actual and what's not.Real or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko are going to retire without another fightNot actual ... for now. Lomachenko is actually reflecting upon retired life, sources informed ESPN, part of the cause he decreased a profitable fight with Gervonta Davis in November. There is actually also a probability that Lomachenko will come back in the first one-half of 2025 to defend his IBF light-weight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) appeared in a dealing with state of mind Sunday in Los Angeles: he as well as Shakur Stevenson needed to be actually divided at ringside in the course of the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov card. Lomachenko was actually found informing Stevenson, "Let's go correct now.If that's any kind of evidence, Lomachenko will definitely combat once again. Perhaps even versus Davis or Stevenson, the two greatest matches on the table for him. Yet if he certainly never laces up the handwear covers again, Lomachenko's tradition is actually gotten. He's a three-division champ, a first-ballot Venue of Famer and a backbone of the pound-for-pound listing over the last 10 years.He additionally does not need to overcome for the money. He's made millions of bucks in his job as well as still dwells in Ukraine, where he's one of the country's most popular professional athletes. Whether he fights again, he undoubtedly will not do this much longer. He transforms 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or not: Danny Garcia hammers Erislandy Lara and also comes to be a champ in a third divisionNot real. Garcia has upset the probabilities before, consisting of a surprising KO get Amir Khan and also a dominant choice triumph over Lucas Matthysse. The 1st gain raised him to the upper tier of the sporting activity and the latter sealed that status.But the Matthysse battle was 11 years ago, though, and also those 2 trademark Garcia triumphes were at 140 pounds (he also succeeded a title at 147 pounds and went up to 154 for a July 2022 get Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is still searching for a gain that matches that, as well as an upset triumph over Lara would accommodate the bill.Garcia really did not appear like the stinging counterpuncher in the majority-decision triumph over Benavidez, and he have not contended considering that. Right now, he'll move up another body weight class (though the Lara fight is actually occurring at a catchweight in between 155 as well as 160 extra pounds) and also must contend with ring inactivity. The Sept. 14 middleweight headline battle against Lara will definitely be Garcia's 2nd because December 2020, when he was transmitted by Errol Spence Jr.The pick listed below is actually Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), that, also at 41, reveals incredible power, albeit against competitors under Garcia's degree. Lara is actually using a three-fight KO streak.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Canelo Alvarez's fight against Edgar Berlanga does not go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left behind, guards his unquestioned super middleweight championship against Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, boxing's best superstar, have not racked up a KO triumph because he squashed Caleb Vegetation in a November 2021 fight to win the unquestioned very middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has actually racked up a knockdown in his last 3 battles. Against a fighter in Berlanga, who will be actually dealing with on the best degree for the very first time, Alvarez must add the 40th KO of his illustrious career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has been actually injured in the band before, particularly in a step-up match versus Marcelo Coceres, who fell him in Round 9. And his self defense isn't specifically appear. Berlanga possesses electrical power (he started his profession along with 16 consecutive KO gains in the preliminary), and also if he picks to trade along with Canelo, Alvarez must take him out.Alvarez assured as a lot at a pair of press conference recently to market the match.-- Coppinger Real or otherwise: No other featherweight champion may beat Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza appears a real risk to Lopez after torturing Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round gain in June and also beating Robeisy Ramirez through a majority choice to gain the WBO title in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) floored Chirinho in 3 of the four rounds, while his outbreak win with Ramirez was among the greatest battles in 2023. Editor's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the highest world featherweight champion in past history-- will be actually a difficulty for Lopez. Chirinho flourished to stand up from an uppercut coming from Espinoza in Round 1, just before he was quickly overpowered. As a professional, Chirinho had actually never been actually torn down prior to Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza created a shock in beating two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, as well as he outlanded him in the last 3 spheres. Although he is not as experienced as Lopez, the amount of punches he has thrown in his final 2 matches, along with his elevation as well as get to benefits, could possibly prove unbeatable for Lopez.Rey Vargas has looked unconvincing in recent matches, while we still need to see a lot more coming from Scar Sphere before our team proclaim him the division's No. 1. Round (20-0-1, 11 KOs) captured the WBA featherweight headline with a split choice draw Raymond Ford in June. That victory complied with a controversial draw versus Vargas for the WBC label in March. Yet Espinoza will stand over 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was actually unsatisfactory versus Ball and also has certainly not won in nearly 2 years, so it is actually challenging to provide a debate for him in his current form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is the existing ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after ceasing Reiya Abe in eight spheres in a third defense of the IBF belt in March. Lopez has actually overcome significant difficulties in headline matches, like boxing in a champ's neighborhood and also receiving cut very early (vs. Josh Warrington), as well as if he succeeds on Saturday versus Angelo Leo, he might probably experience his biggest problem yet in a title unification fight versus Espinoza to crown the best fighter in the department.-- ParkinsonReal or not: Anthony Joshua will certainly KO Daniel DuboisReal. Just as good as Dubois' resurgence has actually been actually merely a year after being actually stopped by Oleksandr Usyk, recent kind advises his 1st IBF heavyweight headline protection will finish in a KO defeat to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) remains in leading form, more thus than some other abundant. Like Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), Joshua has actually must reconstruct his career, after suffering next decision losses to Usyk in 2021 as well as 2022. Joshua dealt with meticulously, along with a consentaneous choice sway Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, however in his last three matches, he finished off Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and also Francis Ngannou.Dubois returned from Saudi Arabia to London as IBF interim big-time champion after he quit Filip Hrgovic in Around 8. Usyk then relinquished the IBF belt, which meant Dubois was updated to total champion, and so presents Joshua along with the chance to end up being a three-time planet champ at Wembley Stadium in London.Joshua will make an effort to exploit what Hrgovic had actually redoed effectiveness along with against Dubois. Hrgovic consistently landed right hands on Dubois in the early rounds, and Joshua has actually displayed in recent fights exactly how harmful his right hands seek he destroyed Ngannou in Round 2. Joshua landed a right-hand man on the past UFC heavyweight champ's jaw to take him out cool. Joshua will definitely take possession of the chance if Dubois produces himself similarly on call, as he did against Hrgovic. Joshua is actually a bigger puncher than Hrgovic as well as, although Dubois revealed toughness to soak up punches in June, he has been stopped two times (by Joe Joyce in 2020 and also Usyk in 2013) as well as was knocked down three times in the preliminary by Kevin Lerena just before recuperating to gain in Cycle 3. But it is actually no stroll in the park for Joshua, who also needs to value Dubois' electrical power. Dubois bungled Hrgovic's skin and also can potentially carry out a shock discontinuance versus Joshua, much like Andy Ruiz Jr. carried out in 2019. Yet Joshua, that concluded as champion from 2016 to 2019 and then coming from 2019 to 2021, is most likely to succeed this match through KO.-- Parkinson.