.IBF featherweight champ Luis Alberto Lopez defends his belt versus Angelo Leo in the main event of a Best Position on ESPN card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Saturday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's last loss resided in May 2019 and he has actually won 14 consecutive battles since, featuring impressive victories over Josh Warrington in England and also Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. However is he the very best featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko just recently turned down a financially rewarding match versus fellow light in weight champion Gervonta "Storage tank" Davis and also while he hasn't declared his retired life, will certainly we see "Hi-Tech" in the band again?Canelo Alvarez will create his 2nd ring look this year, but certainly not versus the fighter supporters have demanded. Instead of David Benavidez, Canelo will encounter Edgar Berlanga, that's never combated at this level in his short job. While Berlanga possesses incredible energy-- he began his occupation along with 16 successive first-round KOs-- can easily he discover a way to gain, or even a minimum of go the distance versus Alvarez?Former abundant champ Anthony Joshua will certainly fight for a headline for the first time in two years. Joshua will definitely deal with IBF champ Daniel Dubois in London, as "AJ" is chosen to come to be a three-time planet champion (-550 every ESPN BET). And also two-division champion Danny Garcia returns to the band for merely the second attend just about four years to tackle WBA middleweight champ Erislandy Lara. Garcia, that won belts at 140 and 147 extra pounds, is moving up in body weight for the possibility to become a three-division champion, yet can he disturb a more mature but still effective Lara?Mike Coppinger and also Scar Parkinson answer these concerns as well as more, attempting to differentiate what's genuine and what is actually not.Real or otherwise: Vasiliy Lomachenko will certainly retire without an additional fightNot true ... meanwhile. Lomachenko is pondering retired life, resources told ESPN, part of the explanation he decreased a highly profitable match with Gervonta Davis in November. There is actually likewise an option that Lomachenko will definitely return in the 1st fifty percent of 2025 to safeguard his IBF light in weight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) appeared in a battling state of mind Saturday in Los Angeles: he and also Shakur Stevenson must be divided at ringside during the course of the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov memory card. Lomachenko was found telling Stevenson, "Let's go appropriate now.If that's any type of indicator, Lomachenko is going to combat once more. Maybe even versus Davis or even Stevenson, the two most significant fights on the desk for him. But if he certainly never laces up the handwear covers once more, Lomachenko's heritage is actually safeguarded. He is actually a three-division champ, a first-ballot Venue of Famer and also an essential of the pound-for-pound listing over the final 10 years.He also does not need to have to combat for the cash. He is actually gotten numerous dollars in his profession and also still stays in Ukraine, where he is among the nation's very most well-known athletes. Whether he battles again, he absolutely won't do so a lot longer. He turns 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or not: Danny Garcia hammers Erislandy Lara as well as becomes a champion in a 3rd divisionNot genuine. Garcia has actually upset the probabilities just before, including a surprising KO win over Amir Khan as well as a prevalent selection triumph over Lucas Matthysse. The first gain elevated him to the upper tier of the sporting activity and also the last sealed that status.But the Matthysse match was 11 years back, however, and those pair of trademark Garcia success went to 140 pounds (he also succeeded a headline at 147 extra pounds as well as went up to 154 for a July 2022 gain Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is actually still looking for a win that matches that, and also a dismayed triumph over Lara will accommodate the bill.Garcia failed to look like the sharp counterpuncher in the majority-decision success over Benavidez, and also he have not completed considering that. Now, he'll move up one more weight lesson (though the Lara fight is actually occurring at a catchweight between 155 as well as 160 pounds) and must contend with band inactivity. The Sept. 14 middleweight title match against Lara will certainly be actually Garcia's second due to the fact that December 2020, when he was directed through Errol Spence Jr.The decide on right here is Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), that, also at 41, shows tremendous power, albeit against competitors under Garcia's level. Lara is actually riding a three-fight KO streak.-- CoppingerReal or not: Canelo Alvarez's battle versus Edgar Berlanga doesn't go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left, defends his indisputable very middleweight champion against Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Sin City. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, boxing's leading superstar, hasn't scored a KO success given that he smoothed Caleb Plant in a Nov 2021 fight to succeed the undisputed extremely middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has racked up a knockdown in his last three matches. Versus a boxer in Berlanga, who will certainly be actually battling on the best level for the first time, Alvarez must include the 40th KO of his illustrious career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has actually been actually injured in the ring before, such as in a step-up battle against Marcelo Coceres, that dropped him in Cycle 9. And his defense isn't specifically appear. Berlanga possesses energy (he started his career with 16 successive KO wins in the preliminary), and also if he chooses to exchange with Canelo, Alvarez ought to take him out.Alvarez guaranteed as much at a pair of news conferences this week to market the match.-- Coppinger Real or otherwise: Not one other light champion may beat Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza appears a true risk to Lopez after tormenting Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round succeed in June and beating Robeisy Ramirez by a majority choice to succeed the WBO title in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) knocked down Chirinho in three of the four shots, while his outbreak succeed along with Ramirez was among the most ideal matches in 2023. Editor's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the tallest world lightweight champion in record-- would certainly be a difficulty for Lopez. Chirinho flourished to get up coming from an uppercut coming from Espinoza in Round 1, before he was actually soon overthrown. As a professional, Chirinho had actually certainly never been torn down just before Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza created a surprise in pounding two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, and he outlanded him in the last 3 rounds. Although he is actually not as seasoned as Lopez, the quantity of hits he has actually included his final two battles, alongside his height and also reach perks, can verify insurmountable for Lopez.Rey Vargas has actually appeared implausible in recent matches, while our experts still require to observe more coming from Nick Sphere before our company proclaim him the division's No. 1. Round (20-0-1, 11 KOs) captured the WBA featherweight label with a split decision gain Raymond Ford in June. That conquest observed a disputable draw versus Vargas for the WBC label in March. Yet Espinoza would overlook 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was unsatisfactory versus Ball as well as has actually not succeeded in nearly 2 years, so it is tough to offer a debate for him in his present form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is actually the present ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after stopping Reiya Abe in 8 spheres in a third defense of the IBF belt in March. Lopez has gotten over big problems in label battles, like punching in a champion's home town as well as getting slice early (vs. Josh Warrington), and if he succeeds on Sunday against Angelo Leo, he may possibly experience his biggest difficulty however in a headline marriage match versus Espinoza to crown the very best boxer in the branch.-- ParkinsonReal or not: Anthony Joshua will KO Daniel DuboisReal. As good as Dubois' revival has been simply a year after being dropped in Oleksandr Usyk, recent kind proposes his 1st IBF heavyweight headline self defense will definitely end in a KO defeat to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is in best kind, much more thus than every other heavyweight. Like Dubois (21-2, twenty KOs), Joshua has actually needed to restore his career, after enduring next choice reductions to Usyk in 2021 as well as 2022. Joshua dealt with carefully, with an unanimous selection get Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, but in his last 3 battles, he accomplished Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and also Francis Ngannou.Dubois returned coming from Saudi Arabia to Greater london as IBF acting big-time champion after he quit Filip Hrgovic in Round 8. Usyk after that relinquished the IBF belt, which implied Dubois was updated to complete champ, consequently presents Joshua along with the opportunity to end up being a three-time planet champ at Wembley Arena in London.Joshua will definitely make an effort to manipulate what Hrgovic had redoed excellence along with versus Dubois. Hrgovic consistently landed right-hand men on Dubois in the early spheres, as well as Joshua has actually displayed in current fights exactly how damaging his right-hand men seek he destroyed Ngannou in Sphere 2. Joshua landed a right-hand man on the former UFC heavyweight champion's chin to knock him out cool. Joshua will seize the opportunity if Dubois produces themself likewise available, as he carried out against Hrgovic. Joshua is a larger puncher than Hrgovic and, although Dubois revealed toughness to soak up type June, he has actually been actually stopped twice (by Joe Joyce in 2020 as well as Usyk last year) as well as was actually floored three attend the preliminary by Kevin Lerena before recovering to succeed in Cycle 3. Yet it is no walk in the park for Joshua, who likewise needs to recognize Dubois' electrical power. Dubois bungled Hrgovic's face and also may possibly manage a surprise blockage versus Joshua, similar to Andy Ruiz Jr. carried out in 2019. But Joshua, that concluded as champion coming from 2016 to 2019 and after that from 2019 to 2021, is actually very likely to succeed this fight through KO.-- Parkinson.