.IBF featherweight champ Luis Alberto Lopez defends his waistband versus Angelo Leo in the main activity of a Leading Position on ESPN memory card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Sunday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's last reduction was in May 2019 and also he has gained 14 successive battles because, consisting of remarkable success over Josh Warrington in England and also Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. But is he the greatest featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko just recently refused a lucrative fight against fellow light-weight champion Gervonta "Container" Davis as well as while he hasn't declared his retirement, will certainly our company observe "Hi-Tech" in the ring again?Canelo Alvarez will definitely create his second ring appeal this year, however not against the fighter followers have actually demanded. Rather Than David Benavidez, Canelo will definitely deal with Edgar Berlanga, who's never ever combated at this degree in his short occupation. While Berlanga possesses incredible energy-- he began his profession with 16 successive first-round KOs-- can he find a method to win, or at the very least go the proximity versus Alvarez?Former abundant champ Anthony Joshua will definitely fight for a headline for the very first time in 2 years. Joshua will deal with IBF champion Daniel Dubois in Greater London, as "AJ" is actually preferred to come to be a three-time globe champion (-550 every ESPN WAGER). And also two-division champion Danny Garcia comes back to the ring for only the 2nd attend almost 4 years to tackle WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara. Garcia, who won waistbands at 140 as well as 147 extra pounds, is actually going up in body weight for the odds to end up being a three-division champ, however can easily he disturb an older however still highly effective Lara?Mike Coppinger and Chip Parkinson respond to these questions and even more, making an effort to distinguish what's genuine and what is actually not.Real or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko will certainly retire without an additional fightNot genuine ... in the meantime. Lomachenko is actually pondering retirement life, resources informed ESPN, aspect of the main reason he declined a financially rewarding match along with Gervonta Davis in November. There is actually also an opportunity that Lomachenko will certainly come back in the initial fifty percent of 2025 to protect his IBF light in weight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) showed up in a combating state of mind Sunday in Los Angeles: he and also Shakur Stevenson needed to be actually split at ringside throughout the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov memory card. Lomachenko was actually found saying to Stevenson, "Permit's go best now.If that's any kind of indicator, Lomachenko is going to combat once again. Maybe even against Davis or even Stevenson, the 2 most significant matches on the desk for him. Yet if he never laces up the handwear covers once more, Lomachenko's tradition is gotten. He is actually a three-division champion, a first-ballot Hall of Famer and a backbone of the pound-for-pound checklist over the last 10 years.He additionally does not need to overcome for the money. He is actually made numerous dollars in his profession as well as still resides in Ukraine, where he's one of the nation's very most popular athletes. Whether or not he combats once more, he undoubtedly won't do this a lot longer. He switches 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or not: Danny Garcia beats Erislandy Lara as well as comes to be a champ in a 3rd divisionNot genuine. Garcia has outplayed the odds prior to, consisting of a shocking KO draw Amir Khan and a dominant decision triumph over Lucas Matthysse. The first gain lifted him to the top tier of the sporting activity and the second glued that status.But the Matthysse fight was actually 11 years ago, though, and those pair of trademark Garcia victories were at 140 extra pounds (he additionally won a headline at 147 extra pounds as well as went up to 154 for a July 2022 draw Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is still looking for a gain that matches that, and an upset success over Lara would certainly fit the bill.Garcia didn't be similar to the stinging counterpuncher in the majority-decision victory over Benavidez, as well as he hasn't contended considering that. Currently, he'll move up another body weight lesson (though the Lara match is taking place at a catchweight in between 155 as well as 160 pounds) and must contend with band lack of exercise. The Sept. 14 middleweight label battle against Lara will certainly be actually Garcia's second given that December 2020, when he was directed through Errol Spence Jr.The decide on listed below is actually Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), that, also at 41, shows enormous power, albeit versus boxers under Garcia's amount. Lara is actually using a three-fight KO touch.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Canelo Alvarez's fight against Edgar Berlanga doesn't go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left, defends his indisputable tremendously middleweight championship against Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu using Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, punching's leading star, hasn't racked up a KO victory considering that he smoothed Caleb Plant in a November 2021 match to gain the uncontested tremendously middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has scored a presentation in his last 3 battles. Against a fighter in Berlanga, that are going to be actually battling on the top degree for the first time, Alvarez must add the 40th KO of his illustrious career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has actually been actually hurt in the ring before, specifically in a step-up match against Marcelo Coceres, who fell him in Cycle 9. And his self defense isn't precisely sound. Berlanga has energy (he began his career along with 16 consecutive KO succeeds in the preliminary), and if he selects to exchange along with Canelo, Alvarez should take him out.Alvarez vowed as a lot at a set of news conferences today to advertise the battle.-- Coppinger Real or not: Nothing else lightweight champion can hammer Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza appears a real hazard to Lopez after torturing Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round gain in June and also defeating Robeisy Ramirez through a large number choice to win the WBO title in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) floored Chirinho in 3 of the 4 rounds, while his outbreak succeed along with Ramirez was one of the very best battles in 2023. Editor's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the highest world lightweight champion in past history-- would certainly be a problem for Lopez. Chirinho succeeded to get out of bed coming from an uppercut from Espinoza in Round 1, before he was actually quickly subdued. As an expert, Chirinho had actually never ever been actually torn down just before Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza produced a surprise in beating two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, and he outlanded him in the final three spheres. Although he is actually not as skilled as Lopez, the amount of hits he has included his last 2 fights, together with his elevation as well as reach benefits, could show impossible for Lopez.Rey Vargas has actually appeared unconvincing in current fights, while our experts still need to have to view even more coming from Scar Round before we proclaim him the department's No. 1. Round (20-0-1, 11 KOs) grabbed the WBA featherweight label with a split decision sway Raymond Ford in June. That victory adhered to a debatable draw versus Vargas for the WBC headline in March. Yet Espinoza would overlook 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was frustrating versus Ball and also has certainly not won in nearly pair of years, so it is actually difficult to offer an argument for him in his existing form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is actually the present ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after stopping Reiya Abe in 8 rounds in a third protection of the IBF waistband in March. Lopez has overcome major challenges in title fights, like punching in a champ's home town as well as acquiring cut early (vs. Josh Warrington), and if he succeeds on Sunday versus Angelo Leo, he might possibly face his largest obstacle however in a title marriage fight versus Espinoza to dental crown the very best competitor in the department.-- ParkinsonReal or otherwise: Anthony Joshua are going to KO Daniel DuboisReal. Just as good as Dubois' revival has actually been actually only a year after being dropped in Oleksandr Usyk, latest kind recommends his 1st IBF abundant headline defense will end in a KO loss to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) resides in best type, even more thus than any other abundant. Like Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), Joshua has needed to reconstruct his job, after suffering next selection reductions to Usyk in 2021 and 2022. Joshua battled meticulously, along with a consensual decision sway Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, however in his last 3 fights, he accomplished Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou.Dubois came back coming from Saudi Arabia to London as IBF interim big-time champion after he stopped Filip Hrgovic in Around 8. Usyk at that point relinquished the IBF waistband, which indicated Dubois was updated to complete champion, consequently provides Joshua with the option to come to be a three-time world champ at Wembley Arena in London.Joshua are going to try to manipulate what Hrgovic had duplicated results with versus Dubois. Hrgovic regularly landed right-hand men on Dubois in the very early rounds, as well as Joshua has actually displayed in latest fights how detrimental his right hands are after he destroyed Ngannou in Round 2. Joshua landed a right hand on the previous UFC heavyweight champion's chin to knock him out chilly. Joshua is going to take the chance if Dubois makes himself in a similar way on call, as he performed versus Hrgovic. Joshua is actually a bigger puncher than Hrgovic as well as, although Dubois revealed sturdiness to absorb punches in June, he has actually been actually stopped twice (by Joe Joyce in 2020 as well as Usyk in 2014) as well as was knocked down 3 times in the preliminary through Kevin Lerena prior to bouncing back to win in Cycle 3. Yet it is no walk in the park for Joshua, that also needs to have to respect Dubois' energy. Dubois pauperized Hrgovic's face as well as can potentially pull off a surprise standstill versus Joshua, similar to Andy Ruiz Jr. carried out in 2019. But Joshua, who ruled as champ coming from 2016 to 2019 and then coming from 2019 to 2021, is more probable to gain this match through KO.-- Parkinson.