.IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez defends his belt against Angelo Leo in the main event of a Top Position on ESPN memory card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Saturday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's final loss remained in May 2019 and also he has actually gained 14 successive battles because, consisting of excellent triumphes over Josh Warrington in England as well as Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. But is he the best featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko recently turned down a financially rewarding battle versus fellow light-weight champion Gervonta "Storage tank" Davis and also while he have not revealed his retirement, will our experts see "Hi-Tech" in the band again?Canelo Alvarez are going to make his second ring look this year, but certainly not versus the competitor fans have clamored for. Rather Than David Benavidez, Canelo will deal with Edgar Berlanga, who is actually certainly never battled at this level in his brief job. While Berlanga possesses unbelievable power-- he began his occupation along with 16 consecutive first-round KOs-- may he discover a means to succeed, or a minimum of go the range versus Alvarez?Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua are going to fight for a headline for the very first time in two years. Joshua will certainly encounter IBF champ Daniel Dubois in London, as "AJ" is actually chosen to become a three-time world champ (-550 every ESPN BET). And also two-division champion Danny Garcia goes back to the band for merely the second attend almost four years to handle WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara. Garcia, who succeeded belts at 140 and also 147 pounds, is moving up in body weight for the possibility to end up being a three-division champ, however may he distress a more mature yet still highly effective Lara?Mike Coppinger and Scar Parkinson answer these concerns and additional, attempting to distinguish what's real as well as what is actually not.Real or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko will certainly retire without one more fightNot actual ... for now. Lomachenko is pondering retirement life, resources told ESPN, portion of the main reason he dropped a highly profitable battle along with Gervonta Davis in November. There is actually also an option that Lomachenko are going to come back in the initial half of 2025 to defend his IBF lightweight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) seemed in a battling state of mind Sunday in Los Angeles: he and also Shakur Stevenson needed to be split at ringside during the course of the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov card. Lomachenko was observed informing Stevenson, "Permit's go appropriate now.If that is actually any type of evidence, Lomachenko will definitely fight once again. Perhaps even against Davis or Stevenson, both biggest matches on the desk for him. However if he never ever laces up the handwear covers again, Lomachenko's tradition is safeguarded. He is actually a three-division champion, a first-ballot Hall of Famer and also a pillar of the pound-for-pound checklist over the final 10 years.He also doesn't need to eliminate for the money. He is actually gained millions of dollars in his occupation and also still stays in Ukraine, where he is among the nation's most well-known professional athletes. Whether or not he combats again, he surely won't do so much longer. He switches 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or not: Danny Garcia hammers Erislandy Lara and also becomes a champ in a third divisionNot genuine. Garcia has outplayed the probabilities before, including a shocking KO gain Amir Khan as well as a leading decision triumph over Lucas Matthysse. The 1st win raised him to the higher tier of the sport and the last sealed that status.But the Matthysse match was actually 11 years back, however, as well as those pair of trademark Garcia success went to 140 pounds (he additionally gained a label at 147 pounds and moved up to 154 for a July 2022 gain Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is actually still looking for a gain that matches that, as well as a distressed success over Lara will fit the bill.Garcia didn't be similar to the stinging counterpuncher in the majority-decision success over Benavidez, as well as he hasn't completed due to the fact that. Currently, he'll move up one more weight lesson (though the Lara fight is taking place at a catchweight between 155 as well as 160 extra pounds) and must emulate band inactivity. The Sept. 14 middleweight label fight versus Lara will certainly be Garcia's 2nd due to the fact that December 2020, when he was actually routed by Errol Spence Jr.The choose listed here is actually Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), who, also at 41, shows significant energy, albeit against fighters under Garcia's level. Lara is actually riding a three-fight KO streak.