.IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez defends his belt versus Angelo Leo in the main activity 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 remained in May 2019 and he has won 14 successive battles since, featuring exceptional triumphes over Josh Warrington in England and Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. But is he the very best featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko lately denied a highly profitable match versus fellow light-weight champ Gervonta "Tank" Davis and also while he hasn't revealed his retired life, are going to our team find "Hi-Tech" in the ring again?Canelo Alvarez are going to create his 2nd band appearance this year, however certainly not against the competitor followers have demanded. Rather Than David Benavidez, Canelo is going to encounter Edgar Berlanga, that's never dealt with at this amount in his quick job. While Berlanga possesses amazing power-- he began his profession along with 16 consecutive first-round KOs-- may he locate a technique to win, or a minimum of go the span against Alvarez?Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will defend a title for the very first time in two years. Joshua will encounter IBF champion Daniel Dubois in Greater London, as "AJ" is preferred to become a three-time globe champion (-550 every ESPN BET). And also two-division champion Danny Garcia goes back to the ring for simply the 2nd attend virtually 4 years to handle WBA middleweight champ Erislandy Lara. Garcia, who succeeded waistbands at 140 as well as 147 pounds, is actually going up in body weight for the opportunity to become a three-division champ, yet may he distress a much older but still strong Lara?Mike Coppinger and also Scar Parkinson answer these concerns and also additional, attempting to differentiate what's genuine as well as what's not.Real or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko will definitely retire without another fightNot actual ... meanwhile. Lomachenko is contemplating retired life, resources said to ESPN, part of the factor he declined a highly profitable match along with Gervonta Davis in November. There's likewise a possibility that Lomachenko will come back in the initial one-half of 2025 to defend his IBF lightweight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) appeared in a dealing with mood Sunday in Los Angeles: he and also Shakur Stevenson must be split at ringside during the course of the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov memory card. Lomachenko was found informing Stevenson, "Let's go best now.If that's any evidence, Lomachenko is going to combat again. Perhaps even versus Davis or Stevenson, the 2 largest matches on the table for him. Yet if he never ever laces up the gloves again, Lomachenko's tradition is actually secured. He's a three-division champion, a first-ballot Venue of Famer and also a mainstay of the pound-for-pound checklist over the final 10 years.He additionally does not need to combat for the money. He is actually made millions of bucks in his occupation as well as still stays in Ukraine, where he is among the country's most well-known sportsmens. Regardless if he deals with once more, he surely will not accomplish this much longer. He switches 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 actually upset the probabilities prior to, consisting of a shocking KO win over Amir Khan and a dominant selection success over Lucas Matthysse. The first gain raised him to the top echelon of the sport as well as the second bound that status.But the Matthysse match was actually 11 years back, however, as well as those 2 signature Garcia success were at 140 pounds (he likewise gained a headline at 147 pounds as well as went up to 154 for a July 2022 get Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is actually still seeking a win that matches that, as well as a distressed success over Lara will fit the bill.Garcia didn't look like the stinging counterpuncher in the majority-decision victory over Benavidez, as well as he hasn't contended due to the fact that. Currently, he'll go up yet another body weight lesson (though the Lara match is actually occurring at a catchweight between 155 as well as 160 extra pounds) and also must contend with ring stagnation. The Sept. 14 middleweight label match versus Lara will certainly be Garcia's second because December 2020, when he was routed by Errol Spence Jr.The decide on here is Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), who, also at 41, presents significant power, albeit versus fighters below Garcia's amount. Lara is actually riding a three-fight KO touch.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Canelo Alvarez's match versus Edgar Berlanga does not go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left behind, defends his uncontested tremendously middleweight champion against Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu through Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, punching's leading star, hasn't racked up a KO victory because he smoothed Caleb Plant in a November 2021 battle to gain the indisputable tremendously middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has scored a presentation in his last 3 matches. Versus a fighter in Berlanga, who are going to be actually fighting on the leading amount for the very first time, Alvarez needs to add the 40th KO of his illustrious career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has been injured in the ring before, particularly in a step-up battle against Marcelo Coceres, who lost him in Round 9. And his defense isn't precisely sound. Berlanga possesses energy (he started his occupation along with 16 successive KO wins in the first round), and if he chooses to swap with Canelo, Alvarez should take him out.Alvarez assured as much at a set of news conferences today to promote the fight.