‘It will be a firefight’ vs. Vergil Ortiz Jr.

By Graham Ilford: Erickson Lubin predicts his fight against WBC interim junior middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. will be a “firefight” this Saturday, November 8, in their main event at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.

Lubin’s war mentality

Lubin (27-2, 19 KOs) knows he has no choice but to be ready for war against Ortiz Jr. (23-0, 21 KOs). It’s the only way the Texas native fights. Even though Erickson tried to box and move like he did in his win over Jesus Ramos Jr. did, Vergil Jr. will capture him and force exchanges.

Hammer time again

“Erickson Lubin vs. Vergil Ortiz, it will be a firefight. It’s ‘Hammer’ time,” Erickson Lubin said Battle hype about his fight this Saturday night against WBC interim 154-lb champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. “This is a legacy-type fight for me – a young, undefeated, angry fighter.

“This right here sets everything up for me. I’m in my prime right now. I’m excited to show the world that I’m the #1 154-pounder in boxing,” Lubin said. “I’ve been ranked by the WBC for a long time. It’s one of my favorite belts. It’s a coveted belt.”

Fundora Rematch Dream

It is clear that Lubin wants the rematch with WBC junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora. That one is doable and winnable for Lubin. He had his moments in his fight against ‘The Towering Inferno’ Fundora on April 9, 2022, which saw him fall in round seven. However, Fundora came on strong in the eighth and stopped him in round nine.

“I’ve been sitting at #1 since about 2019 with the WBC, and I’ve continued to fight title eliminators. We decided to move on and go to the IBF because it presented itself. I feel like this is a fight that’s going to fit me for either one of the belts, and it’s going to put me #1 at 154 pounds,” Lubin said.

If Erickson wins this fight, it will move him into position to fight the winner of the Sebastian Fundora vs. Keith Thurman fight for the WBC 154-lb title. It is doubtful that Lubin will go in the direction of IBF champion Bakhram Murtazaliev. As Lubin spoke during this interview, he didn’t sound like he wanted to fight Bakhram. It’s understandable. This is a bad match for him.

Veteran boxing columnist Graham Ilford brings dry humor and long-deserved perspective to the sport.