Erickson Lubin will try his hand at a new weight.
The former title challenger was quick to declare his next move after a crushing, 2nd round stoppage defeat to Vergil Ortiz Jnr. this past Saturday on DAZN from Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. The bout came with Ortiz’s interim version of the WBC belt at 154lbs, a weight at which the 30-year-old “Hammer” has appeared for more than a decade.
“Live by the sword, die by the sword,” Lubin posted on his various and verified social media channels. “I’ll be back, I’ll be better… next time at middleweight #HammerTime.
“Congrats to Team Ortiz.”
Lubin, 27-3 (19 KOs) was confident as he fought on enemy soil. He donned a custom mariachi outfit, a nod to Ortiz’s Mexican and Mexican-American fanbase, as he made his way to the ring in his opponent’s home region.
The act, naturally, drew boos, which quickly turned to cheers once Grand Prairie’s Ortiz, 24-0 (22 KOs) made his way to the ring. The unbeaten secondary titleholder provided cause for continued applause as he quickly walked down Lubin towards the back half of the opening frame before he closed the show midway through the 2nd round.
Lubin found himself trapped against the ropes as Ortiz let loose with enough power shots to force referee James Green to immediately intervene.
The setback marked Lubin’s third career defeat, all with either a major or secondary title at stake. He suffered a 1st round knockout to Jermell Charlo in their October 2017 WBC 154lbs title fight, a defeat which was chalked up to a then 22-year-old contender taking on too much, too soon.
Lubin rattled off six consecutive victories to punch himself back into contention. He went tooth and nail with Sebastian Fundora in their brutal April 2022 slugfest, a Fight of the Year contender which was stopped after nine rounds when then-head trainer Kevin Cunningham was concerned for the health of his grotesquely disfigured charge.
Another three victories followed, including a September 2023 decision over then-unbeaten Jesus Ramos Jnr. An 11th round knockout of Ardreal Holmes this past May 10 – in Lubin’s home region in Kissimmee, Florida – saw the southpaw become the mandatory challenger to IBF titlist Bakhram Murtazaliev.
However, Lubin instead opted for the higher profile and more lucrative clash with Ortiz. The reward was ultimately dwarfed by the risk, though there was always the sense that the night would be his last at junior middleweight.
The hope now is to change his luck at a new weight.
“Saturday night I was a prisoner of my own bad habits,” said Lubin, though without specifying what he should – or could – have done differently. “But it’s just a lesson and I have to learn from it, turn shit around, not make it a life sentence.