-- Coppinger Real or otherwise: Not one other lightweight champ may hammer Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza looks a real threat to Lopez after torturing Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round succeed in June as well as beating Robeisy Ramirez through a bulk selection to gain the WBO label in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) floored Chirinho in 3 of the 4 shots, while his breakout win with Ramirez was one of the best battles in 2023. Publisher's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the highest planet lightweight champ in history-- would be a problem for Lopez. Chirinho did well to stand up from an uppercut from Espinoza in Around 1, just before he was soon overpowered. As an expert, Chirinho had never ever been actually brought down just before Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza created a shock in beating two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, as well as he outlanded him in the final three spheres. Although he is actually not as seasoned as Lopez, the amount of punches he has thrown in his final two battles, along with his elevation and also reach perks, might confirm impossible for Lopez.Rey Vargas has appeared implausible in recent battles, while our experts still need to have to view extra coming from Scar Sphere before we declare him the department's No. 1. Sphere (20-0-1, 11 KOs) caught the WBA featherweight title with a split choice draw Raymond Ford in June. That accomplishment complied with a controversial draw versus Vargas for the WBC headline in March. But Espinoza will stand over 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was actually frustrating versus Ball and has actually certainly not succeeded in almost two years, so it is actually challenging to show a disagreement for him in his present form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is the existing ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after stopping Reiya Abe in 8 arounds in a third defense of the IBF belt in March. Lopez has actually beat big problems in headline fights, like punching in a champion's home town and acquiring cut very early (vs. Josh Warrington), and if he succeeds on Saturday against Angelo Leo, he may possibly encounter his most significant obstacle yet in a title marriage match against Espinoza to crown the most effective competitor in the division.-- ParkinsonReal or not: Anthony Joshua will certainly KO Daniel DuboisReal. As good as Dubois' revival has been actually simply a year after being come by Oleksandr Usyk, current kind proposes his very first IBF abundant label protection will definitely finish in a KO loss to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is in leading type, much more thus than some other heavyweight. Like Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), Joshua has actually had to reconstruct his profession, after experiencing next selection reductions to Usyk in 2021 and also 2022. Joshua combated carefully, with a consensual choice gain Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, however in his final three matches, he rounded off Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou.Dubois came back from Saudi Arabia to London as IBF interim heavyweight champ after he quit Filip Hrgovic in Around 8. Usyk at that point relinquished the IBF waistband, which implied Dubois was updated to total champ, consequently presents Joshua with the opportunity to end up being a three-time planet champ at Wembley Arena in London.Joshua will definitely try to manipulate what Hrgovic had redoed effectiveness with against Dubois. Hrgovic regularly landed right-hand men on Dubois in the early arounds, and also Joshua has actually shown in latest matches how detrimental his right-hand men are after he ruined Ngannou in Around 2. Joshua landed a right hand on the former UFC heavyweight champion's face to take him out cold. Joshua will take the option if Dubois makes themself likewise available, as he did against Hrgovic. Joshua is actually a bigger puncher than Hrgovic as well as, although Dubois presented sturdiness to soak up punches in June, he has actually been actually quit twice (by Joe Joyce in 2020 and also Usyk in 2015) and also was defeated 3 times in the first round through Kevin Lerena before recuperating to win in Round 3. But it is actually no stroll in the park for Joshua, that also requires to respect Dubois' energy. Dubois ruined Hrgovic's face as well as can potentially pull off a shock standstill against Joshua, similar to Andy Ruiz Jr. performed in 2019. However Joshua, who concluded as champ coming from 2016 to 2019 and after that from 2019 to 2021, is actually very likely to win this battle by KO.-- Parkinson.