-- CoppingerReal or not: Canelo Alvarez's match versus Edgar Berlanga doesn't go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left behind, defends his undisputed incredibly middleweight championship against Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu through Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, boxing's top superstar, hasn't scored a KO success because he squashed Caleb Plant in a November 2021 fight to win the undeniable super middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has scored a knockdown in his last three battles. Against a boxer in Berlanga, that will certainly be actually fighting on the leading amount for the first time, Alvarez needs to add the 40th KO of his remarkable career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has actually been hurt in the ring in the past, such as in a step-up fight against Marcelo Coceres, who lost him in Cycle 9. And also his protection isn't precisely appear. Berlanga possesses electrical power (he started his job along with 16 successive KO wins in the preliminary), and if he selects to exchange with Canelo, Alvarez must take him out.Alvarez vowed as much at a pair of press conference this week to advertise the fight.-- Coppinger Real or otherwise: Not one other light champion can hammer Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza looks a real risk to Lopez after agonizing Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round gain in June as well as defeating Robeisy Ramirez by a majority selection to win the WBO headline in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) defeated Chirinho in 3 of the four rounds, while his escapement gain with Ramirez was among the most effective fights in 2023. Publisher's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the highest globe lightweight champ in past-- will be an obstacle for Lopez. Chirinho did well to stand up coming from an uppercut from Espinoza in Around 1, before he was quickly subdued. As a qualified, Chirinho had never ever been brought down before Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza made a shock in pounding two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, and he outlanded him in the final three spheres. Although he is actually certainly not as seasoned as Lopez, the volume of strikes he has actually included his last pair of matches, in addition to his elevation and also hit perks, could confirm impossible for Lopez.Rey Vargas has appeared implausible in recent matches, while our team still need to find much more from Nick Sphere prior to we proclaim him the department's No. 1. Sphere (20-0-1, 11 KOs) grabbed the WBA featherweight title with a split choice draw Raymond Ford in June. That triumph observed a debatable draw versus Vargas for the WBC title in March. However Espinoza will overlook 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was actually disappointing versus Ball and also has not won in nearly two years, so it is actually challenging to offer an argument for him in his present form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is the existing ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after ceasing Reiya Abe in 8 rounds in a third defense of the IBF belt in March. Lopez has actually gotten over huge problems in headline battles, like punching in a champion's home town and also getting cut early (vs. Josh Warrington), and also if he succeeds on Sunday against Angelo Leo, he might probably experience his biggest problem yet in a headline unification match against Espinoza to dental crown the most effective boxer in the branch.-- ParkinsonReal or not: Anthony Joshua are going to KO Daniel DuboisReal. Just as good as Dubois' revival has been only a year after being visited Oleksandr Usyk, current type proposes his 1st IBF heavyweight label defense will finish in a KO defeat to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is in top form, much more therefore than any other heavyweight. Like Dubois (21-2, twenty KOs), Joshua has actually had to restore his occupation, after enduring back-to-back choice reductions to Usyk in 2021 and 2022. Joshua combated very carefully, with a consensual decision sway Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, but in his last three matches, he accomplished Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and also Francis Ngannou.Dubois came back coming from Saudi Arabia to Greater london as IBF interim heavyweight champion after he quit Filip Hrgovic in Around 8. Usyk then gave up the IBF waistband, which suggested Dubois was actually upgraded to total champ, therefore shows Joshua with the opportunity to end up being a three-time globe champ at Wembley Arena in London.Joshua will definitely make an effort to manipulate what Hrgovic had actually redoed effectiveness along with against Dubois. Hrgovic continually landed right-hand men on Dubois in the early spheres, and Joshua has shown in recent matches just how harmful his right hands seek he ruined Ngannou in Sphere 2. Joshua landed a right hand on the past UFC heavyweight champion's face to knock him out chilly. Joshua will definitely take possession of the opportunity if Dubois makes himself similarly on call, as he did against Hrgovic. Joshua is actually a larger puncher than Hrgovic and, although Dubois showed toughness to soak up punches in June, he has been actually ceased twice (through Joe Joyce in 2020 and also Usyk in 2013) and also was defeated three times in the preliminary by Kevin Lerena before recovering to gain in Round 3. Yet it is no walk in the playground for Joshua, who also needs to have to appreciate Dubois' power. Dubois made a mess of Hrgovic's skin and may possibly pull off a shock standstill against Joshua, just like Andy Ruiz Jr. performed in 2019. However Joshua, that concluded as champ from 2016 to 2019 and then coming from 2019 to 2021, is more likely to succeed this battle through KO.-- Parkinson.