.IBF featherweight champ Luis Alberto Lopez defends his belt against Angelo Leo in the main event of a Top Ranking on ESPN card at Tingley Col iseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Sunday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET). Lopez's last reduction was in May 2019 as well as he has gained 14 consecutive battles due to the fact that, consisting of remarkable victories over Josh Warrington in England as well as Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. But is he the most effective featherweight in boxing?Vasiliy Lomachenko just recently rejected a financially rewarding match against fellow lightweight champ Gervonta "Container" Davis as well as while he hasn't revealed his retired life, are going to our experts observe "Hi-Tech" in the ring again?Canelo Alvarez will make his 2nd ring look this year, yet certainly not against the competitor fans have actually clamored for. Rather Than David Benavidez, Canelo will certainly deal with Edgar Berlanga, that is actually never ever combated at this degree in his brief career. While Berlanga has fabulous power-- he began his occupation along with 16 successive first-round KOs-- may he find a means to win, or a minimum of go the span versus Alvarez?Former abundant champ Anthony Joshua will defend a label for the first time in pair of years. Joshua will experience IBF champion Daniel Dubois in Greater London, as "AJ" is actually favored to end up being a three-time world champ (-550 every ESPN BET). And also two-division champ Danny Garcia returns to the band for merely the second attend nearly 4 years to handle WBA middleweight champ Erislandy Lara. Garcia, who won waistbands at 140 and 147 extra pounds, is moving up in body weight for the possibility to become a three-division champ, yet can easily he upset an older however still strong Lara?Mike Coppinger and Chip Parkinson address these concerns and even more, trying to identify what's real and also what is actually not.Real or otherwise: Vasiliy Lomachenko will retire without another fightNot real ... for now. Lomachenko is actually pondering retirement life, sources said to ESPN, portion of the factor he dropped a highly profitable match along with Gervonta Davis in Nov. There is actually also a possibility that Lomachenko will certainly return in the first fifty percent of 2025 to safeguard his IBF lightweight title.After all, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) showed up in a combating mood Saturday in Los Angeles: he as well as Shakur Stevenson had to be split at ringside during the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov memory card. Lomachenko was actually viewed telling Stevenson, "Let's go best now.If that's any type of evidence, Lomachenko is going to fight once again. Maybe even against Davis or Stevenson, both most significant battles on the desk for him. But if he never shoelaces up the gloves again, Lomachenko's heritage is actually secured. He's a three-division champ, a first-ballot Hall of Famer and a backbone of the pound-for-pound checklist over the final 10 years.He additionally does not need to fight for the cash. He is actually gotten numerous bucks in his profession and also still lives in Ukraine, where he's one of the country's most prominent sportsmens. Whether he combats once again, he definitely will not accomplish this a lot longer. He turns 37 in February.-- CoppingerReal or not: Danny Garcia hammers Erislandy Lara and also becomes a champion in a third divisionNot real. Garcia has actually upset the possibilities prior to, including an astonishing KO gain Amir Khan as well as a dominant decision success over Lucas Matthysse. The 1st win lifted him to the upper tier of the sporting activity as well as the latter glued that status.But the Matthysse fight was actually 11 years earlier, though, as well as those pair of trademark Garcia triumphes were at 140 extra pounds (he additionally gained a label at 147 extra pounds as well as went up to 154 for a July 2022 draw Jose Benavidez Jr.) Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is actually still hunting for a gain that matches that, as well as a distressed victory over Lara would accommodate the bill.Garcia failed to look like the stinging counterpuncher in the majority-decision victory over Benavidez, and also he have not competed due to the fact that. Currently, he'll go up one more weight lesson (though the Lara battle is actually happening at a catchweight between 155 and also 160 extra pounds) and must emulate ring sluggishness. The Sept. 14 middleweight label match versus Lara will definitely be Garcia's 2nd considering that December 2020, when he was actually routed through Errol Spence Jr.The select right here is Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), that, even at 41, presents tremendous power, albeit against boxers under Garcia's degree. Lara is actually using a three-fight KO streak.-- CoppingerReal or otherwise: Canelo Alvarez's match against Edgar Berlanga doesn't go the distanceCanelo Alvarez, left behind, guards his uncontested tremendously middleweight champion against Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Sin City. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu by means of Getty ImagesReal. Alvarez, boxing's leading celebrity, have not scored a KO triumph considering that he squashed Caleb Plant in a November 2021 battle to gain the uncontested extremely middleweight championship.However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has scored a knockdown in his last three matches. Against a boxer in Berlanga, who will definitely be combating on the best amount for the very first time, Alvarez should add the 40th KO of his illustrious career.Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has been actually harmed in the ring previously, particularly in a step-up fight against Marcelo Coceres, that dropped him in Cycle 9. And also his defense isn't precisely sound. Berlanga has power (he began his occupation with 16 successive KO gains in the first round), as well as if he decides on to trade along with Canelo, Alvarez needs to take him out.Alvarez assured as much at a set of news conferences recently to promote the match.-- Coppinger Real or otherwise: No other light champ can hammer Luis Alberto LopezNot real. Rafael Espinoza appears an actual threat to Lopez after agonizing Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round win in June and defeating Robeisy Ramirez through a large number choice to gain the WBO title in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) defeated Chirinho in three of the four shots, while his escapement gain along with Ramirez was just one of the greatest battles in 2023. Editor's Picks1 RelatedAt 6-foot-1, Espinoza-- the tallest world light champ in background-- would be actually a problem for Lopez. Chirinho prospered to get up coming from an uppercut coming from Espinoza in Around 1, just before he was quickly overpowered. As a qualified, Chirinho had actually never ever been actually brought down just before Espinoza swept him aside.Espinoza made a shock in beating two-time Olympic gold medallist Ramirez, as well as he outlanded him in the final three rounds. Although he is certainly not as professional as Lopez, the volume of blows he has thrown in his last pair of battles, in addition to his height as well as hit conveniences, might show impossible for Lopez.Rey Vargas has appeared unconvincing in current fights, while our experts still need to see much more coming from Nick Sphere before our team declare him the department's No. 1. Sphere (20-0-1, 11 KOs) grabbed the WBA featherweight headline with a split selection gain Raymond Ford in June. That conquest observed a disputable draw versus Vargas for the WBC label in March. However Espinoza would tower above 5-foot-2 Ball.Vargas was unsatisfactory versus Sphere as well as has actually not won in virtually two years, so it is challenging to offer an argument for him in his existing form.Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is the existing ESPN No. 1 at featherweight after ceasing Reiya Abe in 8 arounds in a third protection of the IBF belt in March. Lopez has actually gotten over major difficulties in headline battles, like punching in a champion's hometown and also receiving slice early (vs. Josh Warrington), as well as if he wins on Sunday against Angelo Leo, he might perhaps encounter his biggest challenge but in a title marriage fight against Espinoza to dental crown the greatest competitor in the division.-- ParkinsonReal or not: Anthony Joshua will certainly KO Daniel DuboisReal. As good as Dubois' resurgence has actually been actually just a year after being actually visited Oleksandr Usyk, current type suggests his 1st IBF abundant title defense will certainly end in a KO loss to Joshua.Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) remains in best form, extra therefore than every other abundant. Like Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), Joshua has actually had to restore his job, after experiencing back-to-back decision losses to Usyk in 2021 and also 2022. Joshua dealt with carefully, with a consensual selection get Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, however in his final 3 matches, he rounded off Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin as well as Francis Ngannou.Dubois came back coming from Saudi Arabia to Greater london as IBF interim big-time champ after he stopped Filip Hrgovic in Around 8. Usyk after that relinquished the IBF waistband, which indicated Dubois was actually upgraded to full champion, and so shows Joshua along with the opportunity to become a three-time planet champ at Wembley Coliseum in London.Joshua will certainly make an effort to manipulate what Hrgovic had redoed excellence along with versus Dubois. Hrgovic constantly landed right hands on Dubois in the very early spheres, and Joshua has actually displayed in current matches just how damaging his right hands want he ruined Ngannou in Round 2. Joshua landed a right-hand man on the previous UFC heavyweight champ's face to knock him out cool. Joshua is going to seize the possibility if Dubois creates himself in a similar way accessible, as he performed against Hrgovic. Joshua is a greater puncher than Hrgovic as well as, although Dubois revealed longevity to absorb punches in June, he has actually been actually quit twice (by Joe Joyce in 2020 and Usyk in 2014) as well as was knocked down three attend the first round by Kevin Lerena prior to bouncing back to succeed in Round 3. But it is actually no walk in the park for Joshua, who also requires to respect Dubois' energy. Dubois ruined Hrgovic's face as well as may potentially pull off a surprise stoppage versus Joshua, similar to Andy Ruiz Jr. did in 2019. But Joshua, who ruled as champion coming from 2016 to 2019 and after that from 2019 to 2021, is actually more likely to gain this battle by KO.-- Parkinson.