.IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez defends his waistband versus Angelo Leo generally event of a Top Rank on ESPN card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Sunday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's last reduction resided in May 2019 as well as he has won 14 successive battles considering that, featuring excellent victories over Josh Warrington in England and also Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. However is he the greatest featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko lately turned down a financially rewarding match against fellow light-weight champ Gervonta "Tank" Davis and also while he hasn't revealed his retirement life, will our team find "Hi-Tech" in the band again?Canelo Alvarez are going to make his second ring appearance this year, however not against the competitor supporters have clamored for. As Opposed To David Benavidez, Canelo will definitely encounter Edgar Berlanga, that's never ever dealt with at this level in his short career. While Berlanga has fabulous energy-- he started his occupation along with 16 successive first-round KOs-- can he find a technique to gain, or even at least go the proximity against Alvarez?Former abundant champion Anthony Joshua will fight for a title for the very first time in 2 years. Joshua will face IBF champ Daniel Dubois in Greater London, as "AJ" is actually favored to become a three-time globe champion (-550 per ESPN WAGER). As well as two-division champion Danny Garcia returns to the band for merely the 2nd time in almost four years to take on WBA middleweight champ Erislandy Lara. Garcia, that won belts at 140 and also 147 pounds, is going up in weight for the chance to come to be a three-division champion, yet can easily he upset an older but still strong Lara?Mike Coppinger as well as Scar Parkinson respond to these concerns and also additional, attempting to distinguish what's real and also what is actually not.Real or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko will definitely resign without another fightNot real ... for now. Lomachenko is pondering retired life, resources said to ESPN, aspect of the factor he decreased a lucrative battle with Gervonta Davis in November. There's also a possibility that Lomachenko will come back in the initial fifty percent of 2025 to defend his IBF lightweight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) showed up in a dealing with mood Saturday in Los Angeles: he and also Shakur Stevenson needed to be actually separated at ringside during the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov memory card. Lomachenko was actually viewed telling Stevenson, "Permit's go best now.If that is actually any sort of indication, Lomachenko will definitely fight once more. Maybe even against Davis or Stevenson, the 2 most significant fights on the table for him. Yet if he never shoelaces up the gloves once more, Lomachenko's heritage is protected. He is actually a three-division champ, a first-ballot Venue of Famer and also a mainstay of the pound-for-pound list over the final 10 years.He also doesn't need to fight for the money. He's made numerous dollars in his occupation and also still resides in Ukraine, where he is just one of the nation's very most prominent athletes. Regardless if he combats again, he definitely will not accomplish this much longer. He switches 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or not: Danny Garcia hammers Erislandy Lara as well as comes to be a champ in a 3rd divisionNot actual. Garcia has outplayed the probabilities prior to, including a shocking KO get Amir Khan and also a dominant decision success over Lucas Matthysse. The initial gain raised him to the upper tier of the sporting activity as well as the last glued that status.But the Matthysse battle was actually 11 years earlier, though, and those pair of trademark Garcia success were at 140 pounds (he additionally succeeded a headline at 147 extra pounds as well as went up to 154 for a July 2022 gain Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is still seeking a gain that matches that, and also a distressed triumph over Lara will fit the bill.Garcia didn't look like the sharp counterpuncher in the majority-decision triumph over Benavidez, and also he have not competed since. Right now, he'll go up one more body weight course (though the Lara battle is happening at a catchweight between 155 and 160 pounds) and have to emulate ring stagnation. The Sept. 14 middleweight label match against Lara will be actually Garcia's second due to the fact that December 2020, when he was actually directed through Errol Spence Jr.The select listed below is Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), who, even at 41, reveals incredible energy, albeit against boxers under Garcia's level. Lara is actually riding a three-fight KO touch.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Canelo Alvarez's battle against Edgar Berlanga does not go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left behind, guards his undeniable extremely middleweight championship versus Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Sin City. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, punching's top star, have not scored a KO triumph considering that he squashed Caleb Vegetation in a November 2021 fight to gain the recognized incredibly middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has racked up a knockdown in his final 3 battles. Versus a fighter in Berlanga, that will definitely be actually combating on the best degree for the first time, Alvarez needs to add the 40th KO of his remarkable career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has been harmed in the ring before, particularly in a step-up match against Marcelo Coceres, who lost him in Round 9. And his defense isn't exactly sound. Berlanga has power (he started his career with 16 successive KO succeeds in the first round), and if he opts for to exchange along with Canelo, Alvarez needs to take him out.Alvarez assured as a lot at a pair of press conference recently to advertise the fight.-- Coppinger Real or not: Not one other light champ can easily hammer Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza looks a true danger to Lopez after torturing Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round gain in June and defeating Robeisy Ramirez by a large number selection to succeed the WBO headline in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) defeated Chirinho in 3 of the 4 shots, while his breakout succeed with Ramirez was among the greatest fights in 2023. Editor's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the tallest world light champion in past-- will be actually a difficulty for Lopez. Chirinho did well to get up from an uppercut from Espinoza in Around 1, before he was soon overthrown. As a specialist, Chirinho had certainly never been brought down just before Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza made a surprise in pounding two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, and he outlanded him in the last three arounds. Although he is actually not as seasoned as Lopez, the volume of punches he has thrown in his final two matches, in addition to his height as well as reach benefits, could possibly confirm insurmountable for Lopez.Rey Vargas has actually appeared unconvincing in current fights, while we still need to have to see more coming from Scar Round prior to we declare him the division's No. 1. Round (20-0-1, 11 KOs) recorded the WBA featherweight headline with a split selection get Raymond Ford in June. That accomplishment observed a questionable draw versus Vargas for the WBC title in March. Yet Espinoza would certainly tower above 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was disappointing versus Sphere as well as has actually certainly not succeeded in nearly two years, so it is actually difficult to provide a debate for him in his present form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is the existing ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after stopping Reiya Abe in eight rounds in a 3rd defense of the IBF waistband in March. Lopez has overcome large problems in headline battles, like boxing in a champ's home town and also receiving slice early (vs. Josh Warrington), as well as if he succeeds on Sunday versus Angelo Leo, he may maybe encounter his greatest obstacle however in a headline marriage match against Espinoza to dental crown the greatest boxer in the division.-- ParkinsonReal or otherwise: Anthony Joshua are going to KO Daniel DuboisReal. Just as good as Dubois' resurgence has been actually merely a year after being dropped in Oleksandr Usyk, current kind advises his first IBF heavyweight label self defense will certainly finish in a KO loss to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is in best kind, much more so than every other abundant. Like Dubois (21-2, twenty KOs), Joshua has actually had to fix his career, after enduring back-to-back choice reductions to Usyk in 2021 as well as 2022. Joshua dealt with very carefully, along with a consentaneous selection draw Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, however in his final three battles, he rounded off Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou.Dubois came back coming from Saudi Arabia to Greater london as IBF acting big-time champion after he stopped Filip Hrgovic in Around 8. Usyk after that gave up the IBF waistband, which suggested Dubois was updated to total champ, and so presents Joshua with the chance to become a three-time world champ at Wembley Coliseum in London.Joshua will definitely make an effort to exploit what Hrgovic had redoed success with versus Dubois. Hrgovic regularly landed right-hand men on Dubois in the very early spheres, and also Joshua has actually received current matches just how detrimental his right-hand men seek he destroyed Ngannou in Round 2. Joshua landed a right hand on the past UFC big-time champ's face to take him out cool. Joshua is going to take possession of the opportunity if Dubois produces themself in a similar way offered, as he carried out against Hrgovic. Joshua is a bigger puncher than Hrgovic and, although Dubois presented toughness to soak up type June, he has been ceased twice (by Joe Joyce in 2020 and Usyk in 2013) and was actually floored three attend the preliminary through Kevin Lerena before recovering to gain in Cycle 3. Yet it is actually no walk in the playground for Joshua, that additionally needs to value Dubois' energy. Dubois made a mess of Hrgovic's face as well as can potentially pull off a surprise stoppage versus Joshua, much like Andy Ruiz Jr. performed in 2019. However Joshua, who concluded as champ coming from 2016 to 2019 and after that from 2019 to 2021, is more probable to win this match through KO.-- Parkinson.