.IBF featherweight champ Luis Alberto Lopez defends his waistband against Angelo Leo in the main celebration of a Top Position on ESPN memory card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Sunday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's last loss was in May 2019 and also he has actually won 14 successive matches because, featuring remarkable triumphes over Josh Warrington in England as well as Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. However is he the most effective featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko lately declined a profitable match versus fellow lightweight champion Gervonta "Storage tank" Davis and also while he have not declared his retirement, will definitely our company observe "Hi-Tech" in the band again?Canelo Alvarez are going to create his 2nd ring look this year, however not versus the competitor supporters have clamored for. Rather Than David Benavidez, Canelo will face Edgar Berlanga, who is actually never ever combated at this level in his brief occupation. While Berlanga possesses amazing power-- he started his career along with 16 consecutive first-round KOs-- may he locate a means to win, or a minimum of go the span against Alvarez?Former heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua are going to defend a headline for the first time in two years. Joshua will definitely encounter IBF champion Daniel Dubois in Greater London, as "AJ" is favored to come to be a three-time planet champion (-550 per ESPN WAGER). And also two-division champion Danny Garcia returns to the band for just the second time in virtually four years to handle WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara. Garcia, that won belts at 140 and 147 extra pounds, is actually moving up in weight for the possibility to come to be a three-division champion, yet can he upset a much older however still strong Lara?Mike Coppinger and also Chip Parkinson address these inquiries and also more, attempting to distinguish what's actual and what is actually not.Real or otherwise: Vasiliy Lomachenko are going to retire without an additional fightNot actual ... meanwhile. Lomachenko is actually pondering retirement, resources told ESPN, portion of the reason he declined a beneficial match with Gervonta Davis in November. There is actually also a possibility that Lomachenko will certainly return in the initial half of 2025 to defend his IBF light-weight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) showed up in a battling mood Sunday in Los Angeles: he and also Shakur Stevenson had to be actually separated at ringside during the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov card. Lomachenko was seen telling Stevenson, "Allow's go appropriate now.If that is actually any kind of indicator, Lomachenko will definitely battle once again. Perhaps even against Davis or even Stevenson, both largest matches on the table for him. Yet if he never ever laces up the gloves again, Lomachenko's legacy is actually gotten. He is actually a three-division champ, a first-ballot Hall of Famer as well as a mainstay of the pound-for-pound checklist over the last 10 years.He likewise doesn't need to combat for the cash. He is actually made millions of dollars in his profession and still stays in Ukraine, where he is among the nation's most well-liked sportsmens. Whether or not he fights once more, he certainly won't do this a lot longer. He transforms 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or not: Danny Garcia hammers Erislandy Lara and also ends up being a champ in a 3rd divisionNot real. Garcia has upset the chances prior to, including a shocking KO get Amir Khan and a leading selection victory over Lucas Matthysse. The initial gain lifted him to the upper echelon of the sport and also the latter bound that status.But the Matthysse match was actually 11 years earlier, however, and those two signature Garcia wins went to 140 pounds (he likewise succeeded a title at 147 extra pounds and moved up to 154 for a July 2022 draw Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is still looking for a win that matches that, and a dismayed victory over Lara would accommodate the bill.Garcia failed to appear like the stinging counterpuncher in the majority-decision victory over Benavidez, and he have not contended given that. Right now, he'll move up one more weight class (though the Lara fight is actually occurring at a catchweight in between 155 and also 160 pounds) and have to contend with band stagnation. The Sept. 14 middleweight label fight versus Lara will be Garcia's second due to the fact that December 2020, when he was routed through Errol Spence Jr.The pick here is Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), that, even at 41, shows enormous electrical power, albeit against fighters beneath Garcia's degree. Lara is using a three-fight KO streak.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Canelo Alvarez's battle versus Edgar Berlanga does not go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left behind, safeguards his undeniable extremely middleweight champion against Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Sin City. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu by means of Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, punching's best star, hasn't racked up a KO triumph since he smoothed Caleb Plant in a Nov 2021 battle to win the recognized tremendously middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has actually racked up a knockdown in his final 3 battles. Against a boxer in Berlanga, that are going to be actually combating on the top level for the very first time, Alvarez should add the 40th KO of his remarkable career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has been injured in the band previously, such as in a step-up match versus Marcelo Coceres, that fell him in Round 9. As well as his protection isn't exactly appear. Berlanga has energy (he started his profession along with 16 successive KO wins in the first round), and also if he chooses to exchange along with Canelo, Alvarez needs to take him out.Alvarez guaranteed as a lot at a set of press conference today to ensure the battle.-- Coppinger Real or not: Not one other light champ may hammer Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza looks a genuine threat to Lopez after agonizing Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round succeed in June and also beating Robeisy Ramirez by a majority choice to win the WBO headline in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) floored Chirinho in three of the four shots, while his outbreak win with Ramirez was just one of the most ideal matches in 2023. Publisher's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the highest world lightweight champion in background-- would certainly be actually a challenge for Lopez. Chirinho prospered to get up coming from an uppercut from Espinoza in Sphere 1, just before he was actually soon overwhelmed. As a qualified, Chirinho had certainly never been torn down before Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza produced a shock in beating two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, and also he outlanded him in the final three spheres. Although he is actually certainly not as expert as Lopez, the volume of punches he has thrown in his last pair of matches, together with his elevation and also reach advantages, can show unbeatable for Lopez.Rey Vargas has actually appeared unconvincing in current fights, while our company still require to find even more from Nick Round before our team declare him the division's No. 1. Ball (20-0-1, 11 KOs) caught the WBA featherweight headline with a split choice get Raymond Ford in June. That conquest complied with a disputable draw versus Vargas for the WBC title in March. But Espinoza will overlook 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was actually unsatisfying versus Ball and also has actually certainly not won in virtually pair of years, so it is challenging to provide a debate for him in his current form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is actually the existing ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after ceasing Reiya Abe in eight arounds in a third protection of the IBF belt in March. Lopez has actually beat major difficulties in label matches, like punching in a champ's neighborhood and obtaining cut very early (vs. Josh Warrington), and also if he gains on Sunday against Angelo Leo, he may probably face his most significant obstacle yet in a headline unification fight versus Espinoza to crown the most effective competitor in the division.-- ParkinsonReal or not: Anthony Joshua will definitely KO Daniel DuboisReal. As good as Dubois' rebirth has been actually only a year after being actually stopped by Oleksandr Usyk, latest kind recommends his very first IBF abundant headline defense will certainly end in a KO loss to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) resides in top form, even more thus than some other heavyweight. Like Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), Joshua has actually had to fix his profession, after going through back-to-back selection reductions to Usyk in 2021 and 2022. Joshua combated meticulously, with a consensual decision win over Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, but in his last three fights, he accomplished Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin as well as Francis Ngannou.Dubois returned coming from Saudi Arabia to London as IBF acting heavyweight champion after he quit Filip Hrgovic in Around 8. Usyk after that gave up the IBF waistband, which implied Dubois was improved to complete champion, and so shows Joshua along with the chance to end up being a three-time planet champ at Wembley Arena in London.Joshua will certainly make an effort to manipulate what Hrgovic had redoed effectiveness with versus Dubois. Hrgovic continuously landed right hands on Dubois in the early rounds, and Joshua has displayed in recent battles just how detrimental his right-hand men want he ruined Ngannou in Sphere 2. Joshua landed a right-hand man on the former UFC heavyweight champ's jaw to knock him out cool. Joshua will take possession of the chance if Dubois produces himself likewise offered, as he carried out against Hrgovic. Joshua is actually a greater puncher than Hrgovic and also, although Dubois showed longevity to take in punches in June, he has actually been stopped twice (through Joe Joyce in 2020 and Usyk last year) and also was actually knocked down three attend the preliminary by Kevin Lerena prior to recovering to win in Round 3. Yet it is no stroll in the playground for Joshua, that likewise requires to appreciate Dubois' power. Dubois pauperized Hrgovic's skin and can potentially carry out a surprise blockage against Joshua, much like Andy Ruiz Jr. performed in 2019. Yet Joshua, that concluded as champion coming from 2016 to 2019 and after that from 2019 to 2021, is very likely to succeed this match by KO.-- Parkinson.