.IBF featherweight champ Luis Alberto Lopez defends his waistband against Angelo Leo in the main event of a Leading Ranking on ESPN card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Sunday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's last loss resided in May 2019 as well as he has actually gained 14 successive battles since, featuring exceptional victories over Josh Warrington in England and Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. However is he the best featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko recently refused a rewarding match versus fellow light in weight champ Gervonta "Container" Davis and also while he hasn't announced his retirement life, will certainly our team view "Hi-Tech" in the band again?Canelo Alvarez will create his second ring appeal this year, but certainly not versus the competitor enthusiasts have clamored for. Rather Than David Benavidez, Canelo will encounter Edgar Berlanga, who's never battled at this amount in his quick profession. While Berlanga possesses awesome power-- he started his profession along with 16 consecutive first-round KOs-- can easily he find a means to gain, or even a minimum of go the distance versus Alvarez?Former abundant champion Anthony Joshua are going to fight for a headline for the very first time in pair of years. Joshua will certainly deal with IBF champion Daniel Dubois in London, as "AJ" is actually preferred to become a three-time world champ (-550 per ESPN WAGER). As well as two-division champ Danny Garcia returns to the band for just the second attend almost 4 years to handle WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara. Garcia, who won belts at 140 and 147 pounds, is going up in weight for the opportunity to come to be a three-division champion, but can he distress a much older yet still strong Lara?Mike Coppinger as well as Chip Parkinson address these inquiries and also additional, making an effort to distinguish what's genuine as well as what is actually not.Real or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko will retire without yet another fightNot real ... for now. Lomachenko is actually pondering retirement life, resources told ESPN, portion of the cause he dropped a financially rewarding battle along with Gervonta Davis in November. There is actually additionally a possibility that Lomachenko will certainly come back in the very first one-half of 2025 to protect his IBF lightweight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) showed up in a dealing with mood Sunday in Los Angeles: he as well as Shakur Stevenson had to be split at ringside during the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov memory card. Lomachenko was observed saying to Stevenson, "Permit's go appropriate now.If that is actually any kind of indication, Lomachenko is going to battle once more. Maybe even against Davis or even Stevenson, the 2 most significant battles on the table for him. Yet if he never ever laces up the handwear covers once again, Lomachenko's heritage is actually protected. He's a three-division champ, a first-ballot Hall of Famer and an essential of the pound-for-pound checklist over the last 10 years.He likewise doesn't need to eliminate for the cash. He's made countless dollars in his occupation as well as still dwells in Ukraine, where he's one of the nation's most well-known sportsmens. Whether he battles once more, he definitely won't do so a lot longer. He switches 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Danny Garcia beats Erislandy Lara and ends up being a champ in a third divisionNot actual. Garcia has actually outplayed the probabilities prior to, including a stunning KO sway Amir Khan and also a dominant choice triumph over Lucas Matthysse. The 1st gain raised him to the higher tier of the sport and also the latter sealed that status.But the Matthysse match was actually 11 years back, however, and also those two trademark Garcia triumphes went to 140 pounds (he also won a title at 147 extra pounds and also moved up to 154 for a July 2022 gain Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is still searching for a gain that matches that, and a dismayed success over Lara will fit the bill.Garcia didn't be similar to the stinging counterpuncher in the majority-decision triumph over Benavidez, and also he have not competed since. Currently, he'll go up yet another body weight course (though the Lara fight is actually occurring at a catchweight between 155 as well as 160 extra pounds) and need to contend with ring lack of exercise. The Sept. 14 middleweight title fight against Lara will definitely be actually Garcia's 2nd given that December 2020, when he was actually directed through Errol Spence Jr.The choose listed below is actually Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), that, also at 41, shows significant electrical power, albeit against competitors under Garcia's amount. Lara is actually using a three-fight KO touch.-- CoppingerReal or not: Canelo Alvarez's match versus Edgar Berlanga doesn't go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left, protects his undeniable incredibly middleweight championship against Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Sin City. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, boxing's best celebrity, have not racked up a KO victory considering that he squashed Caleb Vegetation in a Nov 2021 fight to succeed the undeniable super middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has racked up a knockdown in his last 3 matches. Against a competitor in Berlanga, who are going to be actually fighting on the best level for the very first time, Alvarez should incorporate the 40th KO of his illustrious career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has actually been actually hurt in the band previously, particularly in a step-up fight against Marcelo Coceres, who fell him in Cycle 9. As well as his protection isn't specifically appear. Berlanga has electrical power (he started his career with 16 consecutive KO gains in the preliminary), as well as if he selects to exchange along with Canelo, Alvarez should take him out.Alvarez promised as much at a pair of news conferences today to market the match.-- Coppinger Real or not: Not one other lightweight champion can hammer Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza looks an actual hazard to Lopez after tormenting Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round succeed in June and beating Robeisy Ramirez by a bulk decision to gain the WBO label in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) knocked down Chirinho in 3 of the 4 shots, while his breakout win with Ramirez was just one of the most ideal matches in 2023. Publisher's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the tallest world lightweight champion in past history-- would be actually a problem for Lopez. Chirinho prospered to get out of bed from an uppercut coming from Espinoza in Sphere 1, prior to he was soon overthrown. As a qualified, Chirinho had actually never ever been actually torn down prior to Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza made a surprise in pounding two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, as well as he outlanded him in the last three spheres. Although he is certainly not as experienced as Lopez, the quantity of strikes he has actually included his last pair of battles, together with his elevation as well as arrive at advantages, could possibly prove unbeatable for Lopez.Rey Vargas has actually appeared unconvincing in latest battles, while we still need to have to observe a lot more from Scar Round prior to our team declare him the branch's No. 1. Sphere (20-0-1, 11 KOs) captured the WBA featherweight title along with a split selection win over Raymond Ford in June. That conquest observed a disputable draw versus Vargas for the WBC title in March. Yet Espinoza would certainly stand over 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was frustrating versus Sphere as well as has not won in nearly pair of years, so it is actually tough to provide a disagreement for him in his existing form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is the existing ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after quiting Reiya Abe in 8 arounds in a 3rd defense of the IBF waistband in March. Lopez has actually conquered major problems in headline battles, like boxing in a champ's home town and getting slice very early (vs. Josh Warrington), and also if he gains on Saturday against Angelo Leo, he may possibly encounter his biggest problem yet in a title unification match against Espinoza to dental crown the greatest fighter in the branch.-- ParkinsonReal or not: Anthony Joshua will KO Daniel DuboisReal. As good as Dubois' revival has been just a year after being visited Oleksandr Usyk, latest kind suggests his first IBF heavyweight headline self defense will finish in a KO defeat to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is in leading type, a lot more therefore than every other abundant. Like Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), Joshua has needed to fix his job, after enduring next decision losses to Usyk in 2021 and 2022. Joshua combated very carefully, with a consentaneous selection draw Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, yet in his final 3 battles, he accomplished Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and also Francis Ngannou.Dubois returned coming from Saudi Arabia to London as IBF acting heavyweight champ after he stopped Filip Hrgovic in Sphere 8. Usyk after that gave up the IBF belt, which suggested Dubois was actually upgraded to complete champion, therefore presents Joshua with the possibility to become a three-time world champ at Wembley Coliseum in London.Joshua will certainly try to exploit what Hrgovic had actually duplicated excellence with against Dubois. Hrgovic frequently landed right-hand men on Dubois in the early rounds, and Joshua has received latest matches just how destructive his right-hand men seek he damaged Ngannou in Round 2. Joshua landed a right-hand man on the former UFC big-time champion's jaw to knock him out cold. Joshua will take the possibility if Dubois creates himself likewise on call, as he performed against Hrgovic. Joshua is actually a greater puncher than Hrgovic and, although Dubois showed durability to absorb type June, he has been quit twice (through Joe Joyce in 2020 as well as Usyk in 2015) as well as was floored 3 times in the first round by Kevin Lerena just before recuperating to gain in Round 3. But it is actually no walk in the park for Joshua, that additionally requires to respect Dubois' power. Dubois bungled Hrgovic's skin and can likely pull off a shock deduction versus Joshua, just like Andy Ruiz Jr. did in 2019. But Joshua, who concluded as champion from 2016 to 2019 and afterwards from 2019 to 2021, is very likely to succeed this match by KO.-- Parkinson.