.IBF featherweight champ Luis Alberto Lopez defends his waistband against Angelo Leo in the main event of a Top Ranking on ESPN card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Saturday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's last reduction remained in May 2019 and also he has gained 14 successive fights due to the fact that, featuring remarkable victories over Josh Warrington in England and also Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. But is he the most effective featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko just recently turned down a highly profitable match versus fellow lightweight champ Gervonta "Storage tank" Davis and while he have not announced his retired life, are going to our company find "Hi-Tech" in the ring again?Canelo Alvarez will definitely create his 2nd ring look this year, however certainly not versus the competitor enthusiasts have actually clamored for. Rather Than David Benavidez, Canelo will definitely deal with Edgar Berlanga, that's never battled at this level in his quick profession. While Berlanga possesses amazing electrical power-- he started his career along with 16 successive first-round KOs-- may he discover a technique to succeed, or at the very least go the span versus Alvarez?Former abundant champ Anthony Joshua will definitely fight for a title for the first time in 2 years. Joshua will deal with IBF champ Daniel Dubois in London, as "AJ" is preferred to come to be a three-time world champion (-550 per ESPN BET). And two-division champion Danny Garcia returns to the ring for simply the second attend nearly 4 years to take on WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara. Garcia, who won belts at 140 and 147 pounds, is moving up in body weight for the opportunity to end up being a three-division champ, yet may he upset an older however still strong Lara?Mike Coppinger and Scar Parkinson address these concerns and even more, trying to differentiate what's genuine and what's not.Real or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko will retire without one more fightNot real ... in the meantime. Lomachenko is contemplating retired life, resources said to ESPN, component of the explanation he declined a profitable battle with Gervonta Davis in November. There's likewise a possibility that Lomachenko will definitely come back in the 1st fifty percent of 2025 to shield his IBF light-weight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) showed up in a combating state of mind Sunday in Los Angeles: he as well as Shakur Stevenson must be divided at ringside throughout the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov memory card. Lomachenko was viewed saying to Stevenson, "Permit's go ideal now.If that's any sort of indication, Lomachenko will fight again. Perhaps even versus Davis or even Stevenson, the 2 largest battles on the desk for him. But if he never laces up the gloves once more, Lomachenko's heritage is safeguarded. He's a three-division champ, a first-ballot Hall of Famer and a mainstay of the pound-for-pound listing over the final 10 years.He likewise does not need to have to fight for the cash. He's gotten countless bucks in his profession as well as still dwells in Ukraine, where he is among the nation's very most well-known professional athletes. Whether or not he fights once more, he absolutely won't do this much longer. He switches 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or not: Danny Garcia hammers Erislandy Lara and also comes to be a champ in a 3rd divisionNot actual. Garcia has actually outplayed the possibilities before, featuring a stunning KO draw Amir Khan and a dominant decision victory over Lucas Matthysse. The 1st win raised him to the higher tier of the sporting activity and the last bound that status.But the Matthysse match was 11 years back, though, and also those two signature Garcia wins were at 140 extra pounds (he likewise gained a headline at 147 pounds and moved up to 154 for a July 2022 sway Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is still hunting for a gain that matches that, and a distressed victory over Lara would certainly match the bill.Garcia didn't appear like the stinging counterpuncher in the majority-decision victory over Benavidez, as well as he have not contended since. Currently, he'll go up yet another weight lesson (though the Lara fight is happening at a catchweight between 155 and also 160 pounds) as well as need to contend with band inactivity. The Sept. 14 middleweight label fight against Lara will be Garcia's second since December 2020, when he was actually transmitted by Errol Spence Jr.The pick right here is Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), that, even at 41, presents enormous power, albeit versus competitors under Garcia's level. Lara is actually using a three-fight KO streak.-- CoppingerReal or not: Canelo Alvarez's match against Edgar Berlanga does not go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left behind, shields his uncontested tremendously middleweight championship versus Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Sin City. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu by means of Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, boxing's leading superstar, hasn't racked up a KO victory because he squashed Caleb Vegetation in a Nov 2021 fight to win the undisputed very middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has scored a presentation in his last 3 battles. Against a competitor in Berlanga, that will certainly be battling on the best amount for the first time, Alvarez should add the 40th KO of his remarkable career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has been actually harmed in the ring in the past, such as in a step-up battle versus Marcelo Coceres, who fell him in Round 9. As well as his defense isn't exactly seem. Berlanga possesses energy (he started his job with 16 consecutive KO wins in the first round), and if he picks to swap along with Canelo, Alvarez should take him out.Alvarez vowed as much at a pair of news conferences this week to market the battle.-- Coppinger Real or otherwise: Nothing else lightweight champion can easily beat Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza appears a real hazard to Lopez after tormenting Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round win in June and beating Robeisy Ramirez through a bulk selection to gain the WBO label in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) defeated Chirinho in three of the 4 rounds, while his escapement gain along with Ramirez was just one of the very best battles in 2023. Publisher's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the tallest globe featherweight champion in background-- would certainly be a problem for Lopez. Chirinho did well to get out of bed coming from an uppercut from Espinoza in Around 1, before he was soon overthrown. As a specialist, Chirinho had never been actually torn down before Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza made a shock in pounding two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, and he outlanded him in the last 3 rounds. Although he is certainly not as professional as Lopez, the volume of punches he has included his last 2 matches, alongside his elevation and arrive at advantages, could possibly verify insurmountable for Lopez.Rey Vargas has actually looked implausible in recent matches, while we still require to observe more coming from Chip Ball before our company announce him the department's No. 1. Sphere (20-0-1, 11 KOs) recorded the WBA featherweight label with a split choice draw Raymond Ford in June. That triumph observed a disputable draw versus Vargas for the WBC title in March. Yet Espinoza will tower above 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was unsatisfactory versus Ball and also has actually 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 the current ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after ceasing Reiya Abe in 8 arounds in a 3rd defense of the IBF belt in March. Lopez has gotten over big challenges in label battles, like boxing in a champ's hometown and getting cut very early (vs. Josh Warrington), and if he gains on Saturday versus Angelo Leo, he may perhaps experience his biggest problem yet in a title unification battle versus Espinoza to crown the greatest competitor in the branch.-- ParkinsonReal or otherwise: Anthony Joshua will definitely KO Daniel DuboisReal. Like Dubois' revival has been actually simply a year after being visited Oleksandr Usyk, current type suggests his first IBF heavyweight label self defense will finish in a KO defeat to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) remains in leading form, more therefore than any other abundant. Like Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), Joshua has actually must fix his job, after going through next selection reductions to Usyk in 2021 as well as 2022. Joshua battled carefully, with an unanimous decision gain Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, however in his last three battles, he accomplished Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and also Francis Ngannou.Dubois returned from Saudi Arabia to London as IBF interim heavyweight champ after he stopped Filip Hrgovic in Sphere 8. Usyk then gave up the IBF waistband, which suggested Dubois was actually upgraded to full champion, and so provides Joshua with the option to come to be a three-time planet champ at Wembley Coliseum in London.Joshua will try to manipulate what Hrgovic had actually redoed excellence along with versus Dubois. Hrgovic continuously landed right-hand men on Dubois in the early spheres, and Joshua has shown in current matches exactly how harmful his right hands want he ruined Ngannou in Around 2. Joshua landed a right hand on the previous UFC big-time champ's face to take him out cool. Joshua is going to confiscate the option if Dubois makes themself similarly available, as he performed versus Hrgovic. Joshua is actually a larger puncher than Hrgovic and also, although Dubois showed longevity to absorb punches in June, he has actually been actually ceased two times (by Joe Joyce in 2020 and also Usyk in 2015) as well as was floored three times in the first round through Kevin Lerena prior to bouncing back to win in Round 3. However it is actually no walk in the playground for Joshua, who additionally needs to have to recognize Dubois' energy. Dubois bungled Hrgovic's face and can likely carry out a surprise discontinuance versus Joshua, much like Andy Ruiz Jr. performed in 2019. However Joshua, that concluded as champ coming from 2016 to 2019 and then coming from 2019 to 2021, is actually more likely to win this match by KO.-- Parkinson